? about protein on list of ingredients

devin

Well-Known Member
I know there are several types of proteins like: collagen, keratin(more potent) and silk, wheat, soy, vegetable(more gentle). What I want to know is where on the list of ingredients do they have to be to be considered hardcore or light? I know that if collagen or keratin is the first, second or third that this means that the product is a heavy protein treatment. But what about when the proteins are in the middle? What makes a product with protein okay for daily use and a more moisturizing product than a protein product? TIA!
 
If the first protein you encounter is in the middle of the list and is something light like wheat or soy, and all the previous ingredients were oils, botanicals, polyquaternium-whatever number, fatty alcohols, etc, it is not meant to be a hardcore protein. In general if something IS meant to be a hardcore treatment there won't be any confusion about it. The presence of protein is usually emphasized in the description on the label and it will be all about repairing damaged hair and using it as a "special treatment" and not as a daily thing.

Even though the ingredients are listed from most to least, you still don't know how much of a difference in amount there is between each ingredient in the list. Which is why the best way to tell if it's more of a strengthening or moisturizing product if you can't tell by the name is to read what sort of claims the label makes.

The hardest to classify, IMO, are ones where the label emphasizes "body" "shine" "fortifying" and "nourishing." I say that because body and shine cons in particular tend to have more protein than moisturizing cons, but they aren't necessarily bad to use frequently because they don't have hardcore proteins. Likewise with fortifying and nourishing, although in my personal experience they tend to be more balanced and have more vitamins and stuff in them, and whether they lean more towards moisture or strength just depends on the brand. In that case, the best way to get a clue is to look at the other products in that company's product line. You usually can get a feel for where the conditioner you're interested in falls in line with the others.

All of that is basically to say that although you can give some gross generalizations, you really have to consider each conditioner individually to really get an idea of what it's for.
 
This is a GREAT question... lets keep bumping it until someone who feels they are knowledgeable can respond. I try to limit my amount of protein i use on a daily basis so i'd be interested in knowing this as well as the differences between all of the various proteins mentioned....

TIA
 
thank you so much for the explanation!:) i know that it is not an exact science and very confusing.
BlackCardinal said:
If the first protein you encounter is in the middle of the list and is something light like wheat or soy, and all the previous ingredients were oils, botanicals, polyquaternium-whatever number, fatty alcohols, etc, it is not meant to be a hardcore protein. In general if something IS meant to be a hardcore treatment there won't be any confusion about it. The presence of protein is usually emphasized in the description on the label and it will be all about repairing damaged hair and using it as a "special treatment" and not as a daily thing.

Even though the ingredients are listed from most to least, you still don't know how much of a difference in amount there is between each ingredient in the list. Which is why the best way to tell if it's more of a strengthening or moisturizing product if you can't tell by the name is to read what sort of claims the label makes.

The hardest to classify, IMO, are ones where the label emphasizes "body" "shine" "fortifying" and "nourishing." I say that because body and shine cons in particular tend to have more protein than moisturizing cons, but they aren't necessarily bad to use frequently because they don't have hardcore proteins. Likewise with fortifying and nourishing, although in my personal experience they tend to be more balanced and have more vitamins and stuff in them, and whether they lean more towards moisture or strength just depends on the brand. In that case, the best way to get a clue is to look at the other products in that company's product line. You usually can get a feel for where the conditioner you're interested in falls in line with the others.

All of that is basically to say that although you can give some gross generalizations, you really have to consider each conditioner individually to really get an idea of what it's for.
 
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