Deep Conditioners Dominican Hair Alliance

What Protein Treatment Is Best For Your Hair?

by DHA's DIY | Sep 13, 2022 | Product Reviews, Deep Conditioners, Porosity, Protein Treatment

So you think you need a protein treatment, but you’re not quite sure which one would work best on your hair type.

There’s a simple way to figure it out.

Take this quiz to see the type of protein you really need.

Different protein treatments work differently on different hair types. But it’s not just your curl or lack thereof that counts. This quiz takes key aspects of your hair’s behaviour and its traits to find your hair’s ideal protein partner.

And if you have hair that fits into any of these categories, check the sections below to get more details on the best protein treatments for:

Natural hair (naturally curly hair, types 2-4)
Relaxed hair
Bleached hair
Locked hair
4c hair
Protein sensitive hair
Low porosity hair

What’s the best protein treatment for curly hair?

For naturally curly hair, we typically recommend these protein treatments:

La Aplanadora Treatment
Halka Baba de Caracol Moisturizing Hair Mask,
BPT Wheat Germ Treatment
MayOliva Treatment
Silicon Mix Treatment (Original)
Crece Pelo Treatment

The lower the porosity of your curly hair, the more you should concentrate on the first few 1-4 conditioners; we’ve listed the most penetrating first. If your hair is moderately low to high porosity, you should get good results with any of these six – subject to other characteristics of your hair of course.

What’s the best protein treatment for Afro hair?

The same as the ones we recommended for curly hair. Afro hair = curly hair in most cases (those with real-life Addy doll hair excepted of course). If your hair is relaxed, check out our suggestions in the section on relaxed hair below.

So again, the list of best protein treatments for Afro hair:

La Aplanadora Treatment
Halka Baba de Caracol Moisturizing Hair Mask,
BPT Wheat Germ Treatment
MayOliva Treatment
Silicon Mix Treatment (Original)
Crece Pelo Treatment

What’s the best protein treatment for 4c hair?

In most cases, we’d caution against using your curl type to tell you what protein treatment or any other product to use. Why? Because curl type = curl size for the most part. It doesn’t tell you anything about texture, porosity, condition – all factors that have way more influence on what product will or won’t work.

But 4c is different.

4c is the only curl category that takes porosity into account, so it tells you a lot more useful information on what hair characteristics you’re working with. With 4c hair being pretty much universally low porosity (most of it super low porosity), you can tell immediately that certain conditioners – the ones with formulas that just don’t bind to the hair as well – aren’t going to work.

4c hair is also typically extremely dry, so a protein treatment for 4c hair needs to bring some degree of moisture. Otherwise, the stiffness caused by the protein (necessary in most cases to strengthen the hair) could lead to brittleness, or “protein sensitivity”.

The condition the hair is in is the third major factor. If your hair is seriously damaged, it will need a higher strength protein treatment.

Not only does the concentration of protein in the treatment need to be high enough to really make an instant change on hair that is at that breaking point, but the protein it contains should be the most binding, too.

And to make all of that happen, the overall formulation of the treatment will need to be good at binding to the cuticle, or your hair won’t be able to benefit.

We managed to narrow that down to two: La Aplanadora Treatment and Halka Baba de Caracol Hair Moisturizing Mask.

For 4c hair with severe damage or breakage, it’s La Aplanadora Treatment. This is a high moisture, high protein treatment so will take care of the moisture-protein balance issues on really dry 4c hair. It’s also based on keratin isolates, which have a greater affinity for hair so can bind to the damaged sections really well.

For 4c hair that’s less damaged and is sometimes on the protein sensitive side, the best protein treatment would be Halka Baba de Caracol Hair Moisturizing Mask. The protein aspect of this treatment is slightly less intense; it’s based on collagen and elastin proteins rather than keratin. It’s intensely moisturising and softening though.

By the way, to get this treatment to bind to 4c hair properly, you have to layer on its sister conditioner, Halka Baba de Caracol Conditioner, first. That product acts like a carrier to bring the treatment into your hair.

If your 4c hair is certified protein sensitive, then you can use atrActiva Keratin Rich Conditioner. It’s a more gradual strengthener, using ceramides to strengthen hair, so it’s a good alternative to protein for 4c hair that doesn’t tolerate proteins that well.

Another gradual way to strengthen damaged hair without protein is through moisture training.

Can you use a protein treatment on locs?

