Coming across white spots on hair can be quite disconcerting for most people. You know those tiny and light speckles that appear peppered at the bottom half of your tresses? That’s right! And in extreme cases one could easily assume that you have dunked the tips of your in a pot of silver glitter, with the only difference being that it looks super unhealthy and your hair tends to break off easily. Indeed, that's white tips hair for you, and it is even more noticeable in folks with dark brown hair or natural brunettes. But the big question is this, what are these white dots on hair strands and how can one get rid of them? Let's take a gander.
Why are the Tips of My Hair White?
Contrary to the common misconception doing rounds on the internet, white dots at end of hair are not the usual split ends. Unlike the latter, hair with white tips is an indication that your hair structure is broken or fractured. Also known as trichorrhexis nodosa, white dot at the end of hair can be the consequence of one of the following ill-advised practices.
1. Heat Treatment and Brushing Your Hair Excessively
Here is the thing; brushing your hair excessively can easily damage the delicate strands and roots of your hair thanks to friction. In other words, to minimize the chances of developing these white split ends get into the habit of brushing your hair gently as possible. What’s more, avoid extreme heat treatment on your hair if it is prone to split ends.
2. Swimming in Pools Laden with Harsh Chemicals
Another common cause of white dots in hair is swimming in pools laden with harsh chemicals or those with salt or seawater. You see, water with such abrasive chemical compounds is likely to damage and dry out your hair which eventually precipitates the onset of white spot split ends. Not to mention that when swimming, your hair tends to stay exposed to the harsh sun's rays for an extended period at a go which further aggravates and worsens the situation.
3. Friction
Most hair experts will usually suggest avoiding friction if you are to keep that white dot at the end of hair from stalking you. The most common culprit, as far as this goes, is usually using rough-textured pillowcases or sheets in your bedding e.g those made from cotton or polyester. That's why we would recommend switching to satin or silk sheets and pillowcases.
4. Over-application of Chemical Treatment
Excessive application of relaxers and other chemical treatments should be avoided as soon as you find out that your hair is prone to split ends. This kind of damage is what will eventually morph into white dots in hair if you are not careful.
At this stage, we hope that you are no longer perturbed by questions such as; why are the tips of my hair white?
How to Get Rid of White Ends on Hair?
Unfortunately for most people, the only way how to get rid of white ends on hair is by trimming the ends of your hair and doing an in-depth personal investigation to figure out the genesis of the problem. The good thing is that tresses that are white at the end of hair don't just appear overnight. Like most hair problems, they originate from external factors such as high heat application, perming, harsh/aggressive brushing, excessive and unfiltered exposure to UV light, and neglecting the state of your hair.
As such, if heat is causing white dots on hair strands, consider the use of heat protectant sprays before picking up a heat-styling tool. Also, cultivate a habit of moisturizing your tresses as much as possible. Speaking of which, including a weekly or bi-weekly hair smoothing treatment using a hair mask such as Bloommy's Biotin Collagen Keratin Treatment would come in handy when attempting to repair the damage accrued from poor hair care choices.
How to Prevent and Stave Off White Tips Hair
Truth be told, trichorrhexis nodosa, also known as white dots on hair strands is stubbornly hard to get rid of once it sets in without cutting or trimming your beloved tresses. Thus, this is the typical case of prevention being better than cure. Luckily, it is not exactly hard to do so.
For starters, you need to be careful and more gentle with your hair, especially when engaging in any activity that would damage its structure. This includes;
- Perming
- Using heat styling tools and hairdryers
- Harsh brushing
- Swimming in seawater or pools that are treated with harsh chemicals
- Prolonged exposure to the sun
- Chemical treatments e.g relaxers and texturizers
Secondly, adding a haircare supplement to your diet is advisable, especially if you feel that you are not getting the right subset of nutrients from a conventional eating routine. This includes the likes of collagen, biotin, and keratin which can be particularly hard to come across for vegans, strict vegetarians, and those who ascribe to a plant-based diet. Luckily, there's no shortage of such dietary inputs in the market as evidenced by the availability of Bloommy's Biotin, Collagen & Keratin Capsules.
In Closing
While white hair tips typically point to chemical and cosmetic over-processing of your hair, it could also be an indication that your diet is lacking one or two important nutrients needed to support proper hair growth and development. Hence, in addition to avoiding that would jeopardize the state of your hair, consider plugging in those deficits in your eating routine using a proper hair supplement.
