How to Balance Protein & Moisture in your Curly Hair Routine

This post is sponsored by Curlsmith. All opinions are my own.

I’m going to show exactly how to properly balance protein and moisture in your wash day routine. If you want to start incorporating more protein in your routine for strength and damage repair but are worried about protein overload, this routine is ideal for balance. I’m also going to share a quick crash course on protein vs. moisture, how to choose the right protein ingredient for your hair type, and more.

Why does protein & moisture balance matter?

Hair is made up of protein, specifically keratin. Protein ingredients are needed to repair damaged hair and strengthen the hair. Protein even can help the hair maintain moisture by temporarily filling in the gaps in our hair’s cuticle, which gets chipped from using heat, bleach, tight hairstyles, rough detangling, sun exposure and more.

I like to think of protein and moisture balance as strength vs. softness. It’s definitely a balancing act and needs maintenance. Too much protein when not needed can cause hair to become brittle and break. Too much moisture can cause hair to fall limp, feel mushy, and sticky. Both moisture and protein overload can cause frizz and lack of curl definition, so it’s hard to detect sometimes.

The most reliable test I have found is the stretch test. Click here to watch how to do it.

Take a hair dry, clean hair that has already shed, and gently stretch it between two fingers. 

• If it snaps immediately then you need moisture
• If it stretches some then breaks, you have a balance of protein & moisture
• If it stretches and stretches far, then you need protein and may have hygral fatigue

Common protein ingredients

• Hydrolyzed ____ protein
  • Typically plant-based, such as wheat, rice, quinoa, oat, soy, etc.
• Amino acids
• Keratin
• Collagen

Who needs protein, and how often?

Damaged, more porous hair will need protein more often. Those with low porosity hair should be cautious with protein, especially plant-based proteins. Fine-textured hair can benefit from protein because it gives it strength, while coarse hair will not require much protein. Too much protein on coarse hair will cause it to feel brittle and break.

Check out this chart below from my previous video about How to Correct Protein Overload.

How do you choose the right protein?

See the chart above! In a nutshell, some proteins such as the hydrolyzed plant proteins are larger in molecular weight and are more likely to cause protein overload. This happens because they can’t penetrate as easily, so they build-up on the surface. Other proteins such as amino acids and keratin are smaller and actually penetrate, so these are great for hair that is more sensitive to protein.

How to balance protein and moisture in your wash day:

If you find that your hair needs some protein, incorporate protein in a couple of your products within your wash day routine. I find that shampoos and rinse-out conditioners with proteins don’t usually have a huge impact on your routine. If you think you are in protein overload, then avoid protein in your shampoo and conditioner.

For stylers, if you have very damaged hair you could incorporate cream, leave-in, and gel with protein. If your hair is not damaged but you’d like to use some protein, incorporate it within just one or two stylers as I did in this routine.

If you are going to be using a bond treatment or a protein treatment like I did in this routine, always follow up with a super moisturizing, protein-free deep conditioner. Then, avoid using a ton of stylers with protein and focus on moisture to maintain balance. In this routine, I used a cream and foam with protein and used a protein-free gel. See the chart below for more details.

I wouldn’t necessarily do this routine for every single wash day, as that will likely be too much protein because I don’t have much damage in my hair anymore. My next wash day after this protein-rich one, I would skip on the Bond Curl and still use a protein-free deep conditioner. Then, would either use these same stylers or possibly opt for a protein-free cream too. It depends on how my hair feels. Avoiding repetition with protein-heavy wash days is key to preventing protein overload.

Other Tools Used:

• Minha Beauty Magic Detangling Brush, 10% off with code GENAMARIE
• HairRepear Towel,
• Infiniti PRO by Conair 1875 Watt Texture Styling Hair Dryer