Technically the answer is yes. The one concern would be the residue; protein treatments are designed to leave deposits of protein on the hair to strengthen it.

For that reason, protein treatments can sometimes cause temporary buildup issues, though on unlocked hair that’s usually solved with a clarifying shampoo. With locs, any buildup issue that you get on loose hair tends to be more complicated to remove.

For locked hair, we recommend less intense protein alternatives like atrActiva Keratin Rich Conditioner, which uses ceramides to fill in the gaps in your hair instead of protein. The lighter, more liquid consistency also makes it easier to apply on your locs..

Can you use a protein treatment on protein sensitive hair if it’s breaking?

Deciding what to use on protein sensitive hair when it’s extremely damaged can be tricky. On the one hand, proteins on protein sensitive hair can cause near instant breakage. But on the other, proteins are one of the main ways to stop your hair from breaking.

The safest thing is to test your hair’s reaction to protein first. So clarify with a deep cleansing shampoo to remove all the buildup. atrActiva Anti-Stress Shampoo does this well. Then apply your protein treatment to one small section, leave it on for the allotted time, rinse it and note your hair’s reaction as it dries and over the next couple of days.

If your hair doesn’t start to feel brittle, it’s probably safe to apply the protein treatment all over your hair. It also indicates that you probably had a type of very temporary protein sensitivity which was just due to buildup.

If your hair does get a little stiff, but still feels stronger overall, you can try mixing the protein treatment with a non protein treatment, e.g., La Aplanadora Treatment + atrActiva Multivitamin Treatment. Using a milder protein treatment like Halka Baba de Caracol Moisturizing Mask, as long as you use the matching conditioner under it, should also work.

If your hair feels brittle after your protein test, then go for a protein alternative like atrActiva Keratin Rich Conditioner.

What’s the best protein treatment for bleached hair?

For bleached hair, we’d recommend La Aplanadora Treatment; you need a seriously strong protein that can cope with the severe levels of damage caused by bleach. Another really good protein treatment for bleached hair – that few people realise is a protein treatment – is Silicon Mix, the original formula.

It’s not as strong as La Aplanadora in the protein stakes, but the combination of keratin and silicones are great for filling and sealing respectively – two really important conditioning goals on bleached hair. Silicon Mix Proteina de Perla Treatment is another good option on bleached hair, based on pearl protein extract.

What’s the best protein treatment for relaxed hair?

Relaxed hair is dealing with some very similar damage to bleached hair, so has similar needs. Depending on other factors in your hair, you can use the same protein treatments on your relaxed hair, but take the quiz above to be sure.

La Aplanadora Treatment, Silicon Mix Treatment (original), Silicon Mix Proteina de Perla Treatment and Crece Pelo Treatment are all good protein treatments for relaxed hair.

What’s the best protein treatment for low porosity hair?

The best protein treatments for low porosity hair are, of course, the ones that are best able to bind to your hair.

That would be La Aplanadora Treatment, Halka Baba de Caracol Moisturizing Hair Mask, BPT Wheat Germ Treatment and MayOliva Treatment. And yes, you can use protein treatments on low porosity hair. We have a whole article on that, here.

What’s the best protein treatment for high porosity hair?

Like bleached hair and relaxed hair (both of which are at the high porosity end of the spectrum), strong protein treatments are the way to go for high porosity hair. La Aplanadora Treatment, as a potent rejuvenator formula, will help fill in the gaps on the surface that high porosity hair is more prone to, as well as connecting with the binding sites on the surface that make high porosity hair so thirsty. Silicon Mix is a great follow up.

Alternatively, try Halka Baba de Caracol Conditioner paired with Halka Baba de Caracol Moisturizing Hair Mask. This combination is less intense, but is still very strengthening. It also balances that strengthening side very well with its emollient element, so can be used long term without fear of the stiffness that can come with protein overload.

To find out more on how to take care of your high porosity hair, download our free, full-length DHA High Porosity Guide.

7 Reasons Why Snail Slime Is Great For Your Hair

by DHA's DIY | Aug 30, 2022 | Moisturising Conditioner, Low Porosity Treatment, Moisture Treatment, Sulfate-Free Shampoo

Of all the weird and wonderful natural ingredients you’ve been sampling since you started seriously taking care of your hair, you probably never thought you’d try snail slime.

