Split end frenzy

[writer_mom]

I went and looked at my hair yesterday and found no end to the splits; all the way up my hair. I do not want to lose my length so I am trying to find ways to keep the splits at bay until I can grow them out. I tried to look at the articles, in the archives and with the troubleshooting advice, but I cannot access them. My question is, would cones be the best option for stopping these splits? or would regular conditioning do it? Thanks for the help guys.

[GrowingGlory]

I just had my hair cut. I've considered a corrective cut for about a year and just decided to finally get one. I'm glad that I did. I lost about 9" in length but my hair looks so healthy and doesn't seem shorter. I'm really happy with my decision. I hope that you are really happy with yours!

[writer_mom]

Um...that didn't exactly answer my question. I am glad you are happy, I don't have hairdressers I can trust around here.

[Jeleebaby]

If the ends are splitting they will continue to split up the length. The longer its left the further it will split. Growing ends out isn't really an option, the damage needs to be removed. In the long run this will give you better growth as split hair will break off and not gain any real length as it will break.
Bite the bullet and get a trim.

[writer_mom]

If I do that then I'll be going from waist to pixie. It took me two years to get to waist, I am not going to undo all that work.

[GrowingGlory]

If you know that you don't want to sacrifice any length, then you have your answer right there. Maybe a reconstructing treatment or regular use of a deep conditioner would make your hair seem less damaged. HTH.

P.S. I don't have a hairdresser that I can trust either. I just walked into SuperCuts and had good luck.

[neko_kawaii]

I went and looked at my hair yesterday and found no end to the splits; all the way up my hair. I do not want to lose my length so I am trying to find ways to keep the splits at bay until I can grow them out. I tried to look at the articles, in the archives and with the troubleshooting advice, but I cannot access them. My question is, would cones be the best option for stopping these splits? or would regular conditioning do it? Thanks for the help guys.

As I understand it, a split that is left alone will continue to split up the shaft causing that hair to become shorter over time. If the splits are in your length, you will want to Search and Destroy (S&D) and cut each split hair individually with sharp hair scissors.

For splits at the end try the following things:

Clarify
Moisturize
Oil - many people report successfully repairing dry ends with mineral oil. Madora probably has the best set of advice along this line.

If after these things your ends are still dryer than the rest of your hair you will probably need to trim them to keep them from splitting. You can S&D dry ends, but will probably be frustrated by how quickly the splits return.

Search for self trimming methods if no one provides the details here (I can't remember any of the names, sorry). Akilina gave some great advice recently on how to talk to a hairdresser to get the trim you want. If I can remember where that was I'll link it, or maybe someone else remembers.

For me, coconut oil is great at protecting my hair, but no everyone loves coconut. Catnip rinses are supposed to provide strength and prevent splits, too. I don't know about conventional products for preventing splits but I have heard such things mentioned, so there certainly are products marketed for that purpose. I don't know if the split end repair products can keep splits from spreading up the shaft, but I have heard that they disguise the splits. A light oiling on clean hair does the same.

[neko_kawaii]

How to find a hairdresser (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=110825&p=2395478&viewfull=1#post2395478)

[jeanniet]

It would help if you could specifically list your routine, including products. Are you still using Garnier? You may be able to reduce future damage by making some simple changes. Also, what's your water like--city or well, hard or soft? Learning to handle my hard well water made a big difference.

Nothing will repair split ends. The only cure is to cut them off--whether you do it by chopping, microtrimming, or S & D is up to you. Getting extra moisture into your hair (using leave-in conditioner and/or oiling) will improve the appearance and feel of your hair, but it won't repair the splits.

It does sound from your previous posts like you need more moisture--I'd do a deep treatment, like an SMT, once a week--but it's also possible you need a protein treatment, chelating (if your water is hard or has lots of minerals), etc. If you haven't been using conditioner on a regular basis, I'd start with the moisture and work from there.

[Cania]

I have to agree with neko-kawaii on all fronts here!

