breakage and white dots

[Chocowalnut]

I don't know what's going on with my hair recently. In addition to what seems like major shedding I am also getting a lot of breakage. As in, I see lots of white dots on my ends or splits so I pull them off.. And I just had a trim like a month ago and my ends looked good after. I thought I'd been taking good care of my hair I don't use heat anymore or dyes. The only "crime" I commit I guess is I don't stretch watches too far. A day or two maybe because my hair gets flat and unappealing. Does anyone have any suggestions or experience b/c I'm getting frustrated with this breakage.

[roman8]

That seems an awfully short time to be getting breakage and white dots, perhaps the scissors used to cut your hair last were not sharp? Blunt scissors tend to do a lot of damage that manifests in a few weeks. We are coming into the winter time, and shedding naturally occurs more in winter, as well as breakage. Perhaps a leave in conditioner of sorts should help you. It's very frustrating.

[lapushka]

How long ago did you stop heat? Because ever since you stopped, it's like growing out from bald again as of that point. No kidding. It takes a while to get nice, fresh, healthy ends.

[melusine963]

How long ago did you stop heat? Because ever since you stopped, it's like growing out from bald again as of that point. No kidding. It takes a while to get nice, fresh, healthy ends.

I agree. If most of your length has been heat-styled or otherwise abused in the past, then it's already damaged and more likely to keep splitting no matter how gentle you are with it now. There's nothing for it but to wait until it's all grown out and trimmed off.

[Melispelos]

How long ago did you stop heat? Because ever since you stopped, it's like growing out from bald again as of that point. No kidding. It takes a while to get nice, fresh, healthy ends.


I agree 100% with this.

[Chocowalnut]

I haven't used heat in a couple months or so, not that long but the thing is I never used it that much before anyways, once a month maybe, but recently it's like breaking off more than when I did use heat.

[ErinLeigh]

Maybe the pulling the splits off is causing more?
Try snipping them with sharp scissors.

[Madora]

Those white dots could be because the scissors (they did use scissors, didn't they?) were too dull, thus sewing another crop of white dots.

The overall condition of your hair will take months to rectify. In the meantime, try using mineral oil to help with moisturizing (white dots are also a sign of lack of moisture in your hair). MO can be found at Target (Johnson and Johnson - Baby oil - pink cap). Be SURE it only has the MO plus a fragrance (addtl. additives make it less effective).

Apply a drop or 2 of MO to your Palms and fingers, then run both hands through all your hair several times (hair should be DAMP, not wet).

MO is very lightweight, washes out easily during next shampoo, leaves no after scent and helps tame frizzies in additional to help moisturize. Do NOT use more than a drop or two! Never apply to hair directly from bottle. MO is also a great help in detangling!

Good luck.

[LadyCelestina]

If you are F I can imagine once a month straightening doing some serious damage...I trashed some pieces of my hair in one straightening.

[TheBlondieDream]

@Madora
Does Mineral Oil washes out with "no poo" shampoo such as Shea Moisture (coconut/hibiscus)?
I do ask because i already have the johnson and johnson MO at hom but never tought to use it on my hair and, as i have the same issue with breaking due to past damage i tought it could be a solution but i'm not sure if it's gonna buildup if i don't use a sulfate shampoo to clarify

[Kherome]

You PULL them off??? You're joking? THAT is hugely damaging. You must never, ever do that. You should only trim white dots and splits off with SHARP hair cutting shears. It does more damage to pull them then leaving them alone!

[Chocowalnut]

You PULL them off??? You're joking? THAT is hugely damaging. You must never, ever do that. You should only trim white dots and splits off with SHARP hair cutting shears. It does more damage to pull them then leaving them alone!

Oh wow :(.. yeah they just easily pull off when there's a white dot and I never have scissors just randomly with me. Thanks for letting me know, I wont do that anymore.

[Chocowalnut]

Maybe the pulling the splits off is causing more?
Try snipping them with sharp scissors.

Thanks yeah I'm gonna stop pulling them off and hopefully that'll at least help a lot.

[Chocowalnut]

Those white dots could be because the scissors (they did use scissors, didn't they?) were too dull, thus sewing another crop of white dots.

The overall condition of your hair will take months to rectify. In the meantime, try using mineral oil to help with moisturizing (white dots are also a sign of lack of moisture in your hair). MO can be found at Target (Johnson and Johnson - Baby oil - pink cap). Be SURE it only has the MO plus a fragrance (addtl. additives make it less effective).

Apply a drop or 2 of MO to your Palms and fingers, then run both hands through all your hair several times (hair should be DAMP, not wet).

MO is very lightweight, washes out easily during next shampoo, leaves no after scent and helps tame frizzies in additional to help moisturize. Do NOT use more than a drop or two! Never apply to hair directly from bottle. MO is also a great help in detangling!

Good luck.

What about a coconut oil serum mixture? I have bee using that. It has cones, coconut oil, argan oil, jojoba oil, sweet almond oil and a coupe other things in it

[Chocowalnut]

If you are F I can imagine once a month straightening doing some serious damage...I trashed some pieces of my hair in one straightening.

Yeah I've since realized my hair type is not able to withstand heat like others might. That's why I've stopped using it all together.

[Madora]

@Madora
Does Mineral Oil washes out with "no poo" shampoo such as Shea Moisture (coconut/hibiscus)?
I do ask because i already have the johnson and johnson MO at hom but never tought to use it on my hair and, as i have the same issue with breaking due to past damage i tought it could be a solution but i'm not sure if it's gonna buildup if i don't use a sulfate shampoo to clarify


TheBlondieDream, I'm sorry but I do not understand your opening sentence. Mineral washes out when you use it. I have no idea how it behaves should you use it with another product (if that is your meaning). Mineral oil works best when it works by itself, with no other products.

Mineral oil can help with keeping your hair moisturized but I use it mainly as a detangler and once in a while as a frizzie fighter. It is wonderful as a detangler!

If you do decide to try MO over a period of time, it really works best on hair that has been clarified first. Apply a drop or two of mo to your hands (never directly to the hair itself). Rub it all over your palms/fingers, then run your hands several times through your damp, already clarified hair.

You can also apply MO to damp (not wet!) hair..or just to the ends of your hair. It is very lightweight as as long as you stick with 2 drops and no more, you hair will not become lank from daily MO usage. I don't use it daily..only when I wash my hair, which is once a month.

Be sure that the MO you have at home contains ONLY the MO plus a fragrance and no other additives. Other additives make the MO less effective.

[TheBlondieDream]

@Madora
Sorry, i think i might have not been clear, so don't worry if you did not understood what i meant.
I was asking if MO can be washed using a shampoo which does not contains sulfates or if it causes build up over time because non sulfate shampoos are too gentle to take it away.
i hope i've been more clear this time and, anyway, thanks for the reply ^^

[lapushka]

@Madora
Sorry, i think i might have not been clear, so don't worry if you did not understood what i meant.
I was asking if MO can be washed using a shampoo which does not contains sulfates or if it causes build up over time because non sulfate shampoos are too gentle to take it away.
i hope i've been more clear this time and, anyway, thanks for the reply ^^

If you're just using a couple of drops on your lengths, I think a sulfate-free shampoo can take that away, for now. You might need to clarify wash down the line with a sulfate shampoo, though, just to be sure you remove all build-up.

[TheBlondieDream]

If you're just using a couple of drops on your lengths, I think a sulfate-free shampoo can take that away, for now. You might need to clarify wash down the line with a sulfate shampoo, though, just to be sure you remove all build-up.

:) Many thanks Lapushka!
I might really give it a try, someday

[Madora]

What about a coconut oil serum mixture? I have bee using that. It has cones, coconut oil, argan oil, jojoba oil, sweet almond oil and a coupe other things in it

Whoa! Way, way too much stuff! It is difficult to help your hair if all the things you are putting on it WAR with each other! You need to be selective on what you are using and stick with it for at least a month to see how it works..or does not work..for your hair.

Also, you need to be mindful of the Drying Capacities of Oil, as described here in an article written by former LHC hair maven, Ktani, from her blogspot: Ktani's Hairsense http://ktanihairsense.blogspot.com/2011/12/understanding-drying-capacity-of-oils.html

Remember: in hair care "Less is More".

