White dots near the ends of my hair?

[zanne]

I just ventured into my first S&D mission last night, and i noticed some white dots at the ends of my hair. Some of them were just above the end, about 1/4 inch or so. What does it all mean? I remember coming across the phrase "white dots of death" in another post, but i don't remember where. That sounds.....bad. Will i need to amputate, or do you think i can save them?

[jojo]

This is a case for surgery I am afraid; amputation being the only option. These white critters are normally found a lot in people who use heat on their hair; hairfryers, straighteners etc. How do you plead to roasting your innocent little hairs? Off with their heads, I say!!

[zanne]

EEK!
I'm innocent! I swear it!... But only the heat, i'm afraid:). my ends suffer from neglect, and i cut off 2 inches last month.. i was hoping to salvage the rest, but, alas, it was not to be. I pledge to do better, my hair is already so improved since i joined here, i'll never have to deal with these evil dots again. Thanks:)

[Wind Dragon]

It's most likely breakage, with the white dots at the very ends of the hairs being where they already broke off. Hold one of the hairs that has a white dot above the end, and try to bend the very end of the hair. Chances are that instead of bending in a nice curve, it'll instead fold over at a sharp angle -- right where that dot is.

[julya]

I get a lot of those little white dots too, but for me they aren't from heat damage since I don't use any on my hair. They are like a pre-split, in my opinion. I snip them off when I spot them.

[jojo]

Yes I agree 'pre split' hairs, like little hair eggs waiting to hatch into splits!

I get these too *holds head down in shame*

[Riot Crrl]

Yes, it is breakage in the embryonic phase.

[girlcat36]

Yes I agree 'pre split' hairs, like little hair eggs waiting to hatch into splits!

I get these too *holds head down in shame*

I must hijack!

Jojo, your hair imagination just runs wild! :rolling:
Back to the dots of death!

[zanne]

You are all very silly. Now, not only must i prepare for amputation, i shall also have to bear the burden of hair infanticide, stomping out the dots of doom before they breed further malcontent. Oh, the humanity!!

[mommy2one05]

I have these too, but I thought it was because I am guilty of using heat ( sraighteners and rollers) on my hair. But I am trying not to use heat.

Yes (I sheepily raise my hand) I have white dotted ends in my hair.
I am currently at waist and am choosing to treat hair extremely nice and wait to trim any though.

[Curlsgirl]

This is a case for surgery I am afraid; amputation being the only option. These white critters are normally found a lot in people who use heat on their hair; hairfryers, straighteners etc. How do you plead to roasting your innocent little hairs? Off with their heads, I say!!

:silly: Now THIS is funny!

I do think that heat contributes a LOT to those evil little beasts. :hmm:

[cheekytweety]

I get them too.

[Anje]

I also get them -- they're little splits in the beginning of forming, and a fact of life with my hair.

Unless....
Make sure your hair is clean and generally free from dust before you S&D, especially if you apply a leave-in like oil. Sometimes those white dots are just specks of dust and will wipe off the hair! So give them a last wash or BBBing before condemning those hairs to amputation!

[jojo]

I must hijack!

Jojo, your hair imagination just runs wild! :rolling:
Back to the dots of death!

My husband tells me my head is full of bicycle frames, I am thinking he possibly may just be right!;)

[jojo]

Now another thing about split ends, why is it bad to pull them out rather than cut? I get some strange sadistic pleasure picking them; I try not to. Like this hair would snap anyway or be brushed off, so why do we cut rather than pull?

[jojo]

You are all very silly. Now, not only must i prepare for amputation, i shall also have to bear the burden of hair infanticide, stomping out the dots of doom before they breed further malcontent. Oh, the humanity!!

and don't even get me started on the racers and gallopers!;)

[tiny_teesha]

I assume cutting them leaves the edge clean and healthy, rather then ripping still leaving a rough edge which can be peeled higher?

I get 90% whtie dots and about 10% other splits (namely the Y form).

Though i would say about only 2% of my hair is splits. I've got WAY less then my sisters, but i think my mother has NONE, but her hair is APL and she hennas a lot and just has darn strong hair- even though it is finer then mine, and she heat styles too and i don't!

I think also it would be wise to mention, heat in the shower (ie- hot water) could also contribute to these things....in winter i am guilty of this, though it is more a really warm, then a hot, and when i do my back and hair i put more cold in it to make it a really warm if i do end up doing a toasty roasty shower.

[firebird]

I have them too :( (I also like picking split ends, but for me at least that just creates a new one higher up). I don't use any heat on my hair at all, and try to treat it really gently, so I think mine may be because the ends of my hair have old dye damage and so are breaking. It's really frustrating to get them as I try so hard to treat my hair well!