You don't have to cut to pixie.. if you're very patient. You'll need to S&D - go through your entire head of hair and cut each strand just above the split with a sharp pair of hairdressing scissors.

From there, you need to try and strengthen your hair again. I had the same problem - spent a looong time S&Ding over a period of three days. Then I clarified. Now, I'm using catnip treatments to try and resolve the split problem, using it to replace conditioner completely. So far, so good.

[writer_mom]

I will admit to neglecting it for the past nine months being I have had a lot going on. The best that I have done is just shampooing then condition. Hard water? I don't know I am guessing it is.
I am sorry to be short with you guys. I have had a bad day that has gotten worse with the prospect of having to cut off all my hair, a years worth of work. Which now has me wondering if it is even worth having if I can't keep it healthy being it won't accept much.
Iam on the verge of tears right now, which is so stupid because it is just hair :(

[bunzfan]

I think micro trimming might be a good idea for you, that way you wont lose to much length but slowly the splits up your length will be trimmed out http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=75468 it really helps thicken up your length to.

[jacqueline101]

You could try a product I'm about to try VO5 split end shampoo and conditioner. I'm having the same issues ends split and break off. I did do a mineral oil application to my ends starting shoulders down. Then braid the hair might keep it more protected.

[kidari]

I'm so sorry about your predicament. I have done benign neglect in the past as well as a few experiments with my hair care routine that ended up being disastrous. Benign neglect just isn't for my hair and I really have to stay on top of caring for it. Every time my hair reaches waist, the ends seem to get really thin and dry and brittle and just start crumbling away. I don't really get splits but my ends get so dry and it makes it so hard to care for because it's like velcro on the bottom 2-3 inches. The same things obviously don't work for everyone but this is what worked for me.

First I just bit the bullet and chopped off 4 inches of my ends all at once (after clarifying, doing protein treatments, SMTs, heavier leave-ins, deep oilings... nothing worked for my ends). From there, it took care of pretty much all my troubles as the rest of the hair was really in good shape (you can do a one inch chop to begin with if you really can't part with the length but it's better to get rid of all the dry ends).

After the initial chop, I really took care of it and I knew what worked for me and what didn't at that point. It's really complicated for me, since my scalp issues are very different from most people and I had to take care of my scalp as well as my dry ends so it was complicated finding the right routine but as far as dry ends go, I use cones. I wash with a mild shampoo and follow with a heavier conditioner (mostly masks used almost every time). I leave it in with a shower cap over it when I wash my hair in the shower. Afterwards leave-ins are my best friend. I do a leave-in detangling spray, a shea butter cream for the ends, and a coney oil all over from the ears down. I also damp bun. On a non-wash day I will spray some rosewater/glycerin/aloe/oil mixture onto the ends to put some moisture back in and just damp bun it again. However, I just monitor my hair and scalp and adjust my routine and products I use accordingly. If my scalp is in nice shape I don't wash that day, if it's super greasy and itchy I'll wash daily if I have to. I don't stick with one strict regime all of the time ever.

That's my normal daily routine, then at least once a week I will do some sort of treatment. Coconut milk pre-soaks, SMTs, overnight oilings, etc. If I have more time I will do something more time consuming, if not then something simple like wash my hair upside down and put in any hair mask that I'm liking at the moment and wrap it up in a plastic grocery bag, but a microfiber hair turban over it and leave that in for an hour while I do laundry or dishes and then rinse it out about 1-2 hrs later.

If I have buildup in my hair or it feels like it needs it I will do a clarify with a chelating shampoo about once every 2 weeks to once a month (I use lots of leave-ins and tons of cones and my water is very hard). I tried doing the clarify once a week to two times a week before and at first my hair loved it then eventually it dried out my hair and just trashed it. It took tons of SMTs to get it back.