[LongCurlyTress]

Whoa! Way, way too much stuff! It is difficult to help your hair if all the things you are putting on it WAR with each other! You need to be selective on what you are using and stick with it for at least a month to see how it works..or does not work..for your hair.

Also, you need to be mindful of the Drying Capacities of Oil, as described here in an article written by former LHC hair maven, Ktani, from her blogspot: Ktani's Hairsense http://ktanihairsense.blogspot.com/2011/12/understanding-drying-capacity-of-oils.html

Remember: in hair care "Less is More".

Thanks so much for posting this helpful info, Madora!! :agree:

[LemonFizzy]

Whoa! Way, way too much stuff! It is difficult to help your hair if all the things you are putting on it WAR with each other! You need to be selective on what you are using and stick with it for at least a month to see how it works..or does not work..for your hair.

Also, you need to be mindful of the Drying Capacities of Oil, as described here in an article written by former LHC hair maven, Ktani, from her blogspot: Ktani's Hairsense http://ktanihairsense.blogspot.com/2011/12/understanding-drying-capacity-of-oils.html

Remember: in hair care "Less is More".

Yes, thanks for posting this link! I've been using a lightweight leave-in conditioner with corn and soybean oils in the mix and wondering why it doesn't seem to help. Now I know why!

[Madora]

My pleasure, longcurlytress and LemonFizzy (I love your name! So cute!). Ktani is the hair maven to end all hair mavens and her BlogSpot is filled with great info on many hair care issues. Next to the George Michael Salon, I would trust my hair to her in a nanosecond. She is aces in my hairbook! Her BlogSpot is: Ktani Hair sense.

[LemonFizzy]

My pleasure, longcurlytress and LemonFizzy (I love your name! So cute!). Ktani is the hair maven to end all hair mavens and her BlogSpot is filled with great info on many hair care issues. Next to the George Michael Salon, I would trust my hair to her in a nanosecond. She is aces in my hairbook! Her BlogSpot is: Ktani Hair sense.

Aw, shucks, thanks! :o I like my sparkling lemonades!

I really appreciate the sharing of knowledge on this board. Like the OP, I'm dealing with dry, dry ends. I'm changing one thing at a time to see what helps. Knowing to chose oils not on the drying-out end of the spectrum really helps.

[Jorja]

You PULL them off??? You're joking? THAT is hugely damaging. You must never, ever do that. You should only trim white dots and splits off with SHARP hair cutting shears. It does more damage to pull them then leaving them alone!

Sometimes I bite my split ends off shudder:, I get told off for that lol

[Kherome]

Oh wow :(.. yeah they just easily pull off when there's a white dot and I never have scissors just randomly with me. Thanks for letting me know, I wont do that anymore.
When you pull it off, you aren't pulling it off. You're ripping it through the middle leaving a very damaged and frayed end behind which will continue to fray, split and travel up the hair creating more damage as it goes.

[Lis]

I would search z destroy the splits and white fits with very sharp manicure scissors. Then wear your hair up off a bit to protect it.

[MadPirateBippy]

Whoa! Way, way too much stuff! It is difficult to help your hair if all the things you are putting on it WAR with each other! You need to be selective on what you are using and stick with it for at least a month to see how it works..or does not work..for your hair.

Also, you need to be mindful of the Drying Capacities of Oil, as described here in an article written by former LHC hair maven, Ktani, from her blogspot: Ktani's Hairsense http://ktanihairsense.blogspot.com/2011/12/understanding-drying-capacity-of-oils.html

Remember: in hair care "Less is More".

Madora, I'm going to have to respectfully disagree about the oils- mixing oils of similar drying capacity is a pretty good way to manage them. Also, mineral oil is a petrolium product and while it has some styling uses, it does not do anything to assist the hair long term.

Coconut oil actually penetrates the hair shaft and binds with open proteins- which means damaged proteins- to give them more strength and flexibility, and helps the hair resist hydrolic pressure, which can increase breakage considerably on people with fine hair. Since mineral oil is inorganic it does not combine with damaged proteins, it simply coats the hair shaft- which can be massively useful for increasing slip while detangingling, but it will not contribute to the long term health of the hair the way plant based oils will.

