Split ends

[The_Yabster]

I've only really just started looking after my hair - it's waist length at the moment - but I have so many split ends, it's almost ridiculous. Short of chopping off my hair to a point where I have no split ends (meaning I'd be back to near shoulderblade length) I have no idea what else to do. Anyone got any advice or recommendations that'll save me from the horror of cutting my hair? Any advice on what I shouldn't do?

[Mischamiu]

A lot of people are addicted to S&D, you basically cut split ends without the length. Putting it up helps a lot, detangling gently too.

[Madora]

Split ends are usually due to lack of moisture in the hair, or using methods that are not conducive to healthy hair..i.e. hot irons, hot curlers, straightening.

You can help keep your hair moisturized by using tiny drops of mineral oil (also known as baby oil) on damp, NOT soaking wet, hair. It helps to clarify your hair before you use the MO, but you can apply it w/o the clarifying if you want.

The best mo is one that contains only the mo plus a fragrance. Additives to MO have been known to cause skin breakouts.

MO is used sparingly - two or 3 drops. For ease of application, place the drops on a small plate, then take a baby swab, coat the swab with the oil, then apply the coated swab to your palms and fingers. Then run your hands through your damp hair several times until the sheen has almost vanished.

Mineral oil leaves your hair soft, shiny and supple. It is very lightweight, leaves no afterscent, and is also a terrific detangler and helps tame frizzies.

If your split end problem is a drastic one, you might be better off just snipping away the damaged hair, then keeping up with daily S and Ding. Be sure your shears are SHARP, or you will be just sewing another crop of white dots (which lead to split ends). Good luck!

[jojo]

Agree with ^^ but have to say the only way to get rid of them is to trim . This doesn't need to be done all in once, maybe teim half your monthly growth, every other month and s&d in between. This way you won't lose a lot of length and will get your ends looking better. Once they have all gone and in the meantime , id recommend lots of moisture by weekly deep conditionings, maybe look at catnip ( wonderful for preventing splits but it won't get rid of those already there!) and i second madora's suggesting in using MO! My daughter had terribly damaged hair due to heat and numerous dyes, a year on her hair looks fantastic from doing the above and the MO has really saved her hair.

[patienceneeded]

MO and proper moisture will help. They won't get rid of splits already present but will help to minimize further damage. I use MO after every

Lots of microtrims to get rid of bad ends are also a good idea. Trimming or S&D will help prevent the damage from running further up the hair shaft.

Beyond that, wearing your hair up to reduce friction damage from hair rubbing on stuff (your shirt/chair/carseat/couch) and combing with a wide tooth comb when wet or damp is essential. Gentle combing with a wide tooth comb while dry before using a hairbrush is good too. Make sure your comb or brush is not causing damage and ripping out hairs.

Sleeping on a satin or silk pillowcase helps to reduce friction and breakage while sleeping.

[Amber_Maiden]

I'd just get addicted to S&Ding if I were you. Do it frequently.

[torrilin]

To me, handling splits is a lot less about what you do once the hair is split, and a lot more about keeping the hair from splitting in the first place. This is because my hair is very fine and fragile, so it splits easily, and splits lead to tons of tangling and really agonizing detangling sessions. Fine hair also tends to tangle easily, and it's not always easy to detangle.

Heat damages my hair really easily. I don't use a blow dryer, curling irons or straighteners... tho the latter two are less due to the heat damage issue and more due to my hair laughing at curling irons and being naturally quite straight so they're rather ridiculous. If you're routinely using heat on your hair, it can take years to grow out the damage. On my hair, even one use of heat will have effects for the next 6-12 months so I find it's just not worth the pain.

Treatments like perms, bleach and relaxers can also cause massive splitting issues. Since my hair laughs at perms too, I don't have a lot of interest. Bleach for me isn't a huge problem since my hair color bleaches out very easily. And naturally straight hair means relaxers aren't interesting. But for a lot of people they can be big problems.

The next main cause of splits is mechanical damage. That covers everything from hair rubbing on the back of a chair or getting caught in the chair's joins, to your hair breaking when you try to detangle, even unto tangles caused by a blow dryer. There are scads of different kinds of mechanical damage. Since my hair is really fine, I choose to avoid the issue by wearing my hair in some kind of updo nearly 24/7. I'm a little extreme, and plenty of LHC members wear their hair up less. I really don't enjoy detangling tho, so updos are my friend.

