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Can I Use Oils on Protein Sensitive Hair? It’s Simple . . .

by | Apr 4, 2022 |  Protein Sensitivity, Oils, Uncategorized | 1 comment

oils on protein sensitive hair
Can oils contain protein? Are there oils that protein-sensitive hair should not touch?

oils on protein sensitive hair oils on protein sensitive hair oils on protein sensitive hair oils on protein sensitive hair

Having trouble separating the hair hysteria from real haircare advice? read below. . .

 

 

Oils on Protein Sensitive Hair:

What really has protein in it?

After finding out you have protein-sensitive hair, one of the first things you get sick of is the restrictive diet of products you now have to adhere to, all for the good of your hair. But in addition to the proteins, there is something else you really ought to steer clear of: the widespread misconception as to what products actually contain protein.

First off: oils are 100% fat. They contain no protein. Here’s an example of what a protein molecule looks like. Next to it is a fat molecule:

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The basic structure of fats is three fatty acids (a combination of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen) attached to a glycerol backbone. Proteins, in contrast, are made from a combination of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen atoms (in the case of hair protein, there’s some sulphur in there, too). Plus, complex proteins like keratin have four different structural levels, from the basic sequence of amino acids, to the folding of the molecule itself.

In short, very different things. Bar contamination (unlikely to be at a high enough concentration to affect even the most Princess-and-the-Pea type hair) your bottle of oil is not going to contain protein, even if that oil comes from a protein-rich fruit. Like one of these:

 

Can I Use Shea Butter Oil on Protein Sensitive Hair

 

Can I Use Coconut Oil on Protein Sensitive Hair

 

Can I Use almond Oil on Protein Sensitive Hair

 

So feel free to experiment with oils like macadamia, almond and coconut oil; although they are derived from fruits with protein in them, they themselves are protein-free. (Coconut is not even that concentrated a source of protein, by the way). If you do find that your hair is not compatible with these oils, it’s not because of protein. The real answer is probably something a lot more nebulous and a lot less satisfactory: Every head of hair is different and will thus react differently to different products for different reasons.

And there’s another reason not to eschew certain oils because of anti-protein hysteria: Even if your hair can’t stand proteins, you probably still need the reinforcement proteins give. You just have to get it from somewhere else. Certain oils can provide some strength-enhancing benefits, and, in some cases, largely replace the use of proteins.

Coconut oil and olive oil in particular have been proven to strengthen the hair from the inside out, whereas protein treatments, because of the size of the molecules, work only on the outside of the hair shaft – they’re just too big to get inside. (Amino acids, the basic components of proteins are a little different, due to their small size.)

 

Dominican Hair Alliance Protein Sensitive Hair

 

If you can’t use additional proteins, and your hair needs strength, then you really need to be holding on to the natural proteins you already have – the keratin your hair is made from. Olive and coconut oil help with that by actually preventing protein loss. And don’t forget – hair is not only made of protein. Lipids – oils and fats – are naturally present in the hair, and have their role to play in keeping the hair strong, too.

So protein-sensitive heads can benefit greatly from leaving in these lipids overnight (the oils take long to penetrate) on a regular basis, to get the protection they offer from the cuticle down to the cortex.

And don’t sleep on oils that don’t permeate the hair shaft, either. Part of the role of the naturally-occurring lipids on the surface of your strands is to confer strength, a job with which these non-penetrating oils can assist.

 

 

The moral of the story. . .

Just because your hair spurns protein-rich products, does not mean you have to shun the oils derived from them, too. These separate substances are protein-free and can have a lot to offer your hair, particularly if you can’t benefit from the heavy-duty protection proteins provide.

 

Image Credits

|Jeff Carson |Wikimedia Commons| G W Fabian |Healthalicious |Tobias Myrstrand Leander|

oils on protein sensitive hair oils on protein sensitive hair oils on protein sensitive hair oils on protein sensitive hair oils on protein sensitive hair oils on protein sensitive hair oils on protein sensitive hair oils on protein sensitive hair oils on protein sensitive hair

1 Comment

  1. Dominican Hair Alliance
    Dominican Hair Alliance on April 5, 2022 at 12:29 pm


    17 Comments

    B
    30/4/2017 09:16:47 pm

    Coconut Oil doesn’t contain protiens but does have lauric acid which is still very bad for protein sensitive hair because it causes the natural proteins in your hair to build up that’s why many people who have protein sensitive hair have had issues with coconut oil destroying their hair and often taking a day or two to make it really dry and brittle.

    N
    15/2/2018 12:38:52 pm

    Thanks for posting this info about coconut oil. I’ve often wondered why my hair feels brittle and straw-like after using coconut oil alone, in deep treatments, or in leave-in conditioners. Now I know one possible reason could be because of the lauric acid in coconut oil

    Roxana Deras
    14/10/2021 08:01:30 pm

    Yes you are right about that I just found out this I was using SheaMoisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen, Grow & Restore Leave-In Conditioner for almost 2 years I have natural wavy thin hair I don’t use chemicals or heat and I was forcing my hair to like this product and every time I would use this product and letting air dry my hair will get a lot of frizz dry and flyaways sometimes I would get static and I didn’t understand why but it was the ingredients this product have I think Shea butter and coconut unfortunately mostly all products have those ingredients it’s so hard to find a product that don’t have too many ingredients that are not good for half of people

    Reply

    DHA’s DIY
    15/10/2021 08:30:12 am

    Hi Roxana,

    Very true: shea, coconut and a few other oils and butters are in the majority of natural hair products. If your hair doesn’t really ‘like’ these ingredients then it’s very hard to find something that works.

