cowashing A LOT= overly moist hair! protein not working...help

Dposh167

Dposh167

Well-Known Member
...so i cowah every 2 days...just about 3x a week basically. (Im 16 wks. post so thats why). But I noticed my hair getting softer & softer. But the bad overly moisturized soft feeling. So i did a protein/reconstructor for the last 2 weeks and nothing happened...keraphix, ion reconstructor, and aphogee 2 mins. All proteins that will usually strengthen my hair before i started cowashing a lot. Now they do nothing. i did a strand test on wet hair..and the elasticity is ridiculous. It stretches stretches & stretches then snaps. usually after a reconstrcutor my strands will have that good strength to it. Ive clarified, chelated...and still no difference. So what gives?..are my frequent cowashings overpowering my proteins?...is that possible?...do i have to start using proteins every other wash now?.....has anyone ever been in this situation b4
 
I had this issue and realized that my hair works better with protein conditioners. When I was natural it was a whole 'nother story.

So when I co wash, I alternate between the two. Sometimes I use protein conditioners more than the moisturizing ones.

You are definitely experiencing moisture overload.
 
thnx billyjay. That makes a ot of sense. I guess i was looking for one product to do fix it...instead it should be an ongoing procedure. Which ones did u use
 
I use a protein leave-in since my daily conditioner has no proteins in it. I dont know how to correct a moisture overload. I think Sista Slick had an article about it. I'll try to do a search to see if I can find it again. But your conditioner should be a mix of light protein and moisture in order to balance them out. I'm so sorry this happened.
 
Hey Poochie. I have had the same problem before. What helped me was to use a protein based moisturizer like Cantu Cream. I also washed with shampoo and did a full protein treatment with heat for 10 minutes. That got me back on track.
 
gymfreak336 said:
Hey Poochie. I have had the same problem before. What helped me was to use a protein based moisturizer like Cantu Cream. I also washed with shampoo and did a full protein treatment with heat for 10 minutes. That got me back on track.
Click to expand...

thnx. Gym...i never used protein with heat b4. I def. will try that. Now that i think about it....it maybe the reason aphogee 2 min didnt really work for me. I knew u could use it with heat..but was too lazy to do it. I think the heat thing may actually work better
 
This happened to me iin May when I first began my journey and I cowashed a lot with a very moisturizing conditioner. I tried washing my hair and freaked because it was so bad even just the water pressure made broken hairs fall out everywhere. Way too much moisture.


What I did was exactly this: I took two eggs and sat them on my hair, rubbed in and everythong for a VERY long time. It was at least 60 minutes. I baggied for the first 30 then showered for the next 30 to steam it in. I then rinsed and didn't follow up with any moisture at all. I knew it was a lot of protein and that following with moisture was the norm, but I was losing so much hair, I didn't want to.

I didn't have a single broken strand once I rinsed or when I dried. It was strong but surprisingly not hard, which again speaks to the severity of my moisture overload.

Anyway, I said all that to suggest you maybe try a raw egg for a shorter amount of time since your overload doesn't seem to be as bad as mine was. Normally I don't use the yolk unless it's very bad because it can be harder to get outbof the hair, but in this case, I would use it.

Then again, my hair loves protein, which I slowly found out.
 
IMO you may need a protein TREATMENT (ie. nexxus emergencee, aphogee 2 step treatment) not a reconstructor (keraphix, 2 step)

I would also do what Billy Jay suggested and alternate between a moisturizing condish and a protein based condish.
 
Hi Poochie,

I experienced this very recently. I simply did a normal wash with a clarifying shampoo followed by a moisturizing conditioner (cheapie vo5 ones) and then the next "wash" i just used water alone, no co-wash, and I detangled under the water. the following wash I did the same thing, my hair was a lil better, less "mushy" and so the next wash after that I used a shampoo and conditioner and now it's OK, feels just about right, I'll alternate cowashes with "water washes" for a while.