Once a month I microtrim, because I don't get splits and I don't have the patience or time to do S&Ds. I would rather just chop off all the damage and then trim a couple mm once a month. It takes me less than 5 minutes and even if my hair were to grow 1/2" a month and I'm trimming off 1/4" every month, that 1/4" gain is fine with me since it's growth that is quality growth if that makes sense. My ends stay nice and even and thick all the time while it's growing. If I go 6 months to a year without trims I end up having to cut off at least 3" at once anyway.

It sounds complicated but actually it's quite simple. It's a few key things that don't take up that much time. Consistency is key. I think for you maybe trim off at least 1" to start then do S&Ds along with microtrims once a month along with using leave-ins and doing regular SMT-type treatments will help tremendously. Either way, learning how to deal with your hair is pretty valuable so it's not all for nothing. I hope you find what works for you and feel better soon!

[imaroo]

I wish I could "like" your post. That was very long and helpful, and obviously took some time to write out!

[starlamelissa]

Maybe your hair isn't split all the way to pixie... I think coney products would make the whole thing lay smoother and you'd be happier with it. Dry, static-y, fluffy hair isn't really damaged in my experience. I doubt you need more than an inch off th bottom. I'd switch to a coney shampoo, dish, and leave in. Blow dry. See if your hair still bothers you then.

i find if I am using shampoo, and rinsing well, I don't ever need to clairify

[Kherome]

You cannot "fix" splits. Once it's split, that is it, the end, you have to cut above the split to stop it from progressing up the hair shaft. My thoughts would be a chelating wash, a good 3 to 4" chop followed by a little S&D and a good oiling. After that: good care, wearing it UP and not down until the remaining damage grows out. Good luck!

[neko_kawaii]

If you have been neglecting it for only nine months you may not need to trim very much. You can certainly HIDE the split ends if they bother you and you don't have time to figure out what, if anything, is wrong and how much, if any, needs to be trimmed. I neglected my hair for three years while it grew from a shaggy pixie to waist length and ended up trimming just under a years growth (at my pace) to remove ends that had dried and continued to split despite trying all the suggestions above. It took a year (while being protective of my hair) of semi-monthly full head S&D sessions to find and remove all the old splits so that now I only find a couple hands full rather than a whole head full.

Some people baby dry ends and microtrim to maintain a length they are satisfied with, other people remove all the damage at once and protect their hair while it grows back out. Unless your hair has somehow been completely abused in the last nine months, it is highly unlikely that you need to trim it back to pixie to remove all the damage.

*hugs*

[jeanniet]

Don't be frustrated--we've all been there. Usually just making some minor changes can have big benefits. I never grew my hair past BSL because I was too hard on it (yanking a brush through it, etc.), and with everything I've learned here I grew it past hip.

You can usually find out your water's hardness if it's city water by checking the water company's website. If you're on a well, you know you have hard water because you'll get mineral buildup on everything--that white, crusty stuff. If you have a water softener, then obviously your shower water should be soft. Hard water can be a real pain for hair. It took me quite a while to figure out how to deal with it.

Based on what you've said, I would tweak your routine a bit. Try diluting your shampoo by at least half and only shampooing your scalp. Then use a good conditioner. I think Tresseme Naturals moisturizing is great stuff. Then I would either use a leave-in, or oil (or both, if your hair really needs it). If your scalp tends to get oily quickly, don't use the leave-in or oil above your ears. When I was having trouble with dryness, I found that SheaMoisture's Curl & Style Milk really helped. You would probably have to use very small amounts, but it might do wonders for your ends. Don't worry about the curly part, because while it can be used as a curl creme, it doesn't have to be. Using a coney serum on your ends may also help if your hair does well with cones. And start S & Ding. It will help over time, although it might be frustrating at first.

[torrilin]

I will admit to neglecting it for the past nine months being I have had a lot going on. The best that I have done is just shampooing then condition. Hard water? I don't know I am guessing it is.

*patpats*

My hair is really fine, and well... fine hair splits or breaks if you look at it funny. Worse, my skin is pretty dry, so my hair splits extra easily. So believe me, I have been where you are. Since you're typing yourself as M/C, you won't have to be anywhere near as ruthless with your routine to get your hair to chill out.