    In leave ins, there can also be other ingredients that can create frizz, like if there is too much conditioning agent.

    If you’re still dealing with the frizz, then one of these 3 solutions might be able to help:

    1) Try using a non-oil based leave in like La Aplanadora or Crece Pelo Leave In, both available here:

    https://www.dominicanhairalliance.com/buy-best-dominican-hair-products-worldwide.html

    2)Or, skip leave in entirely and use a pure silicone serum on your hair like Shine Drops Shield

    3) Another solution is to try a more smoothing oil, like marula or moringa. Use this as a leave and combine it with a botanical based gel. The combination could replace a leave in and will be great at reducing frizz.

    Hope this helps!

    DHA’s DIY Team

    DHA’s DIY
    12/3/2018 04:02:34 pm

    Hi B and N,

    Yes, coconut oil does contain lauric acid, which helps prevent protein loss. However, the proteins that lauric acid helps your hair hold on to are the keratin which your hair is made of. When it comes to your hair’s own protein, any protein loss is actually considered damage.

    Proteins that come in conditioners are another story. They have a different chemistry to your hair and coconut oil likely won’t have the same effect on them.

    That said, coconut oil’s abundance in lauric acid is what helps it penetrate the strand. Low porosity hair has a very tightly packed cuticle and the lack of extra room inside could be behind the stiffness.

    You can still use coconut oil if your hair is like this, just limit it to pretreatments before you shampoo.

    Maria
    20/10/2018 12:10:58 am
    I’m still none the wiser about anything
    Hair is a science and the internet does not provide that science
    A dermatologist does that’s who I am seeing next
    $200 expense compared to the hundreds on hair care products I’ve bought
    I’ll have my answer then.
    And I’ll post it too

    Sariah Meagle
    19/2/2019 03:07:19 pm

    It’s a good thing that you mentioned that oils are 100% fat which means I can use Tahiti monoi oils on my hair. Tahiti monoi oils are also coconut oils so if it can strengthen the hair from the inside out, I might get fabulous hair with it. Since you said that every hair is different, I’ll try to buy some online to try it out.

    Reply

    DHA’s DIY
    4/3/2019 09:14:10 am

    Hi Sariah,

    Sure try the monoi, especially if your hair is breaking. If you mix it with atrActiva Keratin Rich it works really, really well as an overnight pretreatment. You see the results the next morning.

    Nuru
    21/6/2019 09:14:46 pm

    So castor oil doesn’t have any proteins?

    Reply

    DHA’s DIY
    3/7/2019 12:06:53 pm

    Hi Nuru,

    That’s right, castor oil doesn’t contain any proteins. It’s 100% lipid, too.

    Sus
    11/9/2019 02:27:06 pm
    If someone has low porosity protein sensitive hair and uses coconut oil their hair is going to dry and you may even start loosing hair, coconut oil is just horrible for all of us that have low porosity protein sensitive hair.

    Reply

    DHA’s DIY
    17/9/2019 04:40:26 am

    If someone with low porosity hair leaves coconut oil in for too long it can become brittle, because coconut oil has a plumping action on the strands.

    If used overnight and shampooed out, you should be able to get the strengthening benefits without the downsides, at least from our tests.

    That said, everyone’s hair is unique. But if you’ve had bad luck with coconut oil using it as a leave in, or just rinsing or co-washing it out, it’s worth giving it a final shot as an overnight pre-shampoo treatment since the potential benefits for your hair are so high.

    T Staton
    30/8/2020 09:44:50 am

    What great conversation! Thank you! I’ve been struggling with this issue for years, because of horrific advice I had listened to.

    Anyway, how do y’all feel about jojoba oil? My hair doesn’t like coconut oil either. Thank you.

    Reply

    DHA’s DIY
    30/8/2020 01:46:17 pm

    Hey T Staton,

    Thanks for reaching out! A lot of people who don’t get good results with coconut oil do like jojoba and other oils.

    We’ve noticed that people who don’t like jojoba oil frequently have very low porosity hair. It tends to work best on medium to high porosity hair.

    This post on drying oils might be useful too:

    https://www.dominicanhairalliance.com/hair-blog/drying-oils-dry-natural-hair

    All the best,

    DHA’s DIY Team

    C
    23/3/2021 05:58:54 pm

    Great article and great responses and feedback to comments. Thank you for all the work you put in that helps educate readers.
    Great work!

    Reply

    DHA’s DIY
    24/3/2021 09:47:12 am
    Thanks, C!

    DHA’s DIY Team

    CB
    22/1/2022 07:13:10 am

    This is an interesting article. Thank you for taking the time to write it.

    I just ordered a jar of murumuru butter. I’m hoping that I will be able to use it as an after-shampoo leave-in, and that it will have detangling properties.

    Please could t comment on hydral fatigue. I have a strange patch of hair on the back of my head, about two inches in diameter.

    It gets brittle if I wet my hair too often. Why is that? Or could the cause be something else? Thank you.