The wet stretch test
Take one clean, wet strand and stretch it gently. This is a home check passed around curly-hair communities, not a tested measure: one strand doesn’t speak for your whole head, and damaged hair can snap or over-stretch whatever you use. If it stretches a little and springs back, there’s no reason to change anything. If it snaps almost at once, one thing to try is pausing a protein product for a few washes; if it stretches a long way and stays limp, try less of your richest product, or one product with protein. Keep the change if your hair feels better over the next washes, and undo it if not.
Finding protein on a label
Look for names such as hydrolyzed wheat protein, hydrolyzed keratin, silk amino acids, collagen or soy protein. The comparison tables on our buying guides list the named proteins in each product, and the ingredient checker shows them on any label you paste.
When it isn’t protein or moisture
Build-up, hard water and heat damage can make hair feel stiff or limp too. If your hair feels coated rather than stiff, clarify first; if it was recently bleached or straightened, handle it gently before changing products.
Updated · The sources for this guide are on our Sources page. Report a changed detail.