Even so, it's pretty doable for me to keep split ends down to a comfortable level.

1. I wear my hair up. With hair as fine and floaty as mine, this isn't a trial... Even at 30" long, my hair floats so much that it constantly is in my face and mouth. Headbands, combs, ponytails... none of the easy and cute tricks for wearing hair down comfortably work on me. And since I wear glasses, hair in my face means my glasses are trying to chew my hair up. In short, ew, and a hairpin addiction is way nicer.

(my hair is now well past waist, and it no longer is ninja attack hair... even so, I'm used to having it up and I rarely wear it down. habits are good things, and I don't form them easily)

2. I don't use heat. My hair just doesn't handle it well, and the splits are bad enough as is. That means no curling iron, no hot rollers, no blow dryer etc. Not everyone's hair is *that* fussy, but mine is.

3. I trim splits off. When I used heat, I needed trims every 6-8 weeks to keep the splits to a dull roar. When all the heat damage finally grew out, at first I could go about 3 months in between trims. After over 10 years of no heat, I can go 9 months between trims easily, and 12 if I really have to. If you don't want to trim yourself, I find barbershops and beauty schools and department store salons tend to have employees who listen really well. If you'd prefer to trim it yourself, it's really pretty easy.

(I didn't actually cut out heat on purpose. When I was 18 or 19 and in college, I figured out that my morning routine was way easier if I stuck my hair in a braid, bun or ponytail and didn't blow dry it. By the time I was a sophomore I misplaced my hair dryer and never bothered to buy a new one since I never used it anyway. I didn't really notice much difference for years until I made the horrible mistake of blow drying ONCE and my hair was seriously evil to me for the next 6 months, and kinda evil for another 6.)

4. I avoid stripping my skin and scalp, and I use conditioners that absorb well on *my* hair. Since I'm really sensitive to fragrance, I largely use fragrance free products like Alaffia's Everyday Shea Conditioner and Alba Botanica's Leave In Conditioner. Pretty much any fragrance free shampoo will work if I dilute it enough, tho I'm experimenting with milder detergents than SLS and SLeS to see if it's worthwhile. I'm not real concerned with "all natural" or "organic" or other buzzwords, and I'm a lot more concerned with product efficacy. So while *I* love the Everyday Shea stuff and it's great on my hair and it gets good ratings for being safe... if you've got a latex allergy, you ought not use it since shea nuts produce latex. Which means I don't let my mom touch the stuff, since she's got a latex allergy. For me straight oils don't work well. However, a lot of the M/C and C folks swear by 'em.

For most of us, doing as little as possible winds up working pretty well. Not nothing, just... avoid the bad stuff. My routine is I wash my hair when I notice it needs it (maybe as often as every 7d or so), and I hit it conditioner whenever I happen to think of it (every 2-3d is good). I finger comb out tangles and shed hair, and I wear my hair up close to 24/7 to keep tangles to a minimum. It doesn't necessarily come down even for washing :).

Plenty of posters here are a lot more relaxed than me about what they do. My splits and tangle tolerance is very low, and my tolerance for hair in the face is even lower... so either I keep my hair relatively low in splits (and thus as tangle free as possible) and really long or I invest in razors to shave my head every week :P. Since my hair grows fairly fast, long hair is the lazy option.

[Salmonberry]

Sorry about your split end issue. I know it can be very discouraging. I recently read about an S&D method where you're supposed to twist a section of hair until the ends start popping out from the sides. You then trim off the little ends poking out all the way up the section of hair and repeat until you've done your whole head of hair. This gets the split ends that are further up in your hair that a regular trim wouldn't reach, and it keeps you from having to sacrifice healthy length that isn't split. It also seems a lot less tedious than traditional S&D. I haven't done it myself but I will the next time my ends start feeling really clingy. I just got 2" cut off after 6 months of growing. :( I'm thinking now that I probably wouldn't have had to get that much off if I had just tried this method first.

