Split ends / flyaways high up through the hair - how to combat?

[Phoe]

I recently cut my hair from BSL to inbetween CBL and APL. The split ends were getting ferocious and I couldn't figure out why.

Despite not dying it (virgin hair!), only using heat on it about twice a month with heat protectant, babying it, wearing it up often, sleeping with a bun, braid, and silk pillowcase, detangling with fingers or wide tooth comb, stretching washes as much as possible (I have very fine silky straight hair so 2 days is as far as I can go), minimizing the products I use (Paul Mitchell awapuhi shampoo and CO, moroccan oil (my hair likes a tad of silicone), kenra heat protectant and alcohol free hairspray), placenta treatments and ACV rinses, regular trims with quality scissors - Despite all of this, my hair just didn't want to be what I wanted it to be.

I felt very depressed that after years of commitment and putting so much effort into babying it, that the ends still split so dramatically. It was BSL and the splits/flyaways were coming up to just above my shoulder. I lopped it off, and now my hair's just past my shoulder.

Now though, while I did get rid of a good chunk of those flyaways, I still have quite a few left behind.

What's the deal with these? Are they split ends? Are they just uncooperative baby hairs? I grabbed one of them and followed it all the way to my scalp and didn't see any sort of split. So are they healthy hairs, or are these hairs that have split all the way up to my scalp? If it was split all the way to my skin, I definitely wouldn't have been able to see that well when examining these hairs.

How do I combat these random flyway hairs that ruin the smooth look of my hair? Do I trim them? Leave them be? Use a specific product?

What's strange is that when I do S&D I don't find much. I don't get the little white dots, and I will only find maybe a dozen y shaped splits during my search. My ends were always quite supple and healthy looking, but these random flyaways or splits all the way through my hair length got me so frustrated that I finally just chopped it.

What can I do?

[ExpectoPatronum]

The random flyaway hairs probably aren't split ends.

Truth is, our hair falls out at different times, which means we have hairs at different lengths all over our head. Because the shorter strands aren't as long and therefore are lighter, they'll often stick up.

I don't have a ton of tips in combating flyaways as I deal with them myself. I've found a drop or two of mineral oil helps tame some of them.

[Phoe]

Thanks for the reply!

I'm glad to hear that they're probably not split ends, but am sad to have cut off so much hair. At least now I am starting with a more even overall length. Most of the flyaways were starting at shoulder.

Perhaps those flyaways all sitting within a certain length indicate a certain time period where I may have been shedding a lot. Then all the random little hairs grew in.

I've never been a big shedder. I can honestly say that even though I did a LOT to baby my hair, preventing shedding was never something I attempted, because I just don't lose much hair. One of the lucky benefits of fine smooth straight hair, tangles are easy to comb out.

Perhaps now though, I ought to put particular effort into fighting shedding, to try to cut down on the amount of uneven flyaway hairs growing back

[Madora]

If they are split ends, then the only help is to snip them off so they don't run further up (or down the strands!)

As for those flyaways, I assume they're new growth. Can't say for sure w/o a closeup photo.

If they are flyaways, then try a drop or two (no more!) on damp hair. Apply the MO to your palms/hands. Run hands thru your hair at least 4/5 times.

Splits are due to either mechanical damage (combing/brushing incorrectly/sharp hair toys) or lack of moisture. Mineral oil will help with that also. Here's a link from Ktani's Hairsense blog that gives further details: http://ktanihairsense.blogspot.com/2011/12/mineral-oil-and-hair-care-and-skin.html

Also, if you love your hair, stay away from heat!

[lazuliblue]

I think the way to check if the hairs are new growth is to see whether they have a tapered end or not. Tapered = new growth, blunt = breakage.

I have the same issue and was really worried that the shorter hairs were all broken. Turns out that it's just new hair coming through, and so now I feel more confident about it!

[Phoe]

Ahh, I like that little tip. Blunt is breakage, tapered is growth.

Does that hold true for split ends as well, or can split ends also be tapered? Like two tapered ends coming off of one strand? Or does that not happen?

