What are 'white dots'?

[Ilenora]

Are they spots where the hair has snapped off? Because if so, I think my new combs are causing lots of them. I only just got my hair trimmed and yet almost all the strands have a little dot at the end of them. When I comb (using a jumbo and wide Hercules Sagemann combs) there are always small pieces of hair left on the floor. I've tried to be as gentle as possible. I thought the whole idea of combs is that they don't cause as much breakage as brushes? It already takes me 10 minutes to detangle and then I have to style it after that. I haven't clarified yet which I hope will make it less tangle prone but the white dots are worrying me.

[StarsandFire]

Interested in this as well

[ZoSo]

White balls at the end at the root are normal.

These are bad:

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichorrhexis_nodosa

[gthlvrmx]

Usually when you shed hair (which you notice after you comb your hair sometimes or brush it or even in the shower), the shed hair has a little white ball at one end of it. That's normal. Sometimes you shed out hairs that have a short terminal length and the white "bulb" root makes it look sorta like it broke off, but the root definitely looks like a white bulbish thing on the ends. The "white dots" won't always look like the bulb or root. Take a look at the hairs attached to your head and search for any white dots near the ends, not the roots. If you find any and then compare it to the roots of your shed hairs, you will see the difference.

[endlessly]

As far as I know, yes, the white dots at the end of hair mean breakage. What type of comb are you using? Typically, wide-toothed combs are supposed to be less damaging and much gentler than a brush when it comes to detangling, but a fine-toothed comb can potentially catch and rip through smaller knots. If you are being 100% gentle and not feeling any pulling or tugging on your hair when combing it, but still noticing small hairs on the floor afterwards, then it is a result of breakage. If a hair is going to break and already at the point where it's going to snap, sometimes there's just nothing you can do about it and no matter how gentle you are, if it's going to happen, then it's going to happen. If you've had past heat damage, damage from chemical hair dyes, even from wearing a ponytail a little too tightly, this can all lead to a weakening of the hair shaft which can in turn lead it to break in the future.

All you can do when you see a white dot, is to snip it off to prevent the broken end from becoming a split later one. It's pretty normal for everyone to have a few of these from time to time, so you're definitely not alone. I like to think of it as a reminder for me to be gentler with my hair and spoil it with more treatments in order to avoid the 'dreaded white dots' later on. Try doing a few deep conditioning treatments or leave-in treatments with oils - that should help with the detangling and help to prevent future breakage. Best of luck!

[lunasea]

White dots along the hair shaft are where the hair has broken down due to damage. For example, if you heat wet hair with an flat iron it can sometimes cause the water to expand and break parts of the hair core. You see a white dot but if you looked at it under magnification you would see the cortex broken down and the hair starting to break apart. Thicker white spots at the end of shed hairs are the roots.

[Wildcat Diva]

It's where my hair is about to break off. It's a little bump and if I take my hair on either side of the dot and move my hands closer together like to have my hair curve a bit, it will make a hinge at the "dot." Like my hair won't curve there, the dot acts like a hinge, or the hair just falls apart in my hands as I am handling it. Terrifying.

[ThisDreamer]

I have these, mostly where I used to flat iron all those years ago. When it's at the end of a hair, for me that means its the very beginning of a split end. When its up the hair a bit it's where its about to snap of, and THEN become a split. This is just something I've noticed with my hair. Hope it helps.

[Ilenora]

The dots are at the very very tip of the hair strands still connected to my head, not the roots. I couldn't see them if they were at the roots :P That's why I'm worried. My hair was only just trimmed a few weeks ago and yet all these little dots have now appeared at the ends, even though all the split ends should have been freshly trimmed off. I happened to get my new combs at around the same time.

Endlessly, the combs are named in my original post - a jumbo magic star and wide toothed Hercules Sagemann combs. I start with the jumbo, then the wide toothed, and finish off with a regular nylon brush as the wide toothed is a little too wide to get the small tangles, and go over my scalp with a bbb. Unfortunately my hair is so tangly it is impossible to brush through it without feeling snags or tugs as it hits tangles. I try to be gentle, stop when I feel it hit a knot and undo it with my fingers, but sometimes the comb just goes right through it and presumably that's when these little pieces snap off.

I don't even own an iron or blow dryer and have never used heat. I've never dyed it. I used to wear ponytails but stopped a few years ago. So it is not damaged from those means.

[ThisDreamer]

Since you just had a trim, is it possible maybe the scissors were a bit dull?

I see you mention a BBB. I decided to stop using mine because I noticed i was having more splits pop up than ever. However my hair is also curly and less prone to just gliding through nice and easy. Not saying its your brush, just a thought.

Do your combs have seams on them that could be grabbing the hair?