[zanne]

OY! That's it, tiny teesha! must've been the xtra hot showers. It didn't compute really that that would have the same effect as heat styling. I haven't washed my hair in the boiling water i enjoy showering in since i joined here though, so maybe they will stay away after i snip them off and chastise them soundly.
Thanks so much everybody for the input:joy:

[Dulci]

The last picture on this page (http://www.pg.com/science/haircare/hair_twh_74.htm)shows what the white dot hair looks like under a microscope. Scary! :scared:

[lyneya]

The last picture on this page (http://www.pg.com/science/haircare/hair_twh_74.htm)shows what the white dot hair looks like under a microscope. Scary! :scared:

Ack! Poor hair! I get some of those too, but more splits then anything else. I attribute it to brushing a few times a week. I know it's bad, it's my only hair vice. I even gave up on coloring! The oil I've been using lately (coconut) seems to make the rest darker, and you'd think that would make the white hairs show up more, but they almost blend a little better. ... or I'm telling myself that because it was just a pain in the behind last time I colored! It takes more arms then I have to get color evenly through this mass of hair!!!

[zanne]

Oh my god, Dulci, that picture is horrific.... Get them off my hair!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jojo]

I assume cutting them leaves the edge clean and healthy, rather then ripping still leaving a rough edge which can be peeled higher?

I get 90% whtie dots and about 10% other splits (namely the Y form).

Though i would say about only 2% of my hair is splits. I've got WAY less then my sisters, but i think my mother has NONE, but her hair is APL and she hennas a lot and just has darn strong hair- even though it is finer then mine, and she heat styles too and i don't!

I think also it would be wise to mention, heat in the shower (ie- hot water) could also contribute to these things....in winter i am guilty of this, though it is more a really warm, then a hot, and when i do my back and hair i put more cold in it to make it a really warm if i do end up doing a toasty roasty shower.

thank you, yes that makes sense. I also think some types of hair is just prone to them, my hair is fine and splits like crazy and I treat it like royality, yet my daughter dyes, straightens, hairfrys and gets hardly any and her hair is coarser. Doesn't seem fair somehow, though then I think back and remember my hair when I neglected it *shudder* I must have scared many a small child with my excuse for long hair back then!

[Iylivarae]

I often have two types of white spots. One type are easy to get rid off, they are just little flakes of skin or something. The others have to be cut off (if you grab the hair and put one finger on the tip, it will most likely bend with an angle, not like normal hair. That is, the hair is damaged and already broken).

[Periwinkle]

I get them too. I've used heat on my hair about once in the last five years (even though I wasn't concerned about not using it), and my hair is totally virgin, so it's not dye damage. I expect it's from vigorous towel-drying (which I've now put a stop to!), ponytail damage, scalding showers and general wear-and-tear.

[yogachic]

This is a case for surgery I am afraid; amputation being the only option. These white critters are normally found a lot in people who use heat on their hair; hairfryers, straighteners etc. How do you plead to roasting your innocent little hairs? Off with their heads, I say!!

I don't use any heat on my hair and i get them, but it could be dryness from the perm yet, as my ends are still permed hair.

They do need to be cut, they will break off and be splits.

[jojo]

I don't use any heat on my hair and i get them, but it could be dryness from the perm yet, as my ends are still permed hair.

They do need to be cut, they will break off and be splits.

what temp water do you wash your hair in? I started using cold water again as I am so prone to damage, im thinking maybe you could try a protein treatment mayonnaise is great when my ends are dry and it seems to help in preventing further damage. I know there was a piece in the old LHC which said that heat actually boils the hair cuticle and causes a bubble in the shaft (white bit) maybe the chemicals in your old perm burnt the hair shaft in the same way?

Dont worry too much about it, all older hair splits as long as you continue to do as you are doing, your hair will be fine!

[sipnsun]

jojo is correct, in cosmotology school, they taught us that white dots occure from heat damage. The only way to correct this is to snip them off. If your whole head is covered in them, I would reccomend a micro trim. They can cause splitting and more damage if left unattended.

[firebird]

Oh no, I never even thought how hot showers would be a source of heat and damage my hair! I love hot showers :( Thanks for the info, at least now I know something I can do to reduce them!

[Nightshade]

Yes, it is breakage in the embryonic phase.


Here it is under a microscope :twisted:

White dot of death (http://www.pg.com/science/haircare/hair_twh_74/hair_twh_74_03.jpg)
A case of trichorrhexis nodosa, where the cortex was disrupted by an overheated hair dryer

[wendy645]

Oh man this thread has amused me during a lull at work! I'll have to inspect for white dots tonight when I let my hair down! Eeek!

[Riot Crrl]

Oh man this thread has amused me during a lull at work! I'll have to inspect for white dots tonight when I let my hair down! Eeek!

Lol, don't freak out until you check it out closely. Sometimes they are just lint. :cool: