White keratin compositions

1. A method of making a composition comprising keratose, said method comprising:

(a) bleaching a keratin protein source with an oxidizing bleaching agent to produce a bleached keratin protein source;

(b) removing the bleaching agent from the bleached keratin protein source;

(c) oxidizing the bleached keratin protein source of (b); and

(d) extracting keratose from the oxidized keratin protein source of (c),

wherein said composition comprises the keratose extracted at (d),

wherein a dried form of the composition is white in the absence of added colorants or additives, and

wherein a solution form of the composition is colorless, said solution form comprising the keratose and a solvent.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the solution form of the composition forms a hydrogel at a concentration of 2% to 15% weight keratose per volume solvent in the absence of added biomaterials or crosslinkers.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said keratin protein source is hair.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein said hair is human hair.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein said method comprises mechanical agitation of the bleached keratin protein source.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein said method comprises a high speed centrifugation step.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein said method comprises a dialysis step.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein said method comprises a lyophilization step.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein said composition is in powder form.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein said bleaching agent is hydrogen peroxide.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the bleached keratin protein source of (b) is oxidized with peracetic acid.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the bleached keratin protein source of (b) is oxidized with peracetic acid.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step (e) dialyzing the extracted keratose, wherein said-composition comprises the extracted and dialyzed keratose.