So many split ends! Doing all the right things too!

[Vanilla]

I am at the tail end of my second 2+ hour S&D session in about a week. I did a short one a few nights ago (30 minutes) and a 2 hour one last Friday. Every pass that I make with the scissors seem to show more and more split ends. I do not see many white dots, mostly I see just the ends that are split. I do see quite a bit of mid-shaft splits.

I'm about hip length now.

What I know I'm doing right:
I use sharp hair-only professional shears for my S&D sessions
i cut about 1/4 above the split to make sure I cut all the damage off.
i haven't used heat on my hair since 2012. Even then, it was only 1 time where my hair was curled with a curling iron. I haven't used a blow dryer since I started growing out my dye damage in 2009.
My hair is all virgin.
Ive been doing catnip rinses for about a month now, and mineral oil on my ends.
I wear my hair up almost all of the time with hair friendly toys and elastics.
I wear a satin sleep cap to bed
i detangle only with a wide tooth comb and I never brush


What I may be doing wrong:
My last professional trim was in December. I only had 1/2 inch cut off. My last trim before that was a year earlier, and I had way more than 1/2 inch cut off then, and my splits seemed to be better under control.
I like to wear my hair in a nautilus bun almost all the time. I don't vary my styles as much as I should.
I detangle my hair when wet to distribute the mineral oil

i think my moisture/protein balance is ok, but I haven't done a strand test in quite a long time.

What do you guys think? What can I be doing better?

[ravenreed]

I get split ends from tangles, so reducing tangles is key. I find oiling attracts lint and dust and actually adds to my tangling so I no longer leave oil in my hair for any length of time. I only oil prior to COing, and I leave it in about a half hour and then wash it out. Maybe try not using the mineral oil for a while and see if it helps.

The only other suggestion I have is to look at your routine. Perhaps you are using protein and shouldn't, or not using it and should. Maybe your hair needs cones, or hates cones, or something. You may need to wash more often or less. My hair is happiest when I CO every other day, for instance, if I go longer my hair gets dry and I get more splits. My routine is fairly simple and as long as I don't vary from it much, my split ends are much fewer in number than they used to be. However, I will always have some because my hair is naturally prone to tangling.

[Vanilla]

Thanks for your response raven reed. :)

My hair has been tangling more as of late, even with keeping it up and the sleep cap. I normally spend about 10 minutes detangling after taking my updo down for the day. I wasn't sure if the split ends were causing the tangles, or if the tangles were causing the split ends.

I was using a light coney serum previously. Maybe I need to go back to using it to encourage more slip.

[Firefox7275]

Maybe try using more penetrating or patch repairing ingredients like coconut oil (or olive/ sweet almond/ avocado), hydrolysed protein, ceramides, 18-MEA and panthenol.

[Vanilla]

Thanks for your response Firefox! That sounds like a great idea! I'll do a pre-wash coconut oil treatment and see if that helps :)

[ravenreed]

I have tried two different product lines with ceramides for a significant amount of time and found that my split ends increased. In my case, my hair prefers my old routine. However, others may have different results.

[Vanilla]

Thanks for your input :). I will be sure to report back in a week or so and see if any of these new changes makes a difference in my split end population.

[Anje]

For what it's worth, I'm not convinced that mineral oil is an adequate replacement for oils like coconut, sesame, olive, etc. that actually absorb at least partially into hair to increase its suppleness and resistance to absorbing too much water. It's a barrier and smoother, but not much else.

Also, I second the suggestion to look at your routine. Something might need optimizing like silicones, protein, and so on. What's best with those tends to be highly individual.

[lapushka]

I'm going to be annoying and say that maybe the heat damaged your hair beyond repair, even from using it such a little amount. I'd stay away from heat tools (not a blowdryer) from now on.

[jeanniet]

If you didn't have a problem with cones before, I'd go back to them and see if they help with the tangles. Your splits may be causing the tangling (or adding to it), but it wouldn't hurt to try cones again.

[Vanilla]

Thank you all. I truly appreciate all of your advice. I don't plan on using heat at all in the future. I will try going back to cones, and using coconut oil as a prewash soak.

