If you’ve ever had split hair ends, you know how much they really suck. Many people wonder how they get them and also want to know how to fix them once they do.
If you’ve never had them, you might wonder how to tell if you have them?
Look at your individual hair ends and see if they split. If they do, you’ve got them. You might also see little specs of white along the hair shaft. This is a sign that your hair is getting ready to break off!
Light years ago, back when I was in high school, I had a bad case of them. I never trimmed my hair because long straggly hair was really the ‘in thing’. (Seems like a bad dream now!) Everyday in study hall, I’d go to class, look for them, and split them as far up as they would go. It was fun for a bored teenager who didn't want to do any school work but that’s not the way to treat them or to get rid of them!
The Cause of Split Hair Ends
Split hair ends happen for many reasons. Health issues can cause them to split, just as waiting too long between trimming your hair. Of course, other things can cause them.
Brushing your hair too often or with the wrong brush is sure way to get them. Brushing wet hair too harshly also causes them. Sometimes, perming too often or overlapping color can stir up a case of them. The most common cause however, is overuse of hot appliances in your hair. Using too many hot irons too often is another sure fire way to get them. The intense heat from their use over and over again, causes the hair ends to crack at the tip and then they split vertically up the hair shaft.
Eliminate Split Hair Ends
Unfortunately, once your ends start to split, the split can extend all the way up the shaft unless you take action. The best treatment is to cut off the split hair ends before they get extensive. Once they start splitting up too far, the only way to get rid of them is to cut your hair short and start over.
Prevent Split Hair Ends
To help prevent split ends, treat your hair as you would fine fabric.
Use moisturizing shampoos and conditioners that contain protein with moisture. These help build up the hair shaft and prevents your hair from becoming dry and brittle. Just a word of caution though. Too much protein without moisture will also cause your hair to become dry and brittle. That’s why moisture is so important to your hair.
Your nails, hair, and skin lose moisture a lot faster than your body, especially in the dry winter months and in the hot summer months. Run a cool air humidifier in the winter to add moisture to the air if possible and in the summer, stay out of direct sunlight that beats down on your hair as much as you can. In both harsh seasons, you must condition, condition, condition.
Instead of rubbing your hair dry with a towel, gently squeeze the water out from your hair with your towel instead. Rubbing your hair too much can wear down your hair cuticle and cause it to become thin. Better idea? Let your hair air dry as much of the time as possible and don’t over-wash your hair, unless you are using shampoos without sulfites, like Loreal Everpure, and/or unless you have a short hairstyle. Short hair can be washed more often then long locks. Long hair however, should only be washed 2 or 3 times a week at the most.
Gently comb tangles from wet hair with a wide toothed comb. Wet hair stretches and is prone to snap when you use a brush on it.
If your hair is still hard to comb out, try a detangler. Of course, long hair requires conditioners, especially during the winter and summer months. Your hair needs a lot of extra moisture, especially if you have color treated or permed hair.
Don't over-brush your hair even when it's dry. Its alright to brush you hair once or twice a day but that's really all you need to eliminate tangles, dust, and dirt. Remember too, to buy soft hair brushes, which are less apt to hurt your hair.
Choose low maintenance hairstyles. Hairstyles that require excessive blow drying, curling, or straightening can force you to use hot appliances more often than you ordinarily would. All hair appliances should be used intermittently to avoid hair damage. Choose Ion blow dryers and ceramic irons to decrease the amount of damage you get from using them. Ceramic hair appliances negatively charge your positively charged hair, which helps lay down your hair cuticles. When your cuticles are closed, your hair looks and feels healthy, shiny, and silky.
If you have to curl your hair a lot because of work, use steam hair rollers instead of hot irons. Steam adds moisture to your hair which helps a lot, but you'll still need to treat your hair with respect.
Blow dry the right way. Hold your hair dryer at least 6 inches away from your hair. Finish drying with a shot of cool air to help close the hair cuticle.
If you have long hair, every couple of months you need to deep condition your hair. Hask placenta products are great conditioners to choose, especially the kind that has Olive Oil.
Trim your hair at least every few months to avoid split hair ends. If you can't afford to get your hair trimmed because of the bad economy, you can trim your own hair if your hair is at least shoulder length.
Whatever you do, remember that your hair will only look as good as you treat it. You can turn scraggly hair into gorgeous locks, just by getting rid of split hair ends!