Known as baba de caracol, snail extract is one of the top Dominican haircare secrets…

Snail Slime: A Dominican Hair Secret

Snail slime has been one of the many beauty secrets kept by the women of this Caribbean island for generations. Blended into many remedios caseros, this exotic natural ingredient has been used to sort out many skin and scalp ailments, and to keep hair in the pristine condition that Dominicanas are famous for.

Reason #1: Snail Slime Seals In Moisture

Used as a traditional healing and beauty ingredient on the island, throughout the Americas and beyond for centuries, snail extract is also widely incorporated into the country’s mainstream cosmetics, including popular Dominican hair treatments like Halka Baba de Caracol. Recently, the slime has been garnering interest all over the world, and it is currently the subject of many studies looking into its bioactive properties.

Rich in glycoproteins and antioxidants, it’s certainly packed with many appealing constituents. They give snail slime some amazing properties that make this gloopy goo a truly multifunctional, 100% natural ingredient.

Secreting slime is the snail’s natural way of keeping its delicate surface hydrated. Studies have shown that snail slime increases the ability of human skin to hold water, too. Snail extract is itself over 90% water, blended with natural proteins and other polymers that make it highly hygroscopic, or water-loving. This hydrating effect can help you seal moisture into your tresses.

Reason #2: Snail Slime Protects Hair From Damage

Snail slime’s complex mix of proteins, micronutrients and glycolic acids have evolved to protect the snail’s fragile skin from damage, infection and UV rays.

Snail extract consists of a natural gel which protects hair from damage

The natural gel consists of a polymer network that performs as a protective layer, cushioning and shielding the exposed, soft parts of the snail body.

Dominicans use it in natural blends to protect their hair and skin from the rays of the strong Caribbean sun. Recent studies indicate it can also protect against free radicals which damage your hair and skin.

Snail extract is equally effective in protecting hair from the mechanical damage caused by day-to-day styling pressure, from combing, brushing and styles that use tension and torsion.

Reason #3: Snail Slime Soothes The Scalp

Snail slime has long been harnessed for its soothing and healing powers. Traditional uses include speeding up healing and preventing scarring, from such diverse conditions as acne, skin infections and burns.

These powerful properties making it great for calming a stressed, inflamed scalp, particularly one exposed to damaging heat and chemical burns.

Reason #4: Snail Slime Smooths and Softens Hair

Snail slime encases strands in a smooth, sealing layer, filling in cracks and smoothing over rough sections. If your hair shaft has jagged or bumpy sections which together give your strands a brittle overall feel, the smoothing slime can leave your strands with a silky layer of protection.

Reason #5: Snail Slime Provides Detangling Slip

The snail’s signature slime trail is made up of a highly fluid translucent secretion which acts as a lubricant, helping it slide frictionlessly from place to place. This lubricant can work in a similarly smoothing way on your hair, too.

Snail slime provides detangling slip

Brushes and combs glide through tresses coated with this super slippery natural lubricant. Snail slime’s turbo detangling slip takes a load of strain off your tresses, saving on styling time and minimising the kind of mechanical damage that cuts into your progress when trying to grow out your hair.

Reason #6: Snail Slime Leaves Hair Glossy

Snail slime leaves a smooth coating on your strands which in turn creates an even surface. This even surface helps hair reflect light, giving it tons of gleam and covering the cracks and flaws which reduce your hair’s natural shine potential.

Reason #7: Snail Slime Boosts Curl Definition

Snails don’t only use slime to slide, friction-free across surfaces. They also use it to allow them to stick to surfaces. They can do this because snail slime is actually a blend of two types of mucus. One slime is more watery and acts like a lubricant, while the other, more viscous and elastic slime, functions as an adhesive. The adhesive slime is a natural gel and, with its inherent fixative properties, it can help individual curly fibres meld together into defined supercurls.

Snail slime can define curls

Snail Extract – The Missing Ingredient?

If you’ve tried oils, teas, muds and milks – pretty much every treatment around – to no avail, maybe baba de caracol could be the answer. After all, Dominicanas use it daily to tackle a world of haircare concerns. That shiny streak of a slithering snail might just be the magical ingredient that gets your hair right where you need it to be.

And to supercharge your moisture levels, try moisture training your hair with baba de caracol.