[Naiadryade]

Writer_mom, it'll be okay!! :flower: You don't have to cut to a pixie, if you're willing to devote some time, patience and care to your hair.

A couple weeks ago I trimmed all my splits, which were abundant from tips to ears after almost 9 months of neglect (sound familiar?), in a 12+ hour, 2-part S&D session. The thread I made about it, with pictures of the improvement, is here (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=110709). Yes, this takes time and patience. And it's also not enough. I treat my hair with a lot of oils and moisture these days, and I'm gentle with it, and it feels SO much healthier. It took most of the split ends being gone for the health I've been creating for the past few months to really shine through. I have been so happy with my hair since I did this, like little bursts of joy every day from looking at/touching it!! :happydance: Thorough S&Ding was really worth it for not losing the length... but you do have to moisturize your hair and treat it right, or they'll come back.

Here's what I do to create/maintain health, strength and moisture in my hair:

- Since my major S&D, I do a little S&D every day to keep on top of any new splits before they spread upwards. I keep sharp hair scissors near my bed and desk. I give the length of my sleep braids a once-over before taking them out, and any time I notice a split, I cut it off.

- I oil the ends of my hair any time they feel dry, which for me is generally every day, maybe more. I oil the length not quite as often, but still every 1-2 days. I only use a few drops of oil at a time, except on the night before a wash when I'll use 2-4 times what I would normally use. Personally I've been using olive oil for a while, which I recently cut 50/50 with rice bran oil to make it less heavy, some EO's and vitamin E oil. I have a 3oz squeeze bottle that I can take with me if I'm traveling.

- Braid for sleeping and braid or bun when doing anything that will rub or tangle my hair.

- For me, the above two points make it so I get almost no tangles these days. The tangles I do get, I gently finger comb out. This means a LOT less breakage, and hence fewer splits. If you do get tangles anyway, many folks recommend the Tangle Teezer for reduced-damage detangling.

- Catnip treatments!!! I do them every time I wash, which is once a week or so. Do them as often as you can manage.

- I wash with gentle, non-stripping things. I only use natural/non-synthetic things in my hair care, so for me this has meant clay, eggs, and Terressentials (http://www.terressentials.com/).

- I do moisturizing, acidic herbal tea rinses every time I shower (which is more often than I wash my hair). Personally, I generally use some combination of hibiscus, roses, rosemary, lavender and thyme.

- I've recently started playing with similar teas as well as rose water in mister bottles to tame braid waves and such when I'm not in the mood.

- I work essential oils into my oils, washes, rinses, mister bottle... the most common ones I use are lavender, geranium, thyme, clary sage, and cedarwood, in that order, but I have others too. Bonus is this means I smell really nice these days. :blossom:

I'm still figuring out how to properly deliver moisture to my hair, and encourage it to be strong and healthy. My routine is not complete, and I may end up dropping some things if I find the right all-natural pre-made conditioner. I'm trying to find the right deep treatment. I really want to get a satin pillowcase or sleep cap. I also feel like I'll probably have to trim off the bottom few inches eventually before my hair will stop splitting so frequently altogether, as that hair has just had too much life of friction and dryness to fully recover. (For me, regular S&Ding until eventually maintaining at waist for a while is a much better option to achieve this than chopping back to APL now. The length is too precious.) But the above things are helping a LOT, as did removing all the splits from the period of neglect.

You can do this! :cheer: You walk a well-trodden path, and we are with you. :grouphug:

[jeanniet]

I don't think anyone has mentioned using a silk or satin pillowcase. That, in addition to bunning, braiding, or using a sleep cap, can make a huge difference because it reduces the friction on your hair during the night. Especially if you're a restless sleeper! My hair used to be in a horrible tangle every morning--I mean, BAD--until I started using a sleep cap and a silk pillowcase. It also means less frustration in detangling. I'm embarrassed to say what my morning hair routine was like, but it was basically tearing a brush through the above-mentioned horrible tangle while driving my kids to school. Ouch.

[renia22]

I went and looked at my hair yesterday and found no end to the splits; all the way up my hair.