[Madora]

Thanks for your response raven reed. :)

My hair has been tangling more as of late, even with keeping it up and the sleep cap. I normally spend about 10 minutes detangling after taking my updo down for the day. I wasn't sure if the split ends were causing the tangles, or if the tangles were causing the split ends.

I was using a light coney serum previously. Maybe I need to go back to using it to encourage more slip.

Well, it certainly sounds like you're doing everything right!

However, I was mystified when I read "I normally spend about 10 minutes detangling after taking my updo down for the day". Why should your updo need much in the way of detangling if it has been pinned up all day? This leads me to wonder: do you thoroughly detangle your hair before you create your up do?

As far as the tangling is concerned, could it be that your hair needs clarifying?

As far as the split ends, is your hair getting enough moisture? It seems odd that your hair is not responding to the catnip treatments, which have been so helpful to others with split end problems.

Hope you find your remedy soon!

[Vanilla]

Thank you so much for your input madora! I mostly get nape tangles, even if my hair is carefully pinned up and contained during the day. I do detangle pretty well prior to to putting it up, and it seems to be ok, but when I take it down, it is all screwed up!

I will have to look into the moisture and the clarifying being a possibility.

[Vanilla]

Forgot to add:

Braided updos and braids are the worst for me as far as nape tangles. I do wear a scarf around my neck most of the time (I get cold pretty easily), so I'm sure I am getting mechanical damage around my nape because of that.

My favorite scarf is a pashmina (cashmere and silk blend), and that's probably one of the smoothest warm scarves I own. Now that the weather is nicer, I can (and probably should) switch to one of my silk or rayon blend scarves to reduce mechanical damage around my nape.

Possibly that damage is now traveling downwards to my ends.

[ravenreed]

I bet that is the culprit. I get a lot more tangles and splits when I wear coats or shirts with high collars. My nape hairs are the most tangly for some reason and always have been.


Forgot to add:

Braided updos and braids are the worst for me as far as nape tangles. I do wear a scarf around my neck most of the time (I get cold pretty easily), so I'm sure I am getting mechanical damage around my nape because of that.

My favorite scarf is a pashmina (cashmere and silk blend), and that's probably one of the smoothest warm scarves I own. Now that the weather is nicer, I can (and probably should) switch to one of my silk or rayon blend scarves to reduce mechanical damage around my nape.

Possibly that damage is now traveling downwards to my ends.

[Vanilla]

Thank you all for helping for me to figure that one out! Maybe I'll need to invest in some wide silk headbands that will cover my nape when my hair is in an updo so I can still wear my scarves.

[Anje]

Yeah, if the scarf is fuzzy at all, I'd suspect it as a culprit. Soft is great, but it's not everything. I've got a great chenille blanket that lints up my hair like crazy and causes tiny tangles everywhere. I rather love and hate that thing.

[LauraLongLocks]

Along with all the other great suggestions here, and all that you are already doing right, how about putting some oil of your choice at the nape of your neck so that the hair will slide over collars and scarfs a little bit easier. I find when my hair rubs against clothing, it doesn't tangle as much if I have oiled the hair at the nape of the neck. My preferred oils at the moment for that purpose are coconut oil and jojoba oil.

[minxe]

Do you have hard water? Maybe your splits are from your hair tangling due to mineral buildup. You might want to try chelating.

[Madora]

Along with all the other great suggestions here, and all that you are already doing right, how about putting some oil of your choice at the nape of your neck so that the hair will slide over collars and scarfs a little bit easier. I find when my hair rubs against clothing, it doesn't tangle as much if I have oiled the hair at the nape of the neck. My preferred oils at the moment for that purpose are coconut oil and jojoba oil.

This sounds worth investigating! Vanilla, I feel for you! Tiny nape hairs are a real pain to detangle. Hope LauraLongLocks suggestion works for you.

[Vanilla]

Thank you all for your suggestions and advice! I will definitely try the coconut oil on the nape of my neck.

My water in my area is not hard, nor it is soft. We have a great water district, and my town has been voted best tasting water in NY state a few years in a row!