[Larki]

Personally, I find a lot of white dots not at the end of the hair, but kind of in the last inch or two of the hair, and the hair will bend at a right angle at the dot. I can try to get a picture of the dots next time I find a few if that would be helpful.

[Ilenora]

I'm not sure about the scissors ThisDreamer. I didn't notice the white dots earlier when it was just trimmed.

I used just the BBB for ages before even getting a nylon brush. I've always had split ends but this seems different. My hair is not really curly but it's wavy and certainly doesn't glide through, at least not until it's well and truly totally detangled.

The combs are marketed as totally seamless and some of the best. They are made from one piece of hard rubber and then cut into shape. I can feel a slightly sharp edge on the inside of the tines where whatever they use in the smoothing process obviously doesn't fit, but there's no seams.

[Ilenora]

Larki, that would be handy. I'll try to get a photo of mine too but I don't know how well they'll show up due the small size and shininess of my hair.

[molljo]

I'm not sure about the scissors ThisDreamer. I didn't notice the white dots earlier when it was just trimmed.

I used just the BBB for ages before even getting a nylon brush. I've always had split ends but this seems different. My hair is not really curly but it's wavy and certainly doesn't glide through, at least not until it's well and truly totally detangled.

The combs are marketed as totally seamless and some of the best. They are made from one piece of hard rubber and then cut into shape. I can feel a slightly sharp edge on the inside of the tines where whatever they use in the smoothing process obviously doesn't fit, but there's no seams.

My bet is that the scissors were dull. White dots won't manifest immediately after being cut with dull shears. Years ago I got (what I thought) was one of the best haircuts of life, but the stylist cut it with a dull razor. It looked awesome for about a month and then all my ends started fraying and breaking.

[Ilenora]

My bet is that the scissors were dull. White dots won't manifest immediately after being cut with dull shears. Years ago I got (what I thought) was one of the best haircuts of life, but the stylist cut it with a dull razor. It looked awesome for about a month and then all my ends started fraying and breaking.

Hm, okay. Can you sharpen scissors or will I need to buy new ones? The scissors used are hairdressing scissors from a kit and they are pretty well used... we've had them for years.

[molljo]

Sharpening hair shears is a pretty complex and/or expensive process, so I think you'd be better off just replacing them, honestly.

[lapushka]

Here's some more info about it as well. It occurs along the strand.
http://urbanbushbabes.com/hair-breakage-trichorrhexis-nodosa-what-you-can-do-about-it/

[Nique1202]

I don't think white dots would be caused by dull scissors, because the dots aren't usually all that close to the ends. White dots are caused by damage further up the hair shaft. That could be too much combing/brushing, old heat/chemical treatments, or it can happen to a section of hair that grew out of the scalp while you had a nutritional deficiency like not enough iron. The only way to get rid of them is to snip them out one by one or trim enough length to catch them all. I'd go the S&D route and just trim the individual hairs with white dots, 1/4 to 1/2 inch above the dot itself.

[Kherome]

If you just got it cut and have the dots, you probably got a hair cut with dull scissors.

[lunalocks]

White dots can be at the very end of a hair if the hair has snapped off and left part of it there.

Sounds like you need to get new, sharp scissors. You can also go through your hair and snip off the white dots. But use new, sharp scissors.

[Ilenora]

The only issue I just thought of with the dull scissor explanation is that I got bangs cut in at the same time as my hair was trimmed, using the same scissors. There are no dots on the ends of the strands in my bangs.

[swearnsue]

It sounds like you have a lot of tangles to deal with. I would get some detangle spray and that will help with the tangles.

[yahirwaO.o]

Is the white bolb of shed hair the same as the white dot of a split? Its a question I always wanted to know.......

[Ilenora]

yahirwaO.o, I think the bulb is literally the root of the hair, where it was embedded in your head.

swearnsue, I'm going to be clarifying as soon as the shampoo arrives and then do an SMT so I'll see if that helps the tangles. People have also recommended oil but I find it makes it worse. I used a different s&c - Tresemme - at my latest wash and my hair is much nicer this week. I think I'm going to stop using coconut oil on the ends though. I thought it would make it better but I'm getting a lot of tangles at the ends, suspiciously right where I oiled, while the top is much smoother.
What is detangling spray made out of? I brush twice a day and I don't like the idea of putting a chemical on my hair twice a day.

[gwenalyn]

The only issue I just thought of with the dull scissor explanation is that I got bangs cut in at the same time as my hair was trimmed, using the same scissors. There are no dots on the ends of the strands in my bangs.

That is a little strange. Well, bangs are newer hair, so they are stronger to begin with. Maybe they'll take longer for the white dots to show?