Image credits:

Cmiper| Halka Industrial |Christian Oterhals| GF Peck| Marion Cayla

How to Use Silicon Mix (5 best steps)

by DHA's DIY | Apr 15, 2022 | Conditioning, Dominican Blowout, Heat, Straight Hair, Blowout, Deep Conditioners, Dry Hair, Hair Straightening, Silk PRESS

The Perfect way to use Silicon Mix

What’s the best way to use Silicon Mix? If the only thing consistent about your hair lately has been its dryness and resistance, then this Silicon Mix-atrActiva combo might be exactly what it needs.

This Silicon Mix-atrActiva treatment combo is designed for distressed, damaged or rebellious tresses. If you’re lucky enough to have tresses that don’t currently fit any of those descriptions, you can use it as a preventative measure to make sure your hair stays happy, or even to revitalise that bundle of Remy hair you were hoping to reuse. Whichever reason, this treatment combo gives such deep conditioning moisture that it carries you through the week.

The penetrating nutrients, hydration and slip that atrActiva-Silicon Mix delivers and seals in, makes your hair healthier, more elastic, more manoeuvrable, and thus easier to style.

It works because Silicon Mix is the ideal sealing treatment, created to form a protective layer over damaged tresses, smoothing uneven cuticle layers along the way. By locking in the nutrients and moisture needed for strong healthy hair, Silicon Mix acts like the haircare equivalent of that final coat of sealant on a freshly painted wall.

Silicon Mix Tratamiento awards blog SMALLER

For all the acclaim it gets on its own, to really put Silicon Mix’s super-sealing powers to work requires an equally powerful underlying deep treatment, one which can provide the healthy nutrients and vital moisture that Silicone Mix is designed to lock in.

Enter: atrActiva’s Multivitamin Treatment, La Reina of long-term moisture. atrActiva’s Multivitamin Treatment’s plentiful nutrients (it includes Vitamins A, D, E and K) make it the ultimate, nourishing underlayer.

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Not only that; it’s formulated for longlasting hydration of dry, damaged, hard-to-smooth hair. If you’re struggling to find a conditioner that actually absorbs into your low porosity hair, atrActiva Multivitamin is it; its silky micro-emulsion is designed to sink into resistant textures that most conditioners fail to penetrate.

like paint…

To get the best out of these two conditioners, you don’t mix them; you treat them like paint and layer. While mixing won’t result in flaking or clumping, these two Dominican conditioners work best together when you plaster your hair with one on top of the other. Since atrActiva Multivitamin Treatment is a super-moisturizer, and Silicon Mix is a super-sealer your hair gets the most benefit when layering Silicon Mix over atrActiva, on freshly washed wet hair. This way you’ll be moisturising with atrActiva Multivitamin Treatment, and sealing with Silicon Mix Treatment.

Now, you are ready to begin

For best results, there are 5 steps to take when using Silicon Mix:

Step 1: Cleanse
Step 2: Rinse
Step 3: Apply atrActiva Multivitamin Treatment
Step 4: Apply Silicon Mix Treatment
Step 5: Rinse

Step 1: CLEANSE

Sometimes conditioners, grease, gels, leave-ins, pomades and even certain shampoos leave residue on our hair shaft that prevents us from getting the ultimate benefit from deep treatments. So, the first step of reaping the benefits from your deep treatment is to thoroughly clean your hair.

You’ll know your tresses are thoroughly clean when water droplets run clear from your hair (non-coloured hair only), there is no hint of a layer of grime on your scalp, and your strands feel free and move with ease.

The best way to ensure that your hair gets thoroughly clean, (and to prevent tangling) is to section your hair. Wind it up it into 4 parts, and shampoo each section separately (big twists, or slide-in clips usually facilitate ease in unwinding and help hold hair well).

Step 2: RINSE

Rinse for longer than usual, ensuring that all shampoo suds have been washed free. Use warm water and remember to maintain your hair’s sectioning; by taking one section at a time, carefully opening it up to rinse through it thoroughly, before winding the section back up, and moving on to the next.

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atractiva multivitamin treatment best moisturising for dry hair in grass

Step 3: atrActiva Multivitamin Treatment

After using a towel to blot the water droplets out of your freshly shampooed hair, start with your first section and generously apply atrActiva Multivitamin Treatment along the perimeter of the section, from scalp to tips, squeezing it through the section before taking smaller subsections, and gently working it through. This way, atrActiva begins detangling your hair before you divide the sections further. Continue to ensure atrActiva is applied from the root to the ends of your hair.

Then secure this section before moving into the next.

Step 4: Use SILICON MIX

2 minutes should have passed in between layers. Waiting a little before you start applying Silicon Mix Treatment gives atrActiva time to soak into your hair and moisturise your strands inside out and generate serious slip.

