Chicoro Amino Acid strengthening treatment vs Design Essential Strengthening Therapy

[Chicoro]

Appreciate the quick reply. I found the methatione and cysteine in powder form but not cystine (notavailable even in tablet form!). I hate living in the UK sometimes for this very reason! haha

Just use the two you have. Those are perfect. They will smell like sulfur. Dissolve the powders first with something. Then, mix them with SOFT tofu and add some oil that you like. Blend and put on dry, dirty hair. Leave on for 15 to 30 minutes.

Let me know how it turns out for you.

 

[snoop]

I tried a version of this 3 weeks ago my hair. I say a version because I kept the amino acids, but created a conditioning clay mask instead.

In my water phase I used fresh AVG and a bit of water, honey, and cetrimonium chloride for conditioning and detangling. (I made the mistake of not straining the aloe very well.) In the oil phase I used tallow, babassu oil (in place of coconut oil), BTMS, cetyl alcohol, and cetearyl alcohol. These last three ingredients would make the conditioner base.

After combining the two phases, I added kaolin clay, goats milk powder, and the three amino acids and some more water until it got to the consistency that I wanted.

I totally forgot how long @Chicoro said she left hers on for and since I didn't want my hair to get too hard I left it on for only 10 minutes.

The result, really soft hair! Like, REALLY soft. I was a bit concerned that my strands had been loosened a bit, but because I did this mask in twists I couldn't tell.

I only used about half of the mix, so I strained it properly and stored it in the fridge with the intention of using it a few days later.

Week 2 I used the mixture, but this time added triphala, spirulina, and kelp powder so that I could continue with my capillary schedule. This time I left the mix on for 20 minutes. I still wasn't sure if my hair would feel super strengthened. After this my hair felt super soft, like the afro Barbie that I bought baby girl for Christmas. The only time that my hair has felt like this is when my hair is fully, FULLY detangled. I did this mask in twists, again, but when I rinsed, I loosed each twist. My coils didn't appear to have been stretched.

This week I tried my regular clay mask + ayurvedic herbs along with the three amino acids, but a slightly different quantity (1/4 tsp each of cystine and cysteine, and 1/8 tsp methionine). I pre-pood over night with coconut oil. My hair felt sooo good. Yes, it was damp from being covered in plastic for hours, but still. Then I used my mask. I did this in twists again. Later in the evening, I went to break down my twists, but I noticed that there were quite a few areas that are matted and holding on to sheds. I'm not sure if that happened during the week or during this wash. Until I wash my hair next week, I won't be able to tell if it just feels like a bunch of shed hair, but are only just a few or if I had extra shedding this week.

Overall, I like this treatment, so I'll have to figure out how often I should include it in my routine. I'll lay off until at least March so that I can figure this out.

 

[snoop]

I'm still using these amino acids pretty much weekly. The only downside is that methionine smells soooo bad! My next goal is to focus on eating foods that contain these three aminos in them.

 

[snoop]

A friend suggested pulverizing the methionine with a mortar and pestle, since its hard to dissolve in water. I've done that for the past two washes and I've noticed that my hair doesn't smell like vomit at any point before, during, or after the wash!

My strands are also starting to feel smoother.

 

[snoop]

Last week(?) I tried @sunnieb 's mix of honey and oil. I substituted castor for my diy ayurvedic blend. It made my hair so soft.

This week I used the same blend but added fresh aloe vera and the amino acids. Ooh...my whole head feels strong and wirey, not just my crown. I'm not sure why that is because I use the amino acids all the time, but there's got to be something in the aloe vera that made my hair feel stronger this time around. I'll keep this combination in my back pocket.

 

[mzteaze]

Last week(?) I tried @sunnieb 's mix of honey and oil. I substituted castor for my diy ayurvedic blend. It made my hair so soft.

This week I used the same blend but added fresh aloe vera and the amino acids. Ooh...my whole head feels strong and wirey, not just my crown. I'm not sure why that is because I use the amino acids all the time, but there's got to be something in the aloe vera that made my hair feel stronger this time around. I'll keep this combination in my back pocket.

Are you still using a version of this?

I'm exploring my options for 2025.