Protein and hair growth...what does it mean? How to maximize your hair growth with protein

Have you heard of protein? If youre seeking healthier hair, hopefully you have. Proteins are essential to each and every persons hair,  body, and health. Many people use
protein, but don't really understand what it does or why we need it. Well, I'm going to fill you in. In this article I will tell you everything you need to know about protein AND explain how you can use it to maximize your hairs health and growth.
possible.

So, what is it?
Protein is found in our own bodies, and it is one of the main things our body uses to "work". Proteins are found in every organ and cell in our bodies, and are constantly being broken down and replaced. They are used by our bodies for growth, maintenance, and repairing cells. Proteins are made up of amino acids (which I'm sure you've heard of) that are broken down and used to create more protein for the bodies' use. Our bodies are  only able to produce certain kinds of amino acids on it's own, and needs an outside
Source of other amino acids to perform properly.  This is why we eat proteins so that we can give our body the amino acids it can't produce. 

What does protein have to do with hair growth? 
As I stated in the previous paragraph, proteins are necessary for the growth, health, and strength of your body. However, your body has a lot to do. Most of the time the protein in your body is not focusing on the growth of your hair, but the growth of what it deems more important like bone and cell growth. Hair and nail growth come secondary on your bodies "to-do list", and is a result of a healthy and happy body (internally). Many women have found that when they increase their amount of protein intake their hair and nails grow faster, stronger, and healthier. Ingesting more protein gives our body more amino acids to go around and the body can take care of everything equally. Thus, increased protein intake=a growth spurt for ALL hair types!

So how can I increase my growth with protein?
There are many ways to maximize your hairs growth with protein. The best way (in my opinion) is to eat foods rich in protein (see link below for a source on protein rich foods) and drink protein shakes. There are many ready-made protein shakes that you can find at your local grocer. I recommend making your own protein shakes. Here is a recipe I drink daily as my breakfast:

Protein shake
3/4 cup of milk
2 tbsp of raw wheat germ
1 tbsp wheat germ oil
Two big scoops of frozen yogurt (your choice flavor)
Fruit Or veggie of your choice
1 raw egg (optional)**

Mix all the ingredients in a blender until smooth. 
you may add a natural sweetener like honey. Wheat germ has a very pungent taste, so sweetener is recommended. 
**consume raw eggs at your own risk, I recommend using organic eggs. Consuming raw eggs is not as bad as you may think. It actually can be healthy if done properly. I put a link below on the consumption of raw eggs if you would like more information.
I must warn you all that this drink is Faaarrrr from tasty, even with the added sweeteners. However if you consume this drink every morning for breakfast, it WILL give you growth and a healthy glow! 

Protein on hair....
Protein is a great way to strengthen the actual strands of your hair. You can do this by applying protein directly to your hair (never alone, always with other moisturizing ingredients). Direct protein is important for ALL hair types, especially if you relax
(click here to read about how protein and healthier relaxing). As with anything else too much of a good thing is BAD. you must keep a healthy balance of protein and moisture in your hairs strand in order to keep it healthy. Too much protein= stiff, hard, and breaking hair. Too much moisture= mushy, soft, and weak hair. I will write more about balancing protein and
moisture in a different article.
Protein is a great way to halt breakage. Feel your hair. If it feels weak and mushy protein may help to strengthen and stabilize it. Protein comes in different strengths. If you are not familiar with protein and how it effects your hair, start out with a light protein treatment. Here is a great one. Some people do "hard" protein treatments like apHogee annually. I don't recommend doing this until you are familiar with how YOUR hair reacts to protein. You can also turn any of your regular conditioners into protein conditioners by adding 1 raw egg. Here's a recipe I love:

1 cup of your favorite conditioner (check ingredients to make sure it doesn't already contain protein)
1 tbspn of honey
1 raw egg
2 tbsp of your favorite oil (I use my homemade amla-coconut-castor oil mix)

Mix and apply to hair as you would a deep conditioner. 

Thanks for reading! I will have some more articles on this topic in the future:

*Reading ingredients...whats good what's bad?
*Balancing moisture and protein


As promised, here are some great sources on protein:
*foods rich in proteins
*Consumption of raw eggs