If you have been sticking to the 4-part method, then there is no need to wait an additional 2 minutes; simply start with the first section you applied atrActiva to, and in small finger length and width sections, slip a coat of Silicon Mix over the lengths of your hair, from root to tip.( As you already have atrActiva underneath apply only a thin layer of Silicon Mix).

Then move on to do the same to your second, third and fourth sections.

Comb through each section, and massage* scalp for up to 5 minutes. Then cover with a plastic cap for at least 15 minutes without heat, 10 max with heat. Silicon Mix Tratamiento 300x300 1

(*Skip the massage, if you have high blood pressure or have been advised accordingly by your doctor.)

Step 5: RINSE AGAIN

Rinse thoroughly and enjoy your super moisturised, super smooth, super fortified hair! Using these two superconditioners in combo should leave your tresses sublime for up to a week. Repeating this treatment weekly will allow your hair to accumulate the benefits of each treatment, for longer, stronger, shinier tresses.

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From step 5 on, it depends on your styling plans; if you are blowdrying or straightening, then protect with atrActiva Shine Drop Serum first. If you’re letting your hair air-dry, then try your favourite pure oil on wet hair first, before adding leave-ins when dry.

This Silicon Mix-atrActiva Multivitamin Treatment works fantastic on Remy hair as well, so if you want to extend the life on your weave then keep a lookout for your step-by-step post coming soon.

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For a mini-course and FREE printable on straightening without heat damage, look here.

I have low porosity hair: Do I need a steamer?

by DHA's DIY | Mar 31, 2022 | Deep Conditioners, Dry Hair, Low Porosity, Porosity, Super Low Porosity

If you have low porosity natural hair, you’ve probably heard that you need to steam your hair to get your conditioner to penetrate.

But every good steamer comes with a price tag and if that’s not in the budget right now it’s OK.

Here’s how you can get some of the benefits of a steamer just by turning up your conditioners and your method.

Why is steam good for natural and low porosity hair?

At DHA, we’re big fans of moist heat, aka steam. because of the way it can bring hydration to the most resistant, impenetrable low porosity hair.

The ‘steam’ your hair actually comes into contact with when using a steamer is really water vapour, droplets of H2O that have gotten hot and light enough to float in the air, but not quite hot enough to be steam.

Using steam can help moisture from conditioners penetrate low porosity hair. Image by Bryant Churckyno.

These droplets work so well at hydrating low porosity hair because when they’re in this vaporous state, water molecules have way more energy than in their regular liquid form. They move faster and more freely, which makes it quicker and easier for these droplets (aka moisture) to penetrate your hair strand.

Another big reason why hair steamers hydrate better than normal, liquid water is because the surface tension is reduced to almost zero. You know how when water is still, whether in a glass or a calm lake, the surface looks really flat, almost like it has a skin over it? This is because of surface tension, or the way the molecules at the surface of a liquid naturally cling together.

Water’s high surface tension gives it a flat surface in this glass. Image by Manu Schwendener.

Water’s surface tension makes it harder for it to penetrate your hair since its own surface is holding it back. Add that to the resistance of low porosity hair to absorb pretty much anything and you’ll see why it takes so long for your hair to get wet – if it gets wet at all.

For the water droplets released by the steamer, surface tension is effectively gone. This is what frees them to float onto and drift into your hair, making their way into the few gaps your low porosity hair permits – and finally getting it hydrated.

All this added moisture is what makes deep conditioning low porosity hair with steam so effective.

What is better a hair steamer, a heat cap or a dryer?

Using just heat, e.g., a heat cap, does make your conditioner more fluid and so more able to give good coverage. But since heat caps don’t emit water vapour, they don’t deliver the level of hydration you’ll get with a steamer.

Using heat from a hood dryer can also help ‘activate’ your conditioning treatment, but it won’t add moisture. Plus, if your hair is not properly sealed with plastic or you stay under the dry heat too long, it can even dry out your hair.

Why deep penetrating moisture is so important to low porosity hair

Natural hair needs moisture because our strands’ internal structure actually uses water for strength. Water also increases hair’s plasticity; it makes it more flexible, which in turn makes it more manageable, easier to style and able to resist breakage.

Straight low porosity hair tends to take care of its moisture needs on auto pilot, especially when it comes to virgin hair. The different structure of curly hair makes holding onto moisture more complicated, so the hair’s natural moisture needs to be topped up.