Everyone gave great advice and I don't have anything to add, but you aren't by any chance anemic, are you? Hair get can get like this with anemia (providing it's not chemical damage or something in the routine that's causing it).

[spirals]

Good point. I was anemic when I was 5 to 9, due to a chemical I accidentally consumed. After it worked it's way out of my system, and my iron levels went up, my hair stopped being all dry and splitty. My mom tells me she could see my health improvement in my hair.

[bunzfan]

Writer_mom, it'll be okay!! :flower: You don't have to cut to a pixie, if you're willing to devote some time, patience and care to your hair.

A couple weeks ago I trimmed all my splits, which were abundant from tips to ears after almost 9 months of neglect (sound familiar?), in a 12+ hour, 2-part S&D session. The thread I made about it, with pictures of the improvement, is here (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=110709). Yes, this takes time and patience. And it's also not enough. I treat my hair with a lot of oils and moisture these days, and I'm gentle with it, and it feels SO much healthier. It took most of the split ends being gone for the health I've been creating for the past few months to really shine through. I have been so happy with my hair since I did this, like little bursts of joy every day from looking at/touching it!! :happydance: Thorough S&Ding was really worth it for not losing the length... but you do have to moisturize your hair and treat it right, or they'll come back.

Here's what I do to create/maintain health, strength and moisture in my hair:

- Since my major S&D, I do a little S&D every day to keep on top of any new splits before they spread upwards. I keep sharp hair scissors near my bed and desk. I give the length of my sleep braids a once-over before taking them out, and any time I notice a split, I cut it off.

- I oil the ends of my hair any time they feel dry, which for me is generally every day, maybe more. I oil the length not quite as often, but still every 1-2 days. I only use a few drops of oil at a time, except on the night before a wash when I'll use 2-4 times what I would normally use. Personally I've been using olive oil for a while, which I recently cut 50/50 with rice bran oil to make it less heavy, some EO's and vitamin E oil. I have a 3oz squeeze bottle that I can take with me if I'm traveling.

- Braid for sleeping and braid or bun when doing anything that will rub or tangle my hair.

- For me, the above two points make it so I get almost no tangles these days. The tangles I do get, I gently finger comb out. This means a LOT less breakage, and hence fewer splits. If you do get tangles anyway, many folks recommend the Tangle Teezer for reduced-damage detangling.

- Catnip treatments!!! I do them every time I wash, which is once a week or so. Do them as often as you can manage.

- I wash with gentle, non-stripping things. I only use natural/non-synthetic things in my hair care, so for me this has meant clay, eggs, and Terressentials (http://www.terressentials.com/).

- I do moisturizing, acidic herbal tea rinses every time I shower (which is more often than I wash my hair). Personally, I generally use some combination of hibiscus, roses, rosemary, lavender and thyme.

- I've recently started playing with similar teas as well as rose water in mister bottles to tame braid waves and such when I'm not in the mood.

- I work essential oils into my oils, washes, rinses, mister bottle... the most common ones I use are lavender, geranium, thyme, clary sage, and cedarwood, in that order, but I have others too. Bonus is this means I smell really nice these days. :blossom:

I'm still figuring out how to properly deliver moisture to my hair, and encourage it to be strong and healthy. My routine is not complete, and I may end up dropping some things if I find the right all-natural pre-made conditioner. I'm trying to find the right deep treatment. I really want to get a satin pillowcase or sleep cap. I also feel like I'll probably have to trim off the bottom few inches eventually before my hair will stop splitting so frequently altogether, as that hair has just had too much life of friction and dryness to fully recover. (For me, regular S&Ding until eventually maintaining at waist for a while is a much better option to achieve this than chopping back to APL now. The length is too precious.) But the above things are helping a LOT, as did removing all the splits from the period of neglect.