Maybe that'll work for you, not everyone's hair works well with protein so be careful before you try.
 
Thnx a lot. All of ur ideas were actually very good..and i think ill be able to figure out a good plan to include protein in my cowashes. I just picked up joico kpak daily conditioner. I will start using this in the future......whimsy ur water-washing suggestion is what im gonna start doing. cuz honestly sometimes my hair doesnt really need to be conditioned so often. I just do it so my ng is detangled and lays nicely. So now atleast one of the days im just gonna rinse thru
 
I wish I had this problem!!! My hair never gets enough of the moisture I'm attempting to put in it day in and day out! I know some people do experience over moisturizing, but I'm not one of them :D Good luck to you...sorry I wasn't much help :D
 
~CurlyNikki~ said:
I wish I had this problem!!! My hair never gets enough of the moisture I'm attempting to put in it day in and day out! I know some people do experience over moisturizing, but I'm not one of them :D Good luck to you...sorry I wasn't much help :D
Click to expand...
same here. I have to DC 2x a week to have a somewhat normal moisture level:perplexed
 
Thank you!! As I keep saying (I sound like a broken record)...this is newly found volume. I contribute it to henna, biotin and MSM. My hair was anything but thick 2 years ago. I still have new hairs growing in!!! This site and others have helped me tremendously. Thanks for checking out my blog! And keep doing whatever it is you're doing, because it is obviously working!
 
Hmm just as a suggestion, as I was cowashing my hair this morning I took a look at the ingredients on the back of the bottle of my new conditioner I was trying out (Suave Humectant - which is their version of Nexxus Humectress), and it has both Keratin Amino Acids and Silk Amino Acids in it as well. It's very moisturizing and doesn't leave my hair dry nor hard, despite the keratin being in it. I co-wash often as well and I try to stay on top of the mushy thing, this seems to give a good balance. I've been using it for about a month. So maybe it can be an option for your cowashes in the future. It's really good stuff, and only like $2!
 
I had the same experience, but my hair started to thin out in the back. Two weeks after my relaxer I clarified and used a protein condish. I really think that co-wahing is not for me. So I had to re-vamp my regi. Good luck.:grin:
 
poochie167 said:
...so i cowah every 2 days...just about 3x a week basically. (Im 16 wks. post so thats why). But I noticed my hair getting softer & softer. But the bad overly moisturized soft feeling. So i did a protein/reconstructor for the last 2 weeks and nothing happened...keraphix, ion reconstructor, and aphogee 2 mins. All proteins that will usually strengthen my hair before i started cowashing a lot. Now they do nothing. i did a strand test on wet hair..and the elasticity is ridiculous. It stretches stretches & stretches then snaps. usually after a reconstrcutor my strands will have that good strength to it. Ive clarified, chelated...and still no difference. So what gives?..are my frequent cowashings overpowering my proteins?...is that possible?...do i have to start using proteins every other wash now?.....has anyone ever been in this situation b4
Click to expand...

Clarifying is a must!!!

Afterwards...problem will be solved!!!

HTH

ETA: I see you have clarified...sorry.
 
It is weird you posted this thread, because I begun to experience the same problem this morning, I did a protein treatment this afternoon. My hair is so porus , that it easily becomes overly moisturized.
 
I noticed my hair was getting a little too soft with just cw with moisturizing conditioners, too. Yesterday, I purchase the only bottle of Mill Creek keratin conditioner that TJMaxx had and plan on alternating it with my V05 free me freesia conditioner for cw's.
 
I agree with either alternating with moisturizing and a protein conditioner or using something with both.

I'm with CurlyNikki though. It's really hard for that to happen over this way. LOL. The only time I had that happen is when I used the Giovannai reconstructor, followed by the Giovanni 50:50 balancing conditioner. My hair was mush. I'm still convinced that those two conditioners, along with the Direct Leave-in are the same thing, just different ratios.
 
