How To Choose A Keratin Shampoo, Depending on Your Hair Type
Unlike in-salon keratin treatments, which use chemicals to temporarily smooth and straighten textured strands, keratin shampoos are designed for regular use to strengthen, boost shine, and improve manageability. Most people have some form of hair damage, but Nexxus scientists discovered the exact proteins and amino acids (the building blocks of protein) lost to different types of damage. This is the reason one keratin shampoo might suit your friend’s hair, but not necessarily yours. Here’s how to find the best keratin shampoo for you and your hair.
How to use keratin to repair damaged hair
What does damaged hair look like? Dry, brittle, prone to breakage, and impossible to manage, that’s what. Anyone who exposes their hair to daily heat styling, chemical coloring, pollution, or even overzealous brushing, will experience it on some level. Nexxus believes in the power of protein science – bringing hair back to life by restoring lost proteins like-for-like. How hair behaves depends largely on the effectiveness of the protective cuticle (the outermost layer found on every strand). In damaged hair, the cuticle is more raised, leaving the inner cortex vulnerable to protein loss and dehydration. The Nexxus Keraphix Damage Healing Shampoo and Conditioner work together to seal and align those raised cells, bolstering their ability to protect the strand, as well as leaving a silky-smooth finish that is less prone to breakage.
Can a keratin shampoo fix bleached hair?
Through their work, Nexxus scientists found that bleached or pre-lightened hair suffers a significant loss of glutamic acid, a building block of protein. They also found that cysteine and serine were other amino acids impacted by the coloring process. So they set about to develop protein-powered products that restored these depleted proteins. The Keraphix collection contains a unique PROTEINFUSION blend with keratin protein and black rice to visibly heal signs of damage, including split ends. We also recommend switching in the Blonde Assure Color Toning Purple Shampoo once or twice a week. It uses keratin protein to target damage, as well as a purple pigment to banish those brassy tones common in bleached hair. It’s effectively acting as a temporary topcoat, to cool warm tones, for an on-trend ash-blonde effect.
How does keratin work on curly hair?
Anyone with wavy, curly or coily hair will know it requires a special kind of TLC, but Nexxus scientists decided to drill down to the specifics. Through their dedicated study of protein science, they found that glycine and serine (building blocks of protein), were up to six times more prevalent in curly hair and, with this in mind, developed the Curl Define range, powered by a PROTEINFUSION blend with silk protein and marula oil. Why silk protein? Because it is rich in said glycine and serine amino acids. Due to the structural differences of curly hair, its cuticle is naturally more raised (this is also why shiny curls are so difficult to achieve). By plugging damaged gaps with curl-centric proteins, the outer layer can protect the hair fiber and leave a softer, more flexible texture for a bouncy, healthy-looking curl pattern.
Will keratin weigh down fine hair?
Fine hair can be as prone to frizz as its thick, curly counterparts, but finding products that coat the strands without weighing them down can be tricky. External aggressors cause damage to the protective cuticle, which not only leaves strands more prone to catching and tangling, but allows humidity to swell the hair fiber. Hello next-level frizz! The Ultralight Smooth collection uses almond protein to rebuild the protective cuticle. It’s known to have 20x more hydrophobic (water-repelling) amino acids than other commonly-used ingredients, forming a weightless, invisible barrier around each strand to nix frizz.
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