You can do this! :cheer: You walk a well-trodden path, and we are with you. :grouphug:


What a fantastic post :bow: i was having similar issues lots of splits and white dots 2-3 inches up the hair shaft but as i spent last year maintaining and only had a trim in January i just couldn't trim again! i have felt i have got no where length wise since 2011 even though the ends are thicker and the layers are gone..so the other day instead of chopping back to midback like i would of felt like doing i did a major S & D session which, i hadn't done in a good 3 month and i've been oiling and adding cones from BSL onwards and it looks so much better . I now think my hair just needs some cones or it splits. Micro trimming is fantastic though i saw a big improvement within 3 months.

[torrilin]

I don't think anyone has mentioned using a silk or satin pillowcase. That, in addition to bunning, braiding, or using a sleep cap, can make a huge difference because it reduces the friction on your hair during the night. Especially if you're a restless sleeper! My hair used to be in a horrible tangle every morning--I mean, BAD--until I started using a sleep cap and a silk pillowcase. It also means less frustration in detangling. I'm embarrassed to say what my morning hair routine was like, but it was basically tearing a brush through the above-mentioned horrible tangle while driving my kids to school. Ouch.

For me, a smooth pillowcase does make a difference, but not enough by itself :). Going to smooth pillowcase and smooth sheets, still not enough. I really do need my hair contained in some way to keep tangles at bay. Since braids hold pretty well in my hair and often will stay presentable even after I sleep in 'em, I tend to lean towards braids for containment. It seems like posters who are curlier often lean towards buns instead.

The big thing here is not figuring out the perfect method of preventing tangles so much as figuring out the one that you'll actually do every day and does the job well enough. The more you have to think about it, the harder it is.

[QMacrocarpa]

My advice is to try a tiny self-trim by Feye's method (http://feyeselftrim.livejournal.com/) and see if that helps. It is much easier to cut more afterward than to go back in time and cut less.

I don't use heat, color, or other harsh treatments, but my hair still splits, even with pretty much daily updos, a braid for sleeping, and gentle benign neglect treatment overall. I don't S&D though. My view is: my hair is nice, but my sanity is precious. For me, very small self-trims at the ends about every six months make a huge difference. It's true that trimming just at the end isn't going to remove every split on my head, but it gets enough of them to make a very noticeable difference in the behavior of my hair. And no, I don't find hordes of unstoppable zombie brain-sucking splits travelling implacably up my hair. If S&D were required to grow long hair, I would never reach my goal of waist-length, but I will reach it this year.

[bunzfan]

BTW i just tried the twisting strands of hair and cutting the splits that stick out all over my hair and it is so awesome and it didn't take that long, i found it easier doing it in wet or oiled hair though ;)

[Salmonberry]

BTW i just tried the twisting strands of hair and cutting the splits that stick out all over my hair and it is so awesome and it didn't take that long, i found it easier doing it in wet or oiled hair though ;)

Oh cool. I think I may be due for it in a couple of weeks. I just need some decent scissors and then I can actually try it.

[Swissmiss2584]

This thread has made me really think about my hair care routine since I decided to really go after waist length. I examined my ends after not getting a trim in over a year. I do have some split ends and breakage. I love all of the advice here! I need to do a micro trim and get a few products suggested.

[lilliemer]

It's too bad the articles section is still down because there are 2 great articles on what to do about damaged ends and how to diagnose your hair problems (damage/dryness/protein overload etc.). This thread is hitting a lot of the high points though. I've tried a lot of the suggestions on this thread, they are all excellent but some worked better for me than others.

here's what worked for me (M/C, 2c/3a thick hair):
-no heat (my hair seems to be extremely sensitive to heat styling damage for some reason)
-shea butter (seems to really smooth the ends down and minimize further damage from the splits that are already there)
-rosewater/shea moisture oil spray (and it smells good)
-giving up damaging hair toys (elastics, mostly) and replacing with sticks/spin pins etc.
-wearing it up almost every day
-deep moisture treatments (SMT, every other week or so)
-clarifying every 3 weeks or so (neutrogena...buildup can mimic dry ends)

straight oils like coconut and olive oil did not work as well for me.
neither do silicones.