Once a split forms, the only way to make it go away is to trim it off about 1/2" or 1cm above where the split formed. So with my fine hair, if I indulged in a lot of care methods that lead to splits, I'd probably think my hair couldn't grow long. I'd need way too much trimming. Since your hair is at waist already, chances are your hair is sturdier than mine. Almost everyone's is :D. But putting even a smidgen of thought towards prevention will help a lot in the long run. It'll also save you hours spent with a scissors trying to figure out if you're looking at a split end or two hairs stuck together.

[rock007junkie]

If I were you I'd get a small trim 1-2 inches to get rid of a significant amount of splits and then do multiple search and destroy sessions to et rid of splits without getting rid of your length. I would also start giving your length a massive amount of moisture on a daily basis using oils or butters and try to keep your hair up as much as possible to avoid future split ends.

[jacqueline101]

I agree search and destroy your splits if that doesn't work try doing a micro trim. Then mineral oil your ends keep them moisturized. The cause of splits is damage or lack of moisture.

[The_Yabster]

Thanks, I'll have to start wearing my hair up more often - I usually have it down!

[The_Yabster]

Split ends are usually due to lack of moisture in the hair, or using methods that are not conducive to healthy hair..i.e. hot irons, hot curlers, straightening.

You can help keep your hair moisturized by using tiny drops of mineral oil (also known as baby oil) on damp, NOT soaking wet, hair. It helps to clarify your hair before you use the MO, but you can apply it w/o the clarifying if you want.

The best mo is one that contains only the mo plus a fragrance. Additives to MO have been known to cause skin breakouts.

MO is used sparingly - two or 3 drops. For ease of application, place the drops on a small plate, then take a baby swab, coat the swab with the oil, then apply the coated swab to your palms and fingers. Then run your hands through your damp hair several times until the sheen has almost vanished.

Mineral oil leaves your hair soft, shiny and supple. It is very lightweight, leaves no afterscent, and is also a terrific detangler and helps tame frizzies.

If your split end problem is a drastic one, you might be better off just snipping away the damaged hair, then keeping up with daily S and Ding. Be sure your shears are SHARP, or you will be just sewing another crop of white dots (which lead to split ends). Good luck!

Thank you, I've started looking into different MO's now - can I do this to dry hair too? Only, I only wash my hair twice a week at most.

[The_Yabster]

To me, handling splits is a lot less about what you do once the hair is split, and a lot more about keeping the hair from splitting in the first place. This is because my hair is very fine and fragile, so it splits easily, and splits lead to tons of tangling and really agonizing detangling sessions. Fine hair also tends to tangle easily, and it's not always easy to detangle.

Heat damages my hair really easily. I don't use a blow dryer, curling irons or straighteners... tho the latter two are less due to the heat damage issue and more due to my hair laughing at curling irons and being naturally quite straight so they're rather ridiculous. If you're routinely using heat on your hair, it can take years to grow out the damage. On my hair, even one use of heat will have effects for the next 6-12 months so I find it's just not worth the pain.

Treatments like perms, bleach and relaxers can also cause massive splitting issues. Since my hair laughs at perms too, I don't have a lot of interest. Bleach for me isn't a huge problem since my hair color bleaches out very easily. And naturally straight hair means relaxers aren't interesting. But for a lot of people they can be big problems.

The next main cause of splits is mechanical damage. That covers everything from hair rubbing on the back of a chair or getting caught in the chair's joins, to your hair breaking when you try to detangle, even unto tangles caused by a blow dryer. There are scads of different kinds of mechanical damage. Since my hair is really fine, I choose to avoid the issue by wearing my hair in some kind of updo nearly 24/7. I'm a little extreme, and plenty of LHC members wear their hair up less. I really don't enjoy detangling tho, so updos are my friend.

Once a split forms, the only way to make it go away is to trim it off about 1/2" or 1cm above where the split formed. So with my fine hair, if I indulged in a lot of care methods that lead to splits, I'd probably think my hair couldn't grow long. I'd need way too much trimming. Since your hair is at waist already, chances are your hair is sturdier than mine. Almost everyone's is :D. But putting even a smidgen of thought towards prevention will help a lot in the long run. It'll also save you hours spent with a scissors trying to figure out if you're looking at a split end or two hairs stuck together.

