Some signs to look out for are excessively dry, brittle hair and shedding after using protein. It's important to pay attention to how your hair reacts and keep track of the products you're using if you want to find ways to avoid this.
Hair that is stringy, flat, or limp is a definite sign that your hair needs a protein treatment. Normally, hair should be pretty durable and full, so when it starts to droop, take notice. By adding protein back into the hair, you can revitalize your strands and get them to a healthier state.
The good news is that protein overload is almost always reversible. The bad news is that there is no overnight fix. What is this? Depending on the severity of your case, it can take up to 4 to 6 weeks to recover from protein overload.
While some OLAPLEX products contain some protein, the amounts are minimal and not enough to be considered a protein treatment. Therefore, OLAPLEX is not a protein treatment. OLAPLEX works at a molecular level to rebuild the hair internally.
COMMON SIGNS OF MOISTURE OVERLOAD
If you pull one strand of hair it will stretch and stretch without bouncing back, and eventually fall apart and tear. The hair will feel mushy, limp and excessively soft. Your curls will struggle to hold their shape, they will have little definition and tend to fall flatter than normal.
Take an inch of your hair and stretch it, if it doesn't stretch or breaks, feels dry and rough, it is brittle/damaged and needs moisture treatment. If the hair stretches far and does not return and/or breaks, feels mushy, gummy or cotton candy-like, your hair needs protein.
All hair needs both protein and moisture to stay healthy and strong. In fact, protein and moisture can't work well without the other. You need a strong protein structure in order for water molecules to bind with your strands and to keep the water locked inside.
People with low porosity hair strands naturally contain too much keratin protein within their own structure. Low porosity hair is resistant to moisture and are protein-sensitive. By adding “unwanted” protein to the hair strand becomes stiff and brittle, causing it to break.
How To Recover: In order to recover from protein overload you are going to have to take very precise steps in your regimen and it will not be an over night process. It actually can take anywhere from 4 weeks to 6 months depending on how severe the protein overload is.
Hair looks limp and stringy.
Dull and limp hair is a sign of protein deficiency. Most clients will think it just needs a bit of hair styling product to bring it back to life, but this practice actually compromises the health of the hair significantly.
When this happens, the body will help save protein by shifting growing hairs into the resting phase. Increased hair shedding can occur 2 to 3 months later. This condition can be reversed and prevented by eating the proper amount of protein and, when dieting, maintaining adequate protein intake.
Imbalanced Protein and Moisture
Another VERY common cause of wet frizz is excess protein or moisture in the hair.
Just like your body, your hair requires protein to stay healthy. However, if these amino acids are compromised – by things like heat styling, colouring or other damage to the hair, the protein can become altered, leading to brittle, dry, fragile and frizzy hair.
The hair will feel dry, brittle and stringy, because it won't have enough moisture to stretch and support elasticity. The hair will lose shine and look dull. You will have more frizz than normal, a wiry, stringy type of frizz. You may notice additional shedding, due to the hair breaking when brushing.
Take a wet or dry strand of hair and stretch it gently. If it doesn't stretch easily, snaps quickly, and feels dry, brittle or rough, it means you need more moisture. If your curl stretches but doesn't bounce back into shape, and the hair feels gummy or musy, it means you need more protein.
If you have dry hair, then a protein treatment for natural hair can help restore some of the moisture it's lacking. If you have oily hair, then a deep conditioning treatment can help to get rid of some of the residue that's coating it, allowing it to retain more moisture.
Can Olaplex Cause Protein Overload? Since Olaplex doesn't contain very much protein, your chances of getting protein overload are slim even with repeated use. You're much more likely to get protein overload from protein-based hair products and overly frequent protein treatments.
The only mistake you can make is using too much – and the only “side effect” of using too much is the processing time climbs and climbs. The hair can never be damaged through the use of Olaplex!
Are there risks with using Olaplex “too often”? Apparently no. Olaplex cannot damage your hair, no matter how often you use it. Some users have reported that when they use it for long periods, the amount of time it requires to “take effect” will climb and climb.
Olaplex is NOT a moisturizing deep conditioner or a protein treatment. Olaplex does contain some protein, but not enough to be considered a hard protein treatment.
Interestingly, consuming too much protein can also lead to hair loss. This is because when the body has an excess of protein, it will start to excrete the excess through the urine. The hair follicles are then deprived of much-needed nutrients, which can lead to shedding and thinning.