The flyaway strands are tapered, and seem to be even finer than the rest of my strands. While my usual strands are very straight, these tapered flyaways tend to bend and wave in strange patterns as they approach the end of the shaft. Makes them stick out quite oddly from hair, haha.

Even in updos, they can manage to pop up and stick straight out from my scalp so very silly like.

I can definitely see this hair being new growth. I had a traumatic hair loss accident about 5 years ago. Bleach gone wrong. Broke my hair off near the scalp and fried the skin on my scalp.

My scalp still has not fully recovered, not sure if it will ever be the same (that's a story for a different thread!)

The chemical haircut left me with an unintentional pixie, and the hair that was in the pixie was fried. So from the get go I was starting with fried hair and a burnt scalp. Probably were several follicles that didn't wanna grow for quite a while.

The very ends of my hair may have been leftover damage from that accident. From that day forward I never colored it again, became very despondent about the state of my hair, and basically went into benign neglect mode simply because I didn't want to even look at it or touch it. I just covered it with hats and headbands until it grew.

I took off about 5 inches. The average growth is about 1/2" per month, which would mean 10 months to grow back to where it was. I really hope I can try out some methods to stimulate faster growth, I'd be a lot happier with 7 or 8 months

[Panth]

I would say at least some of those are splits. Heat is not good and the damage is cumulative. Heat protectants are of ... debatable efficacy.

Also, you say you use hairspray. Do you wash it out after every use, or do you brush/comb it out? If the latter, you're causing damage.

Although some of the hairs may be new growth, I very much doubt it's anything to do with your "chemical cut". If that happened 5 years ago, then you've probably already had the regrowth from it.

[spidermom]

Most of those fly-aways are newer and therefore shorter but healthy hairs, I have no doubt. Shedding is natural, so you will never be able to avoid it. Every day you shed out hairs that have reached the end of their growth potential. Every day you grow in new hairs. You will always have hairs of every length.

I find that a bit of gel rubbed between wet palms, then palms smoothed over the surface of my hair helps to tame the fly-aways. Oil does nothing for me except give me oily fly-aways.

[lapushka]

I would say at least some of those are splits. Heat is not good and the damage is cumulative. Heat protectants are of ... debatable efficacy.

^^ This. Using high heat (not just blow dryer heat), like that of a straightener or curling wand is going to be damaging, even if you "only" do it twice a month.


Most of those fly-aways are newer and therefore shorter but healthy hairs, I have no doubt. Shedding is natural, so you will never be able to avoid it. Every day you shed out hairs that have reached the end of their growth potential. Every day you grow in new hairs. You will always have hairs of every length.

I find that a bit of gel rubbed between wet palms, then palms smoothed over the surface of my hair helps to tame the fly-aways. Oil does nothing for me except give me oily fly-aways.

Everyone has tiny hairs, you can't avoid it. You'll always have those, and they esp. become apparent when doing an updo (most certainly when the wind blows). I use Eco Styler gel on my hair, and it's amazing for that purpose.

[Firefox7275]

I would say at least some of those are splits. Heat is not good and the damage is cumulative. Heat protectants are of ... debatable efficacy.

Also, you say you use hairspray. Do you wash it out after every use, or do you brush/comb it out? If the latter, you're causing damage.


This. It is possible to do irreparable damage in just one heat styling session, especially on fine OR already damaged hair. Agree too most protectants are of limited use, they are loaded with silicones which have little to no evidence that they reduce heat damage, tho they may reduce friction damage if you are repeatedly brushing your wet hair (round brush and blow fryer) or help a flat iron to pass over the hair slighty faster.

Not aware of any evidence that placenta is beneficial for hair, try hydrolysed protein. Vinegar rinses can be useful for very hard water but some people seem to be more sensitive to different acids or alkalis than others (see link) pH should not be too low nor the rinses too frequent.
http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/moisturizing-low-porosity-hair.html

[jacqueline101]

I have flyaways myself and I've tried a lot of things. I find that a stiffening agent works the best. In the area where mine are I can use bobby pins to hold them down. If you had scalp trauma your hairs might be growing back and that's why you have flyaways.