I don't use styling product or anything heat related and never have (my hair is dry/frizzy enough without burning it to a crisp). I've used henna on my hair recently, but it doesn't seem to have done any harm. Thank you for advice - looks like I'll be doing a lot of searching and destroying soon!

[Madora]

The_Yabster...MO works best on damp, not sopping wet hair. Of course you can put in on dry hair too, but you derive more moisturizing benefit if the hair is damp.

[The_Yabster]

If I were you I'd get a small trim 1-2 inches to get rid of a significant amount of splits and then do multiple search and destroy sessions to et rid of splits without getting rid of your length. I would also start giving your length a massive amount of moisture on a daily basis using oils or butters and try to keep your hair up as much as possible to avoid future split ends.

With the oils and butters, are there any you can just leave in (aka, no need to wash out)? I wash my hair only once or twice a week, so I don't know how my hair would react if I tried to do it daily!

[The_Yabster]

The_Yabster...MO works best on damp, not sopping wet hair. Of course you can put in on dry hair too, but you derive more moisturizing benefit if the hair is damp.

Thank you :) I'll do a combo of both I think - on damp hair on my wash days, and on dry the other days.

[The_Yabster]

Agree with ^^ but have to say the only way to get rid of them is to trim . This doesn't need to be done all in once, maybe teim half your monthly growth, every other month and s&d in between. This way you won't lose a lot of length and will get your ends looking better. Once they have all gone and in the meantime , id recommend lots of moisture by weekly deep conditionings, maybe look at catnip ( wonderful for preventing splits but it won't get rid of those already there!) and i second madora's suggesting in using MO! My daughter had terribly damaged hair due to heat and numerous dyes, a year on her hair looks fantastic from doing the above and the MO has really saved her hair.


MO and proper moisture will help. They won't get rid of splits already present but will help to minimize further damage. I use MO after every

Lots of microtrims to get rid of bad ends are also a good idea. Trimming or S&D will help prevent the damage from running further up the hair shaft.

Beyond that, wearing your hair up to reduce friction damage from hair rubbing on stuff (your shirt/chair/carseat/couch) and combing with a wide tooth comb when wet or damp is essential. Gentle combing with a wide tooth comb while dry before using a hairbrush is good too. Make sure your comb or brush is not causing damage and ripping out hairs.

Sleeping on a satin or silk pillowcase helps to reduce friction and breakage while sleeping.


I'd just get addicted to S&Ding if I were you. Do it frequently.


I agree search and destroy your splits if that doesn't work try doing a micro trim. Then mineral oil your ends keep them moisturized. The cause of splits is damage or lack of moisture.

Thank you everyone - I'll be ordering some MO soon, and combining that with a trim and some S&Ding. Thank you all for your advice :)

[longforthis]

I have had a terrible spout with split ends, and I just noticed recently. I believe it's due to:

-Dry ends.
-Doing nothing to seal in moisture.
-Completing trims and S&D with bad scissors.
-Brushing my hair when it's dry (meaning lack of moisture, not that I should have brushed when dry.)

For the past few days I've been braiding my hair when I can (I have curly hair, so on second/third/fourth day I braid), and covering my ends with coconut oil. I end up doing it twice a day because my hair absorbs the oil that fast.

I also did a Gelatin treatment on my hair this morning, because it's supposed to thicken and strengthen hair. (1 tbsp. gelatin in 1/2 cup cold water. Mix. Add 1 tsp. honey, 1 tsp. AV, and 1/2 of warm/hot water. Mix. Apply to hair in shower, massage in, leave in for at least 5 minutes. Rinse, shampoo as normal. I do WO so I just washed with warm water, and I had no residue left over. My hair seemed crunchy at first (3a curls), but once my hair dried completely it wasn't.) It seemed to lessen the look of the damage, and my hair does feel stronger. It says to do it a few times a week to see the real benefits, so I'll be doing this on every hair wash day, and stop when I feel that my hair no longer needs it, or go every other week.