I have not tried catnip, chelating shampoo, or protein treatments.

It takes a long, long time to see these types of changes make a difference on the ends of your hair. That hair at your waist is probably 4+ years old, maybe even older depending on how fast your hair grows. So it takes a long time to see any changes take effect. You have to really analyze your routine and eliminate any possible sources of damage. The commercial sealing products can't glue the ends back together, unfortunately. However, like shea butter, they may smooth down the splits enough to keep them from generating further damage at the ends of the hair (I'm not sure about this though).

I am 2 1/2 years heat free and my ends (apl-bsl length) are only now starting to recover. On the bright side, whatever changes you make today will soon start to make their beneficial way down your head...albeit quite slowly!

[Naiadryade]

What a fantastic post :bow: i was having similar issues lots of splits and white dots 2-3 inches up the hair shaft but as i spent last year maintaining and only had a trim in January i just couldn't trim again! i have felt i have got no where length wise since 2011 even though the ends are thicker and the layers are gone..so the other day instead of chopping back to midback like i would of felt like doing i did a major S & D session which, i hadn't done in a good 3 month and i've been oiling and adding cones from BSL onwards and it looks so much better . I now think my hair just needs some cones or it splits. Micro trimming is fantastic though i saw a big improvement within 3 months.

Thank you! That's interesting about the cones... Our hair types are pretty similar. I haven't used any commercial conditioners since like 2008, but before that I had used Herbal Essences for years, which I think is pretty coney. I didn't really know how to analyze my hair's health back then, but I remember being happy with it. I don't remember having many splits (not that I was really looking), but don't cones just mask them? If they were really helping my hair, that kind of sucks because I really don't want to go back to using synthetic chemicals on my head.

But then I read this


-shea butter (seems to really smooth the ends down and minimize further damage from the splits that are already there)
snip
The commercial sealing products can't glue the ends back together, unfortunately. However, like shea butter, they may smooth down the splits enough to keep them from generating further damage at the ends of the hair (I'm not sure about this though).

I've been thinking about trying Shea Moisture, as it looks alright and I'm tempted by the idea of a conditioner I don't have to make myself... Maybe the shea butter in it will act for me like cones do for bunzfan??

I love how we're all figuring this out together. :grouphug:

[lilliemer]

@ Naiadryade
Supposedly shea butter is an emollient and flattens down the cuticle scales, and this seems to be exactly consistent with the effects I notice on my hair when using it. I totally do not wish to sound like a shill for the Shea Moisture line. But it is good stuff. I have tried the coconut/hibiscus shampoo, curling smoothie, curling souffle, and moisture spray. (The only thing I didn't like was the souffle. It has agave nectar in it and made my hair sticky. I believe it is probably meant for people with a much tighter curl pattern than I have.) I generally use the smoothie on wet hair from ears down as a leave-in. Totally has replaced gel/mousse/styling cream for me. I also use Panacea on my ends which is a shea butter and coconut oil blend. There are threads on both in the products forum I think. Both products have made a big difference in the way my ends feel, keeping down the tangles and the 'velcro' feeling without silicones which seem to dry my hair out and make it dull.

The one word of caution is that if you have fine and/or straight hair, it is probably very easy to use too much shea butter, possibly weighing the hair down and making it look clumpy or greasy. I do clarify it all out every 2 or 3 weeks which seems to keep it under control but my hair is very dry and has a high capacity to absorb pretty much anything. I think the shea butter would probably work for many hair types though as long as one were cautious with the quantities.

[CJCHair-stylist]

Your best option, without sacrificing length would be to S and D. Get a friend who you trust to help you go through all your hair and nick those split ends - just make sure you use a really sharp pair of Hairdressing scissors. Each section you take to S dn D should be the size of a pencil head. You can do this once a month (preferably every two weeks) until you don`t see any more splits. If you don`t get rid of those splits they will spread up the hair shaft and split again as you cut them. This is the best way to maintain your length - it takes time, but its worth it to keep your hair long.