No matter what type of hair you have all hair types and textures need both protein and moisture to look and feel their healthiest. But striking that perfect balance isn’t always the easiest thing to achieve.
For instance, if your hair is wavy, curly, or coily, moisture is essential when it comes to keeping your strands looking bouncy and defined. Textured hair types have a dry, brittle nature so they often require hair care routines that max out on moisture: maintaining hydration, locking it in, and replenishing it is key.
You’ve also probably heard a lot about the importance of knowing your hair porosity and the need for protein to keep your strands at their most healthy. Between 80-90% of your hair is made up of keratin protein—it’s the cornerstone of what makes your hair strong and healthy, which is why it’s such a vital part of your hair care routine!
TLDR: Protein and moisture go hand-in-hand when it comes to thriving hair. However, too much moisture can result in hygral fatigue (over-conditioning your hair) which leads to limp, lifeless, lackluster hair, just like protein overload can result in straw-like, dry, strands that have lost their elasticity.
Achieving the correct amount of protein and moisture is a very precise and delicate balance. Both have their benefits, and a well-rounded hair care routine includes products and treatments that help you maintain the right balance The first step? Understand when your hair needs protein and when it needs moisture.
Balancing protein and moisture and knowing how your specific porosity levels play a role in how you should be caring for your strands will make a transformative difference for your hair health Once you're armed with this knowledge, you can create a personalized hair care routine that nourishes your strands with high-quality ingredients and delivers real results.
What is Hygral Fatigue?
Moisture is necessary for keeping your strands looking soft, supple, and shiny, and the benefits keep on giving:
It supplies elasticity to prevent brittleness, frizz, static, and breakage
It works as a defense against environmental stressors (like extreme cold or heat, free radicals and UV rays)
It restores resiliency to damaged, stressed out strands
Too much of a good thing can happen when it comes to moisturizing your strands. Moisture can do wonders for your hair, but over-conditioning your strands can lead to hygral fatigue \or damage hair cuticles that are overworked from constantly absorbing and contracting. This non-stop cycle occurs naturally when we apply moisture from deep-conditioning hair masks, water, and creams, but done in excess, it puts a lot of strain on your strands. Eventually your hair will become weak, lose elasticity, and the structure of your hair will break down.
A few of the most common ways we stress our strands out with too much moisture are:
Over-conditioning your hair with rich, heavy, deep-conditioning and moisturizing treatments
Deep treating your hair with heavy moisturizers too frequently
Using too many deep-conditioning products that don’t include a balance of protein
Signs of Hygral Fatigue
Before you dive into your next moisture treatment, check to see if your hair is experiencing signs of too much moisture and not enough protein.
Proteins are the building blocks of our hair, which is why it’s super important to achieve the optimal balance of moisture and protein for healthy hair. Typically, you’ll start to notice signs of damage or an imbalance when your hair begins to break or if your hair feels mushy and too stretchy. These are a few other warning signs to be on the lookout for:
Curls will lose definition and structure, and will feel weak (an indication that your hair has lost protein)
Wet strands will feel gummy or stretch too much before snapping
Hair feels light, lacks elasticity, and looks limp
Hair begins to show signs of split ends and breakage
When your strands are over moisturized or experience hygral fatigue, it’s time to give your hair a little extra TLC with a protein treatment. Rebalancing your hair by infusing it with more protein can help alleviate the symptoms of hygral fatigue.
Once a week, use our Don’t Despair, Repair!™ Rich Rice Shampoo Concentrate and MegaStrength+ Rice Water Protein + Moisture Strengthening Treatment as your 1-2 punch for replenishing protein in your strands. These naturally powerful, rice-derived formulas give you the perfect balance of rice water protein and moisture for stronger, healthier strands. Together they are scientifically proven to strengthen hair + decrease breakage by up to 7x after just one use! Add our Super Moisture Conditioner to this already powerful repair routine and see up to 9x less breakage the very first time you use them.
The art of balancing protein and moisture is delicate, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. Having a grasp on your hair porosity, type, texture, need, and concerns can make the process of finding the optimal balance of protein and moisture easier and beneficial to your specific hair care needs. The simplest way to think of it is this:
If you’re lacking in protein (or have too much moisture), discontinue the use of heavy moisturizers and incorporate protein-based products into your routine, like our Rich Rice Shampoo Concentrate, MegaStrength+ Rice Water Protein + Moisture Strengthening Treatment, or Deep Conditioning Mask.
If you’re lacking in moisture (or have too much protein), discontinue use of protein-based products and incorporate more moisturizers into your ritual, like our Superfoods Avocado + Kiwi Mega Moisture Mask.
Not sure if your hair needs protein or moisture? Take our quick Strand Test to find out:
To start, take a strand of hair and give a gentle tug. Take note of how that strand reacted:
Did your hair snap and break quickly? Your hair is most likely craving moisture.
Did your hair stretch and return to its original shape? Your hair has great elasticity and likely a good balance of protein and moisture.
Did your hair immediately snap, but didn’t stretch? Your hair is craving protein for structure + strength.
Regardless of what your hair is craving, Briogeo has you covered!