For the past few months (unless I was doing a special experiment or relaxer) I have been using my newly beloved Kera Minerals Smoothing Deep Conditioner. I absolutely Love, Love, LOVE this conditioner and I swear by it (especially for those weeks when I am heat styling). To anyone who will listen I have raved about this conditioner, I have written reviews on every website I could and recommended it to friends and family members alike.
After frequent and consistent use I still have nothing but good things to say, but one thing that always bothered me about this product was I couldn't be sure if it was a protein or a moisturizing deep conditioner. Before purchasing the product I scoured the internet for reviews and only found two or three, neither of which indicated whether it was protein or moisture based. I read the ingredient list online at Sallys.com before purchasing, but since I did not see anything specifically stating "protein" (including amino acid) I assumed that it was a moisturizing conditioner and have continued to use it weekly under normal circumstances.
I was reviewing my wash days, and my hair journey in general for the last two months, and realized that I have not used what I considered a "protein" conditioner (GVP Joico K-Pak, Aphogee 2 Minute Reconstructor) since I relaxed on August 1st. Despite the fact that I had yet to do a traditional or typical protein treatment, my hair seemed to show no visible signs of moisture overload, but I had been experiencing some abnormal dryness for the past month. Since Kera Minerals is the only conditioner I have used for at least one month I again wondered if this was truly a moisturizing conditioner? I took another look at the ingredient list and the name Sericin jumped out at me:
Kera Minerals Smoothing Deep Conditioner Ingredient List
WATER (AQUA, EAU), CETYL ALCOHOL, BEHENTRIMONIUM CHLORIDE, GLYCOL STEARATE, AMODIMETHICONE, GLYCOL DISTEARATE, CETRIMONIUM CHLORIDE, TRIDECETH-12, POLYQUATERNIUM-7, SERICIN, GUAR HYDROXYPROPYLTRIMONIUM CHLORIDE, CETRIMONIUM CHLORIDE, BENENTRIMONIUM CHLORIDE, PROPYLENE GLYCOL, ROSA MOSCHATA SEED OIL, PEG-75 LANOLIN, BENZOPHENONE-4, SODIUM PCA, FRAGRANCE (PARFUM), TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, CITRIC ACID, PHENOXYETHANOL, CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN, HEXYLENE GLYCOL, BENZYL BENZOATE.
What is Sericin?
"SERICIN is a high molecular weight, water-soluble glycoprotein isolated from silk. The raw material for the manufacture of SERICIN is a top-quality silk grège or raw silk yarn, obtained exclusively from the domesticated mulberry silkworm (Bombyx mori). "What is Sericin Made of?
"There are 18 kinds of amino acids in sericin, among which, serine and aspartate have the highest content."
What Does Sericin Do?
"SERICIN has a unique affinity with other proteins which allows it to bind very effectively to the keratin of skin and hair, to form a multifunctional protective film. The uniform film formed after the application of SERICIN results from its very high molecular weight. This substantive semiocclusive film persists even after washing, and protects the
In layman's terms, Sericin is a protein that seals in moisture, protects bonds, and locks hair into a smoother, silkier state. Thus the reason for such a long stretch in-between "protein treatments" was the fact that I was already using a conditioner that contained protein. My guess is this conditioner is a light protein conditioner which is why my hair thrived for the first few uses, but seems drier after several months of continuous usage.
The lesson learned here is the importance of not only reading product ingredients, but understanding the ingredients listed and the functions of each ingredient. I was specifically for the word protein, and because it was not readily apparent within the label I drew an inaccurate conclusion.
[Source: http://www.gerovital.co.ro/sericin.pdf]
[Source: http://www.sinosilk.com.cn/sericin.html]
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