I plan on buying sharp scissors on Amazon or Sallys. I won't cut my hair until then. So for now I'll focus on moisturizing my hair, doing the gelatin treatment, braiding/protective hairstyles, and eating/supplementing correctly.

I may use Apricot oil (known to be very healing and repairs damage) on my very ends. Probably at night.

[furnival]

With the oils and butters, are there any you can just leave in (aka, no need to wash out)? I wash my hair only once or twice a week, so I don't know how my hair would react if I tried to do it daily!
You don't need to wash them out- you use a very sparing amount. I oil my ends every other day and wash weekly, and my hair seems to absorb the oil so it doesn't look greasy.

I may use Apricot oil (known to be very healing and repairs damage) on my very ends.
It's a misconception that damage can be repaired. It's possible with the right care to make damaged hair look better and be easier to manage, but the only way to get rid of damage is to cut it off. Hair doesn't heal. Don't believe any of those adverts for products that claim to 'heal' split ends either ;)

[lapushka]

Wait. Your hair is waist length and you have splits, and you're talking about having to cut back to shoulder length. Surely it's not split all the way to shoulder? I'd S&D, if I were you, that is, if there aren't too many splits, else you'd be better off trimming gradually.

[catamonica]

I wear my air up four days a week. since 11-2011. I don't have any split ends. But I do S&D on all the short pieces throughout my hair. It
really helps your hair to wear it up.

[longforthis]

It's a misconception that damage can be repaired. It's possible with the right care to make damaged hair look better and be easier to manage, but the only way to get rid of damage is to cut it off. Hair doesn't heal. Don't believe any of those adverts for products that claim to 'heal' split ends either ;)

No, I'm aware of that, lol. My goal is to make it look less damaged, since I have no hair cutting scissors. xD I did more damage by doing that with the wrong instrument!

I find coconut oil does the best job of that, so far. :]

[furnival]

No, I'm aware of that, lol.
Oh, sorry. It's just when you said this:
(known to be very healing and repairs damage)about apricot oil, it seemed you were suggesting that it repairs damage.

No offence. Good luck with your splits. :flower:

[Of the Fae]

I have the same issue, but my splits are all higher up in my hair. I know it is to blame that I used to much chemicals a while ago but am now back to henna.
I S&D now, but it is like I get new ones each day. My hair as a whole looks very good, that's why I am not sure if an actual trim would fix it :S
Especially because all the splits come from about shoulder/nape of neck area and a few inches above the ends too. Because that's the frequently tangling area I guess.. any ideas? I just reached BSL! :(

[bubastis]

I have the exact same problem,all my splits seem to be a couple of inches above my hemline. I've just (barely) reached waist so I really don't want to cut right now,I've been S&Ding with a good pair of scissors. But even then,it seems like the splits I cut off just split again by the next day...or maybe it's different ones,I don't know :(

[mleung]

it seems like i'm getting more splits as well. having also just recently reached waist, i'd rather not get a trim if i can help it. a bunch of my splits are around my face, but i think these are a result of getting caught in my glasses. it's a real pain the rear since i don't wear contacts & i'd like to be able to see clearly thankyouverymuch. i'd like to s&d those around my hem, but don't have the proper scissors. does anyone have recommendations for a good quality pair for s&d & self trims that aren't too expensive?

[H.e.L]

My hair is so delicate. Sometimes it sucks, sometimes it's a blessing in disguise. Since its so easy to damage, I just never got in the habit of using chemical dyes or heat of any kind on my hair.
So, upside, I pretty much never get splits; downside, it snaps if anyone sneezes in my general direction.
There's pros and cons to everything, no?

[Leeloo]

I try to seal the hair after the wash, keep hair in updos as much as possible, s&d and try to put something moisturizing on the ends on no wash nights.

[ravenreed]

Catnip rinses have done wonders for reducing the amount of split ends I get. I do one as a leave in darned near every time I wash my hair.

[H.e.L]

Catnip rinses have done wonders for reducing the amount of split ends I get. I do one as a leave in darned near every time I wash my hair.

Dumb question, maybe, (I'm a noob) but for a catnip rinse do you just brew a couple teaspoons of catnip for 3-5 minutes in boiling water like regular tea? If so, same for most/all of the rinses suggested on LHC, right?