frustrated no end

jen94

I know I've posted before about protein, but I don't think I'm getting anywhere. I have been using the GVP KPak stuff for a while, every time I cowash, so about two to three times a week for ten to fifteen minutes; my hair has gotten curlier and healthier feeling, but I don't think it has enough protein in it. I've used the Ion Effective Care (bottle, I dunno if that makes a difference, I think it's the same stuff as the packet, just bigger) to no avail. It leaves my hair super soft but overconditiony limp ish.
Is there anything that is more protein than those? I just think there's more curl potential to my hair, but I don't know how to reach it. Again, I have super fine, probably highly porous (I dye it a different color every two months), and like a 2b curl pattern on a super good day. Thanks in advance.

curvesncurls

I don't think I'll be of much help, but you are not alone! After I did my first PT when my hair was crazy over-conditioned I started using more protein in everything I put in my hair. It has helped kick up my curls for sure, but now I'm starting to get tangly again. But if I use more moisturizing products in place of the protein, my hair starts to get squeaky and lose its definition. I have heard that the Aphogee 2-step treatment has a lot of protein in it, but I found that I didn't get enough protein in any single treatment I tried (and I tried a bunch!) to maintain my curl pattern without getting OC'd. I'm still tweaking my shower routine since I got a ton of new products from the swap boards recently. But before I started experimenting I was co-washing with Mill Creek Botanicals Keratin Repair conditioner then following up with Deva OneC. I can only leave the OneC in for a few minutes. I also always use CJ Curl Fix as my leave-in (as recommended by KathyMack) and it works beautifully. My curl creams are really moisturizing and sometimes they contain protein too (one of my faves is CJ CCCC). Depending on what I use as my curl enhancer, I may also use EcoStyler as my gel which also has protein in it. I've never gotten "crunchy hair" from using too much protein. Also, I don't dye my hair so I can't speak from personal experience, but I've heard that using protein after you dye will make the color fade so keep that in mind too. Good luck!!

jen94

Your hair sounds almost exactly like mine, except I did get crunchy hair from IAgirls protein treatment but I think that was a dislike for the gelatin protein. Thanks so much for your response; it's nice to know I'm not alone in this. The CJ Curl Fix and CCCC are both sounding like I should try them out. Have you tried any other curl enhancers? I'm pretty new at this and don't really know what to look for. Thanks!

Corrina777

Did you follow IAGirl's PT with some kind of conditioner/moisture? Because it's homemade, it doesn't have all the fancy ingredients like Aphogee to keep hair soft, so unless you add a lot of oil and conditioner to it, you probably need to follow with moisture. (if it really is an issue with gelatin protein, Aphogee won't work either- IAGirl's recipe is sdesigned to be like Aphogee minus the strong smell) In addition to Effective Care, ION also has a Reconstructor, which is a bit lighter on moisture (I actually use it as a co-wash). Effective Care is technically a protein-rich conditioner; Reconstructor is their actual PT product.

My hair can't get enough protein, so I do the IAGirl PT (followed by DT) once a week and use the ION Reconstructor (with Effective Care as my RO) at least one or two other days during the week (I cleanse my hair almost daily).

jen94

I did follow with some moisture, but I dunno if it was enough... Oo. I really need to check out this Reconstructor. My hair just can't seem to get enough protein, and is tired of me giving it moisture/ protein mixes.
Is the Aphogee more protein than the GVP KPak, because my hair is laughing at its attempt to be enough protein.

Corrina777

jen94 wrote: »

I did follow with some moisture, but I dunno if it was enough... Oo. I really need to check out this Reconstructor. My hair just can't seem to get enough protein, and is tired of me giving it moisture/ protein mixes.
Is the Aphogee more protein than the GVP KPak, because my hair is laughing at its attempt to be enough protein.

Definitely. I personally find GVP KPak more like a regular RO than like a PT. You would probably like the Reconstructor + Effective Care combo.

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curvesncurls

jen94 wrote: »

Your hair sounds almost exactly like mine, except I did get crunchy hair from IAgirls protein treatment but I think that was a dislike for the gelatin protein. Thanks so much for your response; it's nice to know I'm not alone in this. The CJ Curl Fix and CCCC are both sounding like I should try them out. Have you tried any other curl enhancers? I'm pretty new at this and don't really know what to look for. Thanks!

I'm pretty new too (which is why I caution everyone that they might want a second opinion on any of my suggestions lol), but I am still searching for my HG curl enhancer. I had amazing results with KCCC the first time I used it (before I started using lots of protein) - awesome clumps and my hair was SO soft. Unfortunately I haven't been able to duplicate those results, but I can't honestly say it's ever given me "bad" results - just not as great as the first time. The KCCC is all moisture, there's no protein in it at all, so I use Curl Fix and Ecostyler I also really love AG Recoil. The protein is pretty far down on the list, but it works great no matter what leave-in I use (even if I don't use one). Unlike KCCC and CCCC though, the Recoil breaks up clumps and gives me lots of smaller spirals all over. I usually use a protein gel over this too.

But my favorite "curl enhancer" is the pixie-curl method: The No-Frizz Pixie Curl Method

I use it with pretty much everything I put in my hair. It took me a little while to get used to my hair looking worse at first - my curls looked really squished and tangled - but once I finish drying, flip back over, and shake my head a few times my hair looks awesome. My waves are 3a-3b curls and they stay that way until I get home - I love it! I never got so many compliments on my hair as when I started using pixie-curl. One of the girls I work with even told me that I had "perfect ringlets" (eee! :toothy10:)

One last suggestion I can offer is to find someone (or a few people!) on the boards who have the same hair characteristics as you. Check out their siggies to see what products and/or techniques they use. This can help guide you on what might work well for your hair type.

jen94

Thank you guys so much!! I know I can buy the reconstructor at Sally's, but do I have to get the Ecostyler, CJ Curl Fix and CCCC off Curl Mart or can I get them at stores nearby? I really hate shipping costs and waiting. I'm gonna have to retry the Pixie Curl Method, because those are some amazing results!! 3a is pretty much my dream hair!

Corrina777

Eco Syler is at Sally's but most people have to get Curl Junkie products online. If you check their website, they have a very small list of on the ground stores that carry their product, so you might be lucky.

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raindear

You might also find CJ at Target, if you are lucky enough to have one nearby.

Edit:Sorry it's Kinky Curly at Target, not Curl Junkie. oops.