Protein boost for shed hair

Good Evening Maicurlies!

Recently I started noticing that I might have a little more shed hair than what I consider “normal” (for myself). I have an article on Global Couture about the difference between hair shed and breakage here. I will quickly explain below about shedding just in case you are a “newling”,

What is shed hair?

Shed hair is “old” hair that falls out because its life cycle has ended. We know that hair is not “alive” per say but even so it has a life cycle. The life cycle begins when it forms under the scalp to when it sprouts from your scalp and finally falls out. On average hair grows for 2 – 8 years before falling out but it depends from person to person.

You can identify shed hair due to the bulb at the end (where it fell from your scalp). It has a white round shape to it due to the lack of melanin (color) that occurs right before the hair is about to fall out. It is said that it’s normal to have 50 – 100 pieces of shed hair per day so if you start seeing much much more than that you might need to investigate.

What can cause excessive shed hair?

The number one person why you might experience excessive shedding is because of a lack of protein. But this is not the only cause of excess shed hair:

Health/medical issues
pregnancy
not enough exercise/improper eating
stress
new products
reactions to medicine

can also contribute to excess shed hair. It is important to try and pin point when you start noticing the difference and what exactly could be causing it. This is where a Hair Journal can come in handy. I have written about keeping a Hair Journal here.

My hair is long and when double or triple folded it can look deceiving like a lot more than just 1 piece but regardless, there has been more shed hair than normal and I think it might be my conditioner. I am now researching to find another conditioner (that’s a whole other story)!

I do want to reinforce my protein treatments which is why I have come up with a “fortified” Deep Conditioner (DC).

My normal protein treatment consists of:

Protein DC for strength

1/3 cup Coconut Milk
1 Egg Yolk
1/3 cup Plain Yogurt
2 tablespoons Conditioner
1 teaspoon Grape Seed Oil

New “fortified” Protein DC:

1 Egg Yolk
1/3 cup Plain Yogurt
2 tablespoons Mayonnaise
2 tablespoons of Virgin Coconut Oil
1 tablespoon of Conditioner

I will of course follow up with my moisturizing DC afterwards to re-balance my hair. Hopefully with a stronger protein DC and a new conditioner that will help keep the shed hair in line!

What is your favorite Protein DC? What do you do if you notice excssive shed hair? I would love to hear from you!

Thanks