My First Deep Condition, Protein Style

So I finally did a deep condition. Yes, I’ve been natural for almost a year. No, I never did a deep condition or a protein treatment. I know, I know, what was I thinking. But, I finally did it and let me tell you, my hair really needs this! Anyway, on to the actual treatment.

I used my Shea Moisture Anti-Breakage Strengthening Masque, Shea Moisture Superfruit Complex, Hask Keratin Protein. I don’t have a heat cap, so I used the good old Wal-Mart shopping bag. It works well enough. Anyway, about two large spoon sized scoops of the masque with 20 drops of hair serum, and the whole package of protein was all that I used.

While I took my shower and shampooed my hair, I warmed my protein mixture on the stove over a pot of water. (Note: If you do this, use a glass dish or a sturdy microwaveable container like I did.) In the shower, I did a preliminary detangle. It definitely made the next step a lot earlier.

I wanted to make this a hot treatment without having to use my heat bonnet. So I let the mixture cool, but only enough to handle without burning myself. My hair isn’t very long, so it never fully cooled and worked out perfectly.

Step one was to section, detangle, and twist my hair. I parted my hair into six sections. I twisted the sections because I wanted to keep the sections detangled and make the process easier in the long run.

Untwist, add conditioner, re-twist, and repeat.

I added the grocery bag (classy, I know). Then put my bonnet on top in order to help hold the heat in. I went about my normal chores, laundry, dishes and all of that fun stuff. Then about 30 minutes later, I rinsed the conditioner out with cold water.

I wish I had taken some after photos, but I was so impressed that it slipped my mind. Anyway, I BELIEVE I have a mixture of thin, 4abc hair, and this was the first time that I thought a Wash & Go might actually be an option for me. The treatment REALLY defined my curl pattern without any product even being added to it AND without the use of a Denman brush. It also reduced shrinkage quite a bit (happy surprise). The style I chose was a flat twist straight back into a twist-out the text day, and let me tell you, my hair looked thick, soft, and well defined!

Photo courtesy of 2 Bird Photography. Click photo for more information.