Tightly-curled low porosity hair is prone to breakage if moisture levels get too low. Image by The Collab.

When porosity is extremely low, which happens naturally on many tight curly hair types, especially “4C”, your hair can become so dry it breaks off. This happens because the natural moisture stores within the strand are not enough, and it’s so hard to get moisture to penetrate with typical haircare methods and products.

Using steam is one way to overcome that barrier and allow these hair types – which are prone to breaking off before they hit their terminal length – to grow long. Add to that the fact that when your hair’s moisture level is correct, it also feels a lot softer and smoother to the touch, and just more fun to play in.

How steaming helps increase your hair’s moisture level faster

If you’re trying to correct your moisture protein balance or get your hair moisture trained, a steamer, with its higher energy water molecules, is a much faster way to hydrate your hair.

A weekly steam will mean your hair (provided it is not extremely damaged) gets to its ideal moisture level within 1-2 months, as opposed to several months if you try to achieve this by weekly treatments with a typical deep conditioner and no steam.

How much does a good hair steamer cost?

Good steamers aren’t cheap. A decent steamer will cost you in the region of £150, and the price can get a lot higher the more premium the model you’re looking at.

How to get the benefits of steaming WITHOUT a hair steamer

If a steamer is sounding like exactly what your hair needs, but the cost is prohibitive right now, don’t worry. It turns out you can get almost all the benefits of steaming if you just switch to a conditioner that penetrates better, and change the way you apply your conditioners.

OK there’s no question: adding steam to this improved conditioning method would take your moisture levels up to stratospheric. But if you’re looking for a moisture increase that’s equivalent to the level that steam + any decent treatment will bring, then upgrading to a stronger treatment + this method will do the trick and then some, with no steamer needed.

Using a superconditioner, the right application and timing hydrates hair like a steamer. Image by DHA.

The trick is threefold: first, it’s about finding the right conditioning treatment for your low porosity hair, then learning how to apply it to low porosity hair so it absorbs, and thirdly making sure the timing is correct. Getting all these three things right will give you dramatic results. Here’s how you do it:

Step 1: Pick the right treatment

f you want moisture at a steam type level, you need to use a conditioning treatment, not a regular conditioner. You can use rinse out conditioner as an additional product, but you’ll need to use a hair mask, too. Treatments or hair masks are designed to be more intensive, which is what you need to get anywhere near the effects of steaming.

And don’t just throw on any conditioning treatment and hope for the best. Go for a superconditioner if you want to replicate the work a steamer does and then some. Superconditioners are extremely concentrated, high performance conditioning treatments. Because they contain many times the typical level of conditioning ingredients, they feel a lot richer and can hydrate your hair way faster and on a deeper level than even good quality conventional deep conditioners.

atrActiva Multivitamin Treatment is a superconditioner that can be used to replicate the steaming effect.

How to identify the best treatments for steaming hair

Cetyl alcohol is fatty, solid and conditioning. It shouldn’t be confused with drying, liquid alcohols.

You’ll know these superconditioners by their thickness, and their higher concentrations of the ingredients that count. These are the ingredients that hydrate your hair, strengthen it and smooth it, by penetrating or adsorbing onto to your hair.

Ironically, the ingredients that do this hard work generally aren’t the botanical extracts and natural oils most brands boast about on their labels.

Instead, look for actual conditioning agents high up on the list: cetrimonium chloride, cetyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol, to name a few. Silicones have gotten a lot of negativity in the media, but having one or two somewhere in the middle of the ingredients list is usually good news for your hair, too.

Also avoid very oily or buttery conditioning treatments when steaming low porosity hair. If there’s too much oil or butter in the treatment, these ingredients can act as barriers, especially on low porosity hair which has limited room on the surface or inside the strand.

Finally, the treatment you choose should be very slippery to the touch. This characteristic, known as detangling slip, means the product has good movement along the strands. Not only does this help with combing more easily, it’s also a sign of good coverage, which is essential for proper conditioning on low porosity hair.

For treatments that tick all these boxes, atrActiva Multivitamin, La Aplanadora Treatment and Halka Baba de Caracol are some good options. We list quite a few more here.

Step 2: Apply your conditioning treatment the right way

Once you’ve picked your treatment, it’s all about the application. We’ll be blunt: you need to be generous. Don’t bother trying to get away with using just a teaspoon or a quarter size on low porosity hair, especially if your hair is very dry. Give your hair what it needs.