When I went natural, I didn't think that protein was a serious must. Now I realize that it is for my hair. I can easily over condition my hair.

I like using really moisturizing conditioners for my co-washes, but sometimes they can be *too* moisturizing since I use them daily. I may have to switch back to a less moisturizing cheapie conditioner to alternate with the more moisturizing one.

I do a protein treatment every other week with ApHogee 2 Minute Reconstructor.
 
poochie167 said:
...so i cowah every 2 days...just about 3x a week basically. (Im 16 wks. post so thats why). But I noticed my hair getting softer & softer. But the bad overly moisturized soft feeling. So i did a protein/reconstructor for the last 2 weeks and nothing happened...keraphix, ion reconstructor, and aphogee 2 mins. All proteins that will usually strengthen my hair before i started cowashing a lot. Now they do nothing. i did a strand test on wet hair..and the elasticity is ridiculous. It stretches stretches & stretches then snaps. usually after a reconstrcutor my strands will have that good strength to it. Ive clarified, chelated...and still no difference. So what gives?..are my frequent cowashings overpowering my proteins?...is that possible?...do i have to start using proteins every other wash now?.....has anyone ever been in this situation b4
Click to expand...

will you please tell me what you use to co-wash? :grin:
 
thinkpinkprincess said:
will you please tell me what you use to co-wash? :grin:
Click to expand...

my usual conditioners during my cowashes are:
Hello Hydration
Loreal Vive Pro Nutrigloss (no protein)
aussie moist
hairveda moist condition 24/7
hairveda strinilah
giovanni smooth as silk (once in a blue moon)

ETA: i just went out and bought
joico kpak daily conditioner (hydrolyzed keratin)
rusk calm conditioner (wheat protein, hydrolyzed keratin amino acids, hydrolyzed soy protein)
motions cpr shampoo (hydrolzyed keratin)
i own the motions cpr tub

i don't plan on using all these products together....but if i use atleast one of them a week, am i supposed to be using that much keratin weekly?....or am i supposed to be looking for the vegetable/animal proteins for weekly use?
 
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Let me chime in too. I jumped on the bandwagon and purchased Aveda dry remedy treatment mask (which is moisturising) and my hair shed a lot after using it last Friday. I was quite annoyed with myself and realised that I have to stick to my beloved proteins (Keraphix, Pantene, Aveda Damage Remedy).

Best,
Almond Eyes
 
OMG...I think this is what has been happening to MY hair!! :shocked:

I was wondering why my hair sometimes feels like pure mush, can't hold a curl, frizzes up with just the tiniest bit of humidity, and breaks like nobody's business. :(

I"m thinking maybe my hair is OVERmoisturized! I didn't know there was such a thing as being TOO moisturized! I do tend to pile on the conditioner though. :look: I haven't really been doing too many co-washes, but when I put conditioner in my hair, I tend to be very generous with the amount.

I think I'm going to do a protein treatment tonight (Nexxus Emergencee) and see how my hair feels.
 
Oh yeah...I experienced this early on in my journey when I was following the co-washing crew and didn't know a thing about my hair. My hair got sooooo mushy and then began to shed like crazy....I'm mean falling out everywhere.:nono: I did the hardcore aphogee (where you sit under the dryer until it hardens)....regular reconstructors and light protein can't handle that situation. I followed the aphogee with porosity control conditioner for 15 minutes no heat and then a DC. I saw improvement immediately but I had to do it a few times before I saw complete reversal of the situation. You may not be too far gone where one treatment can do the trick. HTH!
 
i think i'm having a similar problem too, i've noticed there's hair EVERYWHERE!!!! and it feels quite thin (no bald spots... i checked thoroughly). I'm definitely going to try the "water washes" thing ( i believe i've heard this else where too) and a good protein condish (or some eggs.. no more condish w/ protein in the house, need to re-up).
The over conditioning has to be the problem for me, because my hair felt fine when i wore it straight for 3 days w/little moisture added.
 
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