[lapushka]

Is the white bolb of shed hair the same as the white dot of a split? Its a question I always wanted to know.......

No. Believe me when you see a white dot, you'll know the difference, they're usually a little bigger too and look a little whiter - that's how mine were at least. And they're in the middle of a strand, towards the end usually. Just examine your hair for them during an S&D session and if you don't have any, you have nothing to worry about!

[Dixie_Amazon]

Here's some more info about it as well. It occurs along the strand.
http://urbanbushbabes.com/hair-breakage-trichorrhexis-nodosa-what-you-can-do-about-it/

Thanks for the link! It is good to know my thyroid issue is part of the problem.

[Unicorn]

It sounds like dull scissors to me too.

Basically dull scissors squeeze the hair tip rather than slicing cleanly, so the cut tip frays, showing as a white dot after a while. You say you've had your scissors for years, so it could well be the case.

Unicorn

[unicornlady]

I get a lot of these white dots at the ends, much more of them than split ends, although I do get split ends as well.
I stopped blowdrying since the winter was over, I brush with tangle teezer only if at all, no heat styling, cowashing since recently, I trim regularly with professional scissors (I bought them last year and they are designed to be self sharpening), I wonder what could be causing this amount of damage. I clear it up with S&D but it keeps coming up. It's always at the ends or close to the ends though.

Could it be that I'm trimming dry?

[lapushka]

At the very ends after a haircut aren't white dots (breakage), they are the result of dull scissors.

[Ilenora]

At the very ends after a haircut aren't white dots (breakage), they are the result of dull scissors.

Should they be trimmed off with sharper scissors then?

What about Unicornlady's scissors? They surely wouldn't be dull if she only recently got them?

[unicornlady]

At the very ends after a haircut aren't white dots (breakage), they are the result of dull scissors.

I trim about once every two months and some S&D.
It's not every hair, but one here and there... more than it should, considering that I trim regularly. I also get split ends (thankfully not in the middle of the shaft just ends) idk, sounds more like it's scissors. How often one should one replace scissors? I had mine for about a year.

[lapushka]

I think a lot depends on the quality of the shears. I got "Ultron" scissors from a local beauty supply store. They're cheap (50 euro or so) professional shears. I had regular drugstore ones before that, but I have thick hair, and my mom used to always have to "saw" her way through (which means they aren't sharp enough). Not with these ones, she just snips right through with these, and I don't have any dots on the ends.

White dots are about 1mm (usually), anything smaller than that that's not within a hair strand I wouldn't worry about!

[TheaLee]

It's where my hair is about to break off. It's a little bump and if I take my hair on either side of the dot and move my hands closer together like to have my hair curve a bit, it will make a hinge at the "dot." Like my hair won't curve there, the dot acts like a hinge, or the hair just falls apart in my hands as I am handling it. Terrifying.

This is exactly what I have noticed also. I use it as a "test" to determine if a white dot is a damaged spot or something else. It basically always hinges though, so it's rarely, if ever, something other than damage.

[Tassledown]

Huh I'm intrigued that that article includes the little hair knots that seem to plague me. I suppose I need a better detangling method to avoid it. I never seem to have splits but I have a bunch of what I call "fairy knots" scattered about when I tried to S&D. Good to know cutting them out is the best path forward I suppose.

[lapushka]

Huh I'm intrigued that that article includes the little hair knots that seem to plague me. I suppose I need a better detangling method to avoid it. I never seem to have splits but I have a bunch of what I call "fairy knots" scattered about when I tried to S&D. Good to know cutting them out is the best path forward I suppose.

Those are called SSKs or single strand knots. They especially occur in curlier hair. Good detangling practices and a comb is necessary (in the shower, not dry).

[lora410]

yahirwaO.o, I think the bulb is literally the root of the hair, where it was embedded in your head.

swearnsue, I'm going to be clarifying as soon as the shampoo arrives and then do an SMT so I'll see if that helps the tangles. People have also recommended oil but I find it makes it worse. I used a different s&c - Tresemme - at my latest wash and my hair is much nicer this week. I think I'm going to stop using coconut oil on the ends though. I thought it would make it better but I'm getting a lot of tangles at the ends, suspiciously right where I oiled, while the top is much smoother.
What is detangling spray made out of? I brush twice a day and I don't like the idea of putting a chemical on my hair twice a day.

coconut oil is a good protein oil. It sounds like your hair doesnt like protein. Also check your bottles for hydronized protein or other protiens listed. try grapeseed oil see if that helps, not sure what oils you've tried. you can find it walmart cooking oil section. A lil dab will do ya. def sounds like breakage dots :(

[vampyyri]

I got those little buggers all the time when I was over-brushing my hair. I switched to finger combing and S&D'd as needed to get rid of them.