The goal is to take your hair right to the point where it’s seaweedy with conditioner. That feel signals that your hair has started to absorb the treatment. We have a step-by-step guide on how to get products to penetrate into low porosity hair that explains exactly how to do it.

See how seaweed always looks drenched and slimy? That’s what your hair should look like once you’re done applying conditioner. Image by Matt Dawson.

Then, take some plastic wrap and cover your head. Make sure all the hair is in, including the edges, and wrap it around your head a few times.

Step 3: Get the timing right

Leave your treatment on at least 20 to 30 minutes to allow it to truly take to your hair, then rinse it all the way out with warm water. If you’ve never ever steamed your hair, chances are you’ve never experienced your hair like this before. If you have steamed, then you know what to expect: intensely silky, soft, flexible hair unlike anything your regular rinse out conditioner, hot oil or deep conditioner can do alone on low porosity hair.

With a superconditioner and this intensive application method, you can consistently achieve steamer-fresh hair on low porosity hair without needing a steamer.

This method is so good to your hair, in terms of softness, smoothness, shine, manageability, growth and potential for definition, it’s worth doing this every week to keep your hair in this pristine condition that is unlike anything you knew it could achieve.

This method will work especially well if you have ‘hard hair’ aka super low porosity hair that no conditioner, treatment or method ever seems to work on. To get the results, you need to follow every step to the T. If you have any questions on getting the steps right, just let us know in the comments section below.

The Super Low Porosity Survival Kit

We’re putting the finishing touches on our first batch of the DHA Super Low Porosity Survival Kit. It’s a compilation of the products that really work on super low porosity hair – the most extreme kind of low porosity hair out there – and a free course on how to care for this hair type. You can preorder your kit via the link below. Press the pink button for details.

Silicon Mix Bambu vs Silicon Mix: Which is best?

by DHA's DIY | Mar 30, 2022 | Blowout, Deep Conditioners, Dry Hair, Hair Growth, Hair Straightening, High Porosity, Low Porosity, Natural Hair, Porosity, Super Low Porosity

These days, Silicon Mix Bambu Treatment is almost as popular as the shine-amplifying Silicon Mix original. But what’s the difference between these two Dominican superconditioners and which one is best for your hair type?

What is Silicon Mix Conditioner?

Unless you’ve missed the Caribbean wave of hair products that’s swept the beauty world in recent years – from Jamaican Black Castor oil to Dominican superconditioners – you’ll already have heard of Silicon Mix.

Hailed for its services to blowouts, silk presses and weaves everywhere, Silicon Mix is a line of conditioners, shampoos, leave ins and stylers from the Dominican Republic – the Caribbean island nation famous for its exports of rich, exotic conditioners. There are actually four lines under the Silicon Mix name: the original Silicon Mix (Hidratante), Silicon Mix Argan Oil, Silicon Mix Proteina de Perla, and Silicon Mix Bambu.

Silicon Mix is best known for its conditioners or more accurately, its conditioning treatments: rich, creamy formulas with tropical scents and tons of slip that leave hair gleaming, no matter how damaged, dry or brittle it was before.The original Silicon Mix treatment has become the stuff of hairdressing legend. Once the Dominican salon’s best-kept secret for creating mirror-shiny blowouts on hair textures other salons couldn’t straighten, it quickly spread out to other stylists in cities like NYC, with strong connections to the DR, and

is now used around the world.

Silicon Mix Treatments. Clockwise from top left: Bambu; Hidratante; Argan Oil; and Proteina De Perla.

How Silicon Mix Treatments work

All the Silicon Mix treatments use a proprietary mix of silicones and substantive conditioning agents alongside other ingredients to create a protective layer on the hair that silkens away roughness, smooths curls and amps up the hair’s shine.

While the silicones tackle the surface, ingredients like cetyl alcohol and cetrimonium chloride make the hair softer and more flexible, as well as helping draw moisture into the strand, leaving it hydrated.

The protective, yet weightless layer it encases strands in has gained the original Silicon Mix a second claim to fame: this time for reviving wigs and weaves. Extension specialists use it to maintain Remy hair, extending the lifetime on these costly human hair extensions, allowing them to be reused multiple times.

Silicon Mix Treatment works well on weaves and wigs. Image by Tubarones Photography.