I have very fine and damage prone hair, coconut oil mixed with shea butter has done amazing things to the managability of my hair, and improved the health of my skin, where mineral oils might have done something for that moment but long-term were a disaster for both my hair and my skin.

Taking things slowly to find out what oils your hair actually likes- mine isn't crazy about olive oil unless it's mixed with other oils- that's a great idea. But if you're using oils with similar properties, like the oil blend Chocowalnut was talking about (cones, coconut oil, argan oil, jojoba oil, sweet almond oil and a couple other things in it) should be fine. I'd be wary of the cones in it, but my hair reacts unpredictably to cones. Coconut, argan, jojoba, and sweet almond are all small enough oils that they should penetrate and restore the hair shaft without problems. I'd use something with this kind of mix of oils as a leave in, overnight treatment from ears down before I do pigtails to sleep in. When I started doing that years ago, I went from being the White Dot And Breakage Queen to my hair being soft, manageable, and a lot less fragile.

[lapushka]

Madora, I'm going to have to respectfully disagree about the oils- mixing oils of similar drying capacity is a pretty good way to manage them. Also, mineral oil is a petrolium product and while it has some styling uses, it does not do anything to assist the hair long term.

Coconut oil actually penetrates the hair shaft and binds with open proteins- which means damaged proteins- to give them more strength and flexibility, and helps the hair resist hydrolic pressure, which can increase breakage considerably on people with fine hair. Since mineral oil is inorganic it does not combine with damaged proteins, it simply coats the hair shaft- which can be massively useful for increasing slip while detangingling, but it will not contribute to the long term health of the hair the way plant based oils will.

I have F hair as well, and mineral oil has done me a world of good. It's different for everyone. That doesn't mean you can just assume that petroleum oil or vaseline products are necessarily bad. That's a little over the top.

[spidermom]

Mineral oil doesn't agree with my hair either. It attracts far too much dust and debris to my hair, and that's with only a drop or 2 distributed through the length.

What works for me is a pre-wash overnight coconut oil soak and a post-wash coney serum applied very sparingly to bottom half of length.

I sympathize about the heat damage. I only did flat-ironing occasionally, and it absolutely trashed my hair. It took a good five years of trimming to be rid of it.

[lapushka]

Mineral oil doesn't agree with my hair either. It attracts far too much dust and debris to my hair, and that's with only a drop or 2 distributed through the length.

What works for me is a pre-wash overnight coconut oil soak and a post-wash coney serum applied very sparingly to bottom half of length.

I sympathize about the heat damage. I only did flat-ironing occasionally, and it absolutely trashed my hair. It took a good five years of trimming to be rid of it.

I love either mineral oil (yes, yes I do) :) or my serums. Either work well for me. Serums are nice as well, sometimes I forget just how nice they really are. :D

[Arctic]

OP, you already got some great advice, I'll just add that maybe one of the reason is that you have reached shoulder length? The hair ends suddenly start rubbing against shoulders and that can make the ends bad in shorter than normal time. This is a temporary phase, so hang in there and try to practice updos more to keep the hair out of the reach of friction.

[Chocowalnut]

OP, you already got some great advice, I'll just add that maybe one of the reason is that you have reached shoulder length? The hair ends suddenly start rubbing against shoulders and that can make the ends bad in shorter than normal time. This is a temporary phase, so hang in there and try to practice updos more to keep the hair out of the reach of friction.

Yes this could be part of it too..I'll just push through :p thanks

[Arctic]

No problems, I'm at the same lenght myself too :)

[Rosetta]

You PULL them off??? You're joking? THAT is hugely damaging. You must never, ever do that. You should only trim white dots and splits off with SHARP hair cutting shears. It does more damage to pull them then leaving them alone!
No, it doesn't; when there's a white dot/split, the damaged end just comes apart almost just by touching it (at least mine do), no actual pulling required. I do that sometimes too, if I happen to spot one, and I'd say it's no more damaging than any other form of S&D :)

And I second the shoulder length thing, that's probably at least a contributing factor, if not the main reason.