When the protective cuticle on the ends of your hair strands is stripped off or wears away then your hair begins to tear, which results in split ends.
Split ends are up there with frizzy hair as one of the most common and annoying hair problems, but there is a way manage and treat split ends, and you can even avoid them all together by using some of these great hair care tips!
Split End Causes
Split ends are less likely to occur in well conditioned healthy hair, but any hair type can become damaged and develop split ends. The key is identifying the causes of split ends and minimizing or avoiding causing the damage where you can.
- Genetics – hair that is naturally dry or brittle is very prone to split ends.
- Over handling your hair – excessive touching of your hair or over brushing your locks should be avoided.
- Heat styling abuse – cut down on the time spent using your hair straightener, blow-dryer, curling iron or hot hair rollers.
- Hair chemical processes – hair color, perms or chemically straightening your hair can all lead to split ends.
- Outside elements - too much fun in the sun, wind or water (swimming at the beach or in chlorinated pools) can be a factor.
- Washing your hair too much - using harsh shampoos or roughly handing your hair when it’s wet and when you wash it can contribute to split ends.
- Brushing your hair with the wrong brush – swap sharp plastic hair brush bristles for natural bristles.
Split End Treatments
The only treatment for split ends is to cut them off. Any advertisement that you see for a product that claims to repair split ends only masks the problem. Those type of products will coat your hair shaft and smooth the splits temporarily back together but they don’t repair them. The split is still there and will continue to move up your hair shaft, causing more issues. Make sure your visit your hairstylist as soon as you see any split ends to have them taken care of ASAP.
Split End Prevention
To prevent split ends from occurring, or reoccurring, you'll need to work out what hair care habits you have that could cause split ends and change your behavior. This could mean…
- Protecting your hair with heat protection products when heat styling.
- Starting a regular hair care routine which involves deep conditioning weekly or monthly.
- Using a hair brush that has natural bristles.
- Detangling your hair before getting it wet to minimize any damage caused when your hair is at its most vulnerable.
- Always handling your hair delicately and as gently as possible when brushing, styling, washing and drying.
We hope these tips will help you to take care of any existing split ends and avoid further splits in the future.