The difference between Silicon Mix and Silicon Mix Bambu

When you open up the jars, you notice the difference in these two products right away. The original Silicon Mix is white and very viscous, while Silicon Mix Bambu is yellow and a little lighter in consistency. Silicon Mix has a gentle musky scent, slightly reminiscent of Caribbean vetiver; Silicon Mix Bambu has a more playful, tropical fruit aroma.

They work differently, too. While all the Silicon Mix conditioners use a blend of silicones and fatty conditioning agents to provide intense conditioning and protection to the hair, each of the spin-offs contains its own star ingredient, designed to add a different benefit. For Silicon Mix Bambu, it’s bamboo extract, known for its strengthening abilities. There are a few other differences as well:

Silicon Mix Bambu is protein-free

The overall formulation is different in Silicon Mix Bambu Treatment vs Silicon Mix Treatment. Flip around the jar to the ingredients list, and you’ll see a number of those differences. For one, protein (keratin) is a key ingredient in Silicon Mix original. It’s partly responsible for the strengthening “shock treatment” the product delivers to damaged, brittle hair.

Silicon Mix Bambu Treatment is keratin-free, which is appealing to people with protein sensitive hair. Mineral oil is also lower down in the list in Bambu, which is good news for people with low porosity hair that doesn’t usually ‘like’ this ingredient in higher concentrations.

Silicon Mix Bambu Treatment is lighter

The lighter consistency makes Silicon Mix Bambu easier and quicker to spread through the hair, especially if you have thick or low porosity hair and like to apply your conditioners with a wet brush. That lighter formula also makes Silicon Mix Bambu a good option for people with loose curls who want to keep the curl in their hair as they blowdry.

The original Silicon Mix is designed for blowdrying hair straight which mean it can straighten a little too much on hair where the curl is not that strong. Silicon Mix Bambu delivers the trademark Silicon Mix smoothing without the straightening effect.

Silicon Mix adds more shine, Bambu is more penetrating

Performance-wise, the original Silicon Mix definitely has the most dramatic effect on the hair’s surface, slipping it into an invisible silicone envelope and creating the most intense shine.

Silicon Mix Bambu penetrates easily into low porosity 4C hair. Image by Tubarones Photography.

This is what makes it so good on weaves and wigs which start to look dull as the cuticle wears down. Silicon Mix’s protective casing makes human hair wigs and extensions look brand new again – especially when you blend it with atrActiva Multivitamin Treatment.

On the other hand, Silicon Mix Bambu Treatment is more penetrating. This means it outperforms the original on hair types that find it difficult to get products to absorb into them, and which are harder to moisturise, such as low porosity hair and 4C hair.

Is Silicon Mix Bambu good for hair?

Yes. Let’s count the ways: First, the blend of ingredients that resist heat (like dimethicone), with flexibility-enhancing ingredients (like cetyl alcohol) makes hair easier to blowdry or iron, while also reducing heat exposure. That means Silicon Mix Bambu has a built-in heat protectant component which helps shield hair, even in intense blowdrying.

Secondly, Bambu does all of this without flattening the hair or leaving behind residue – both of which are frowned upon in the Dominican haircare tradition, which prizes smooth, natural-looking hair with tons of movement.

This requirement for strong conditioning that doesn’t weigh hair down means that Silicon mix Bambu Treatment can be used on all types of hair, even fine or extremely straight hair that usually can’t use conditioners – all without a trace of greasiness.

When Dominican women straighten their hair, a flowing, silky look is preferred. Image by ElMarto.

At Dominican Hair Alliance, we do pretty extensive product testing, on hair with different textures, densities, condition and of different origins. Based on our research, Silicon Mix Bambu is good for hair that is curly, straight, wavy, natural, heat-damaged, bleached, relaxed, dyed, texturized, or Brazilian Keratin straightened, with high, low or medium porosity, from people of African, Native American, European, Asian descent.It works – and by that we mean smooths, softens, adds shine, detangles, protects from heat damage and increases manageability – on almost everyone.

No one product will work for every person on the planet. But we love the fact that it can actually penetrate and hydrate super low porosity 4C hair and yet work on fine, straight, bleached hair that needs conditioning but can’t get it from most products because of the weight.

If your hair is dry, damaged and needs a transformation, the statistics are heavily in in your favour with this versatile, super concentrated treatment.

The best conditioners work even better with consistency. To learn how to create the most moisturizing routine for dry hair, download this moisture training guide and FREE course.