Protein causing white dots?

[NataschaB.]

Hi!

I just have a quick question. If hair doesn't like protein and you use products with them anyway, could it be causing white dots?

Thanks and and have a great day :)

[lapushka]

I doubt that protein can cause white dots. I've only ever heard of heat (styling tool hot) causing white dots. The kind that break off your hair. Why the question?

[NataschaB.]

Oh, okay. Thank you :o I just got a haircut, like a month ago and my hair looked fine. After my last couple of hairwashes I've been using nightbloomings salve and I looked at my hair today and found some white dots. But it's possible that they have been there the whole time. So I was just wondering :)
Edit: for some reason, I think my hair doesn't like protein. But I really don't know :D

[Madora]

Protein is a vital part of good hair health. I don't mean applied protein, I mean eating protein.

White dots are precursors to split ends. Weekly S and D can help keep them at bay.

[Anje]

For white dots, I'd first look at things like heat, whether ends get awkward links from styles (like tying off braids -- pretty sure the silicone ties that my hair dislikes increase white dots in me), and other sources of damage.

Hair that dislikes protein and has gotten too much tends to get stiff and feel a bit rough or squeaky in a bad way when you pinch it in your fingers and run them down the length. It starts instantly tangling even in the process of detangling and might even start breaking off as you try to undo all those instantly forming knots.

The solution to this is to get at least a set of products that don't have protein ingredients, clarify it, and then do lots of pure moisture treatments (repeated SMTs worked for me). It should feel better with each treatment until you get back to normal. (It's worth noting that even if your hair is sensitive, you might be able to do occasional protein applications without problems. You just need to be careful of the products in your usual lineup.)

[Nadine <3]

Maybe, if you have protein over load and your hair is breaking. I use a shampoo and conditioner loaded with proteins on a fairly regular basis and my hair loves it. I would even say that for me, the use of the protein prevents white dots and splits by strengthening my hair. Sometimes I'll notice my hair going a bit dry though, so I lay off the protein for a bit and do some CO washes for the next few washes to balance it out.

[Firefox7275]

White dots are mid shaft breakage, that is often caused by mechanical damage (eg. brushing when wet/ rough detangling/ repetitive styles such as daily ponytailing) or heat styling but UV exposure and chemicals can also play a role. Too much hydrolysed protein can make hair feel rough, dry, grabby or tangly so could contribute to white dots via mechanical damage but AFAIK would not normally be the sole cause.

[MINAKO]

I'm probably one of those members who most massively overloads on protein and i have a naturally dry and coarsish hairtype. The protein keeps splits at bay and i haven't expirienced any since a few years, neither the white dot thing. I came to realize that apart from fairy knots its impossible for me to s&d because of this because all my ends look alright even tho they start to taper more at some point and also might feel a bit more rough than the rest of my hair.
I agree with keeping mechanical damage at a minimum is the best thing to help with those broken ends.

[ravenreed]

Protein causes my hair to snarl and snap off. I imagine that if your hair hates protein like mine does that it could cause white dots.

[Carolyn]

If I use products with protein too often I get hair breakage. I notice that I have white dots and "hinged" hairs a few inches up from the ends. That only happens to me with protein overload. I use those products only once or twice a month.

[NataschaB.]

Thank you so much, ladies. You have been a great help, all of you :)

The weird thing is, I do not use heat on my hair. Only like, once or twice a year or so. Hmm, I wonder if it's possible that the white dots are caused by washing the hair? I mean if the water is too warm?

It's probably mechanical damage. So I'll be more careful handling my hair :)
After reading your responses it sounds like protein may also have something to do with it.

[Firefox7275]

Hot water is nowhere near the temperature a flat iron or focussed hairdryer could reach. Irreparable heat damage can occur in just ONE session: see Natural Haven blog for effect of different temperatures on hair proteins. See Sciencey Hairblog for hair under the microscope after exposure to hot and cool water.

[Dreams_in_Pink]

As far as i know, white dots occur when the water inside the hair shaft evaporates and applies pressure to the outer cortex, which weakens it. I don't see how protein could cause that :(