Aphogee Two-Step Protein Treatment, 2 Minute Reconstructor and Shampoo for Damaged Hair Review

Aphogee products are surprisingly affordable and fantastic to help damage hair. I have been a fan of their Two Step Protein Treatment for years, and more recently have tried more products to help repair and mend my hair after suffering damage from the deva disaster. Read on for my thoughts and review of some must have products for hair in critical condition!












Here is a little bit of info from the brand, taken from their website: 
 

 Note: These products are NOT "Curly Girl Method" approved, but if you have damaged hair, silicones are actually BENEFICAL for you. Why? Check out THIS POST.



 Shampoo for Damaged Hair

Them: "For Hair with Noticeable Breakage. Overly porous hair, with difficulty retaining color, lacking shine, Split Ends, Rough Cuticle and Chemical / Heat abuse. pH5.5-6.5 Shampoo for Damaged Hair is recommended for up to everyday use on color treated and damage-prone hair. This rich, luxurious shampoo cleans gently and will not harm color, perm or relaxer services. Proteins, emollients, and vitamins restore sheen and pliability to hair damaged by chemicals and heat.  Safe for daily use as well as on extensions, weaves and hair color."

Me: I feel an obligation to let you all know that this shampoo does contain Sodium Laureth Sulfate. Since my damage, I am willing to try anything that will help but because of that SLS, for now I'm only using this to pair with the Two Step Protein Treatment, so it is used once a month. This shampoo only came in a huge 16oz bottle, so tie that with my infrequency of use and check back on me in 2030, I bet I still have the same bottle. It smells nice, like citrus and is very concentrated, so I don't need much at all. I was pleasantly surprised when using this shampoo, just how soft my hair felt after. In my head, I think I thought my hair was going to feel really dry or something due to the SLS, but it really didn't! It did a nice job cleansing and repairing. Part of me does want to try to incorporate this more to see if it can further help with damage. Maybe I'll do bi-weekly. I'll report back.

Two Step Protein Treatment

Them: "Two-Step Protein Treatment is more powerful and longer lasting than other salon or retail products. This unique treatment is formulated with magnesium and modified proteins which fuse into the hair with the application of heat. The result is that breakage is drastically reduced. During the process, ApHogee treatment hardens into the hair, dramatic evidence that something special is occurring. For best results, a hooded dryer is required. After rinsing and moisturizing with ApHogee Balancing Moisturizer, clients are astounded with the results. ApHogee Two-Step Protein Treatment can help improve other salon services as well. This remedial process is highly recommended for hair that:

• Is too weak or fine to take a perm or relaxer. (use the week PRIOR to service)
• Is over-bleached.
• Will not hold color. (use PRIOR to color application for 30% less fade after 10 Shampoos)
• Breaks when combed or brushed.
• Is mushy when wet and brittle after drying."

Me: If you are suffering from breakage at all, go out and buy this right now. Seriously, I'll wait. I've talked about this before on my blog and YouTube. This is my favorite protein treatment. Two things though: It smells awful and is really sticky. The good news is that the smell does not linger and stickiness gets washed away easily. This treatment is so good, despite those two minor inconveniences, I will still always rebuy it. I believe this is actually meant for "professional use only," but amazon has it, and as long as you follow the directions exactly, you will be fine. This is a hard protein treatment, so in order for it to work, you must use it with heat. After cleansing hair, I squeeze out excess water and I apply it in small sections and quickly comb through to make sure of even distribution. One the heat from my blow dryer gets turned on though, I'm done manipulating my hair. I can't stress this part enough- DO NOT TRY TO COMB OR RUN YOUR FINGERS THROUGH YOUR HAIR AS THIS PRODUCT IS HARDENING. We want it to harden, that means the proteins are going into the hair shaft, but messing with it can actually lead to more breakage. Once my hair gets completely hard, like harder than early aughts Dep Level 10 Gel Hard, I rinse with cool water. My hair doesn't feel fantastic at this point, nor is it supposed to. At this point, your hair just received a mega dose of protein. Remember this is a HARD protein treatment, so it MUST be followed up with something super moisturizing to re-moisturize and balance out the hair. Aphogee does sell a second step for this, but I've been pairing this with Jessicurl's Deep Treatment for so long and the combo works well for me, so I stick to that duo. Because this is a hard protein treatment, it should only be done every 4 to 6 weeks and not sooner. Too much of a good thing is real. I will say this again though, if you are dealing with bad breakage or your hair is just looking super blah, get this stuff.

Keratin 2 Minute Reconstructor

Them: "ApHogee Keratin 2 Minute Reconstructor is a powerful, one step treatment that should be used for home use, between salon visits.  This concentrated blend of keratin amino acids, botanical oils, and vitamins does wonders to restore strength and softness to hair that requires a deep, penetrating treatment.  It is recommended on tinted, bleached or relaxed hair.ApHogee Keratin 2 Minute Reconstructor helps repair damage caused by chlorine and hard water.  Apply on clean hair in shower and rinse to treat brittle hair with cuticle damage and moderate breakage.  It soothes irritated scalp and may be applied following each shampooing until the healthy condition of the hair is restored."

Me: Since we can't use the Two-Step weekly, or if you are a bit nervous about that one, we have the Keratin 2 Minute Reconstructor. I am aiming to use this every week, but definitely won't go more than two weeks now between uses. It's quick, it's easy and it is effective as hell. Even at first use, the great hair day I got when using this blew my mind. The bottle says to leave on for 2 minutes, but for severely damaged hair you can leave it on for 5. Of course, I leave it on for 5, which is still a significantly shorter amount of time that I'm used to leaving masks and deep treatments on. Like the two-step, I apply this after cleansing and squeezing out excess moisture but I don't need heat, don't need a second step, it smells really nice and is not sticky at all. It feels like your average conditioner, but provides way above average results. I believe this also helps with breakage, my hair looks shiny, looks a bit more full and feels significantly softer and less hay like. 

Most Recent Use of the AphogeeKeratin Two Minute Reconstructor

for full wash details, check THIS POST

Most Recent Use of Shampoo for Damaged Hair and Two Step Protein Treatment

for full wash details, check THIS POST 

 For more posts when using these products, check out the Aphogee label.

 

VIDEO REVIEW

https://youtu.be/u4iN3rMhVFw

 

Overall, to say I'm impressed with these Aphogee products in helping the health of my hair post deva disaster would be such an understatement. They're truly helping save my hair right now.

Get them HERE.

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disclaimer:  products bought by me. no compensation. not endorsed or sponsored. all thoughts are my own, honest opinions as always. 

-Diane