Photo: Courtesy of NaturallyCurly.com
For as long as I can remember in my natural hair journey I’ve always read about the eggs and mayo protein treatment as a DIY conditioning option for hair. Even just last week I was talking to a friend about protein conditioners and she said “you can always make your own with eggs and mayo”. I replied, “oh yeah but those aren’t hydrolyzed proteins.” Afterwards you can imagine her confusion because I immediately took the conversation to another level. But that’s OK! If you too are wondering what I’m talking about then this post is for you.
Although the eggs and mayonnaise combination has been touted as a quick homemade protein treatment to strengthen the hair and prevent breakage, this is a false claim. This combination does not work as a protein treatment because the protein in eggs is too large to fit into the cuticle. In order for these amino acids to make it into your hair shaft, they must be hydrolyzed. Hydrolysis, in simple terms, is the process of the protein undergoing chemical breakdown to make it small enough to enter the hair shaft. Hydrolyzed proteins can be found in several protein treatments and deep conditioners, but unfortunately, an eggs and mayo protein treatment is not going to do the job.
Read More About What Eggs and Mayo WILL Do For Your Hair on NaturallyCurly.com
Alternatives To Eggs and Mayo Protein Treatments
If you are truly looking for a good protein treatment or conditioner here are the hydrolyzed protein ingredients you should be on the look out for when reading labels.
- Hydrolyzed wheat protein
- Hydrolyzed keratin
- Hydrolyzed silk protein
- Hydrolyzed Oat Flour
- Keratin
- Variations of hydrolyzed collagen
- Variations of hydrolyzed soy protein
Protein options are especially needed for increasing your elasticity if you are experiencing weak, limp hair. This usually happens when your protein-moisture balance is out of whack. You can read more about hygral fatigue and what that means here.
Glycogen Protein
Glycogen, commonly linked to glycoprotein in hair products, is a conditioning agent found in shampoos and conditioners. Glycoproteins are used to help strengthen and smooth the hair fiber and has humectant properties with the ability to repair damage, restore softness and shine. Both glycoproteins & glycogen are found in aloe vera gel or aloe vera extract and work together to stimulate growth. One of the most popular products that include glycogen is the Aubrey Organics GPB Balancing Shampoo & Conditioner where, not surprisingly, aloe vera juice is the first ingredient.
Store Bought Alternatives:
Here are some great store bought alternatives to the popular eggs and mayo protein treatment if you are still looking for softness, shine and strength that the DIY treatment provides. Look closely as I’ve highlighted the hydrolyzed ingredients mentioned above.
Ingredients: Water Aqua, Polyquaternium 32, Glycerin, Safflower Oil Carthamus Tinctorius, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Cetyl Alcohol, Olive Oil Olea Europaea, Dicetyldimonium Chloride, Lanolin, Dimethicone, Phenyl Trimethicone, Panthenol Vitamin B5, Cholesterol , Stinging Nettle Urtica Dioica , Capsicum Extract Paprika , Hydrolyzed Keratin, Egg Powder Ovum, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Propylene Glycol, DMDM Hydantoin, Diazolidinyl Urea, Methyl Paraben, Propyl Paraben, Brown No. 1 CI 20170, Fragrance Parfum, Benzyl Benzoate, D’Limonene, Linalool, Alphaisomethylionone
Aphoghee Two Minute Keratin Reconstructor
Ingredients: Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Polysorbate 60, Behenamidopropylamine Behenatem Stearolkonium Chloride, Cetrimonium Chloride, Cocodimonium Hydrolyzed Hair Keratin, Hydrolzed Mucopolysac Charides, Sodium Coco Collagen Amino Acids, Wheat Germ Fatty Acids, Linoleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Arachidonic Acid, Squalane, Avocado Oil, Acetimide MEA, Panthenol, Wheat Germ Oil, Jojoba Oil, Tocopherol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sulfur, Amodimethicone, Polyquaternium 10, Linoleamidopropyl PG Dimonium, Chloride Phosphate, Tallowtrimonium Chloride, Nonoxynol 10, Cocoyl Sarcosine, Sorbitol, Fragrance, Imidazolidinyl Urea, Methylparaben, Propylparaben.
Aubrey Organics GPB Balancing Conditioner
Ingredients: Aloe barbadensis leaf juice*, aqua, cetyl alcohol (from coconut), brassicyl isoleucinate esylate, caprylic/capric triglyceride, alcohol denat. (38b, lavender), brassica alcohol, glyceryl caprylate, glycerin, lactobacillus/eriodictyon californicum ferment extract**, phospholipids**, milk protein, salvia officinalis (sage) oil*, ricinus communis oil (rice), citrus grandis (grapefruit) extract, rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf oil*, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), tocopherol (vitamin E), leuconostoc/radish root ferment filtrate, brassica campestris/aleurites fordi oil copolymer, alcohol, equisetum hiemale (horsetail) extract, fragrance‡‡, gluconolactone, arginine, tussilago farfara (coltsfoot) leaf extract, urtica dioica (nettle) extract*, sodium benzoate.
** Denotes glycologen properties according to AubreyOrganics.com
Joico Moisture Recovery Treatment Balm
Water/Aqua/Eau, Butylene Glycol, Dimethicone, Sorbitol, Behenyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Oleate, Fragrance/Parfum, Pentapeptide-29 Cysteinamide, Pentapeptide-30 Cysteinamide, Tetrapeptide-28 Argininamide, Tetrapeptide-29 Argininamide, Hydrolyzed Keratin, Cocodimonium Hydroxypropyl Hydrolyzed Keratin, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Hydrogenated Olive Oil, Astrocaryum Murumuru Seed Butter, Hydrolyzed Algin, Sea Water/Maris Aqua/Eau De Mer, Chlorella Vulgaris Extract, Isopropyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Aminopropyl Dimethicone, Glutamic Acid, Stearyl Dihydroxypropyldimonium Oligosaccharides, Octyldodecanol, Steartrimonium Chloride, Arginine, Propylene Glycol, PEG-6 Methyl Ether Dimethicone, PEG-90M, Glycerin, Limonene, Benzyl Benzoate, Orange 4 (CI 15510), Yellow 5 (CI 19140).
What are some of your favorite DIY Conditioners? Comment below and let me know!
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Charlene Walton McCraney is a Dallas beauty and lifestyle blogger. After years of styling her and several friends’ hair as a hobby, offering advice and tips, she decided to combine two of her favorite things…writing and talking about natural hair!
TexturedTalk.com was created to promote healthy hair care for women of all textures and has since evolved into other beauty and lifestyle topics. Charlene loves teaching other aspiring bloggers on how to take their passion and turn it into amazing content to provide value.
Charlene is a previous beauty contributor to NaturallyCurly.com, CurlyNikki.com, and 21ninety.com.
When she’s not blogging she is probably crunching numbers as a Senior Financial Analyst, dancing or figuring a way to meet Beyonce in person. :)
I was hoping that you were a phony using big words to sell a product, but the alternatives you list are different brands! Turns out, you are a very intelligent (and pretty if you don’t mind me saying!) woman who knows a lot about hair! The reason I wish that you were wrong is because I am broke right now! Lol but hey, you saved me time, a few eggs and some mayo! Thanks for the deep dive into this!