View Full Version : Monster splits (tree)
majesticgoldenr
January 2nd, 2015, 12:02 AM
I've heard them called monster splits and tree splits
and whatever you want to call them I don't like them. :(
For a while I was using way too much oil, to the greaseball level, but it seemed over the summer my hair was 95% good 5% splits and now it's more like 50% good, 15% splits and 35% tree splits.
I literally just found one with 34 splits!
So now what? What can I do differently (more oil again?)
my health is getting *better* and I'm drinking more water and so I thought being nicer to my hair.
How can I stop this?
my silk sleep cap feels less silky than when it was new, but is it my imagination? Should I fork out the money for a new one?
Me: upset :(
Ronia
January 2nd, 2015, 04:49 AM
Well, I'm not sure if it will work, but you p should probably cut the ends, let in pure coconut oil and cold pressed castor oil mostly at the ends :) It might help and a friend of mine has her hair in a braid almost all the time and her hair is long, split ends free and tangle free :) but for my hair which is very fine, it gets damaged by every hairdo :(( so, if your hair isn't extremely fragile, I think you should try the braid thing and some oil on your ends :) castor oil makes your hair 'hard' and really protects it, coconut oil makes it soft and a little detangled and perfecly shiny :) I hope it helps, good luck with the hair :)
Madora
January 2nd, 2015, 08:18 AM
You can dry out your hair using too much oil, so my recommendation would be to clarify your hair, then use ONE oil on your hair. Mineral oil (baby oil) is very lightweight, is dead cheap, and helps moisturize your hair. It also helps tame frizzies and is a great detangler. The most effective MO is one that contains only MO plus a fragrance. Additives make MO less effective.
You apply MO (2 drops) on to your hands, then rub your hands through your hair several times until the sheen has almost disappeared. MO washes out easily in your next shampoo.
MO works best on hair that has been clarified first, but you can also use it on damp hair..or even dry hair. Use it sparingly..2 or 3 drops.
If you want to continue using coconut oil, here's a tutorial by LHC member Heidi W which demonstrates how to do it:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjVwPKMQDYk
An interesting article by former LHC member KTANI about "Understanding the Drying Capacities of Oil": http://ktanihairsense.blogspot.com/2011/12/understanding-drying-capacity-of-oils.html
Splits are usually due to either mechanical damage or lack of moisture. If you brush, what type of brush are you using?
If you don't already, try S and Ding every week to try and remove those split ends. If there are too many, then perhaps a slight trim might be in order. Good luck!
Johannah
January 2nd, 2015, 08:32 AM
You can dry out your hair using too much oil, so my recommendation would be to clarify your hair, then use ONE oil on your hair. Mineral oil (baby oil) is very lightweight, is dead cheap, and helps moisturize your hair. It also helps tame frizzies and is a great detangler. The most effective MO is one that contains only MO plus a fragrance. Additives make MO less effective.
You apply MO (2 drops) on to your hands, then rub your hands through your hair several times until the sheen has almost disappeared. MO washes out easily in your next shampoo.
MO works best on hair that has been clarified first, but you can also use it on damp hair..or even dry hair. Use it sparingly..2 or 3 drops.
If you want to continue using coconut oil, here's a tutorial by LHC member Heidi W which demonstrates how to do it:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjVwPKMQDYk
An interesting article by former LHC member KTANI about "Understanding the Drying Capacities of Oil": http://ktanihairsense.blogspot.com/2011/12/understanding-drying-capacity-of-oils.html
Splits are usually due to either mechanical damage or lack of moisture. If you brush, what type of brush are you using?
If you don't already, try S and Ding every week to try and remove those split ends. If there are too many, then perhaps a slight trim might be in order. Good luck!
This. It could be build-up.
Have you ever tried a protein treatment? Or a conditioner with protein? If you used too much moisturizing treatments, your hair might like this. If it doesn't, it's fixed with washing and conditioning your hair again. You can do a DIY gelatin treatment (http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.be/2014/04/gelatin-protein-treatment-recipe-update.html).
majesticgoldenr
January 2nd, 2015, 09:34 AM
See cutting the hair goes against my faith, so that's out.
Usually I finger comb, and then maybe once a month if that use the tangle teezer. My hair doesn't really tangle too badly.
If I'm not WO, I wash no poo. I know my hair doesn't like shikakai, but baking soda had always worked.
(Before anyone throws that under the bus, I washed my hair once about December 13, once at the end pf November and maybe December 21. My hair doesn't really have to deal with baking soda that often... And it hasn't given me too much grief in the year that I've relied on it.
I can totally see needing clarified, but why when I'm not using as much product??? You'd think when I was in greaseball land, I would have a buildup problem, not when I'm more using fingernail amounts of the oils.
Eta: I let my hair as is for days usually and now have been oiling more like every 3-4 days instead of 2-3. Bad idea since it's winter?
spidermom
January 2nd, 2015, 09:56 AM
I easily get splits, too. Bane of my hair's existence. I'm glad it's perfectly acceptable for me to trim when needed because the more splits I have, the harder it is to comb and style.
Oh well, in your case, eventually the split hairs will shed out.
I hate mineral oil. It didn't do anything for my hair but make it look piecey and attract a lot of lint and dust. I do love a pre-wash coconut oiling, though. I think it makes my hair stronger and I know for a fact that it adds shine. However, I do realize that some people hate coconut oil, so try different things and stick to what works.
I get the coconut oil out by washing the scalp area with shampoo, usually diluted, then massaging conditioner over the oil and letting it marinate while I soak in the bath for awhile or do everything else I wanted to do in the shower. Then I rinse out the conditioner and the oil goes with it. Most of it, anyway; enough is left to give benefit.
majesticgoldenr
January 2nd, 2015, 11:47 AM
I don't find that I have problems combing and styling with these splits... Is that struggle supposed to be normal?
Coconut oil and argon (argan?) are my buddies. I have jojoba and castor, but don't use them as much, if that matters or the thread. I've never tried mineral oil.
Usually, after a few days the hair will soak up almost all of the oil, whatever type, given that some will also absorb into my headcovering and sleep bonnet. If I got a week without oiling, my the ends of hair are crispy critters though. *shutter*
RachelRose
January 2nd, 2015, 08:52 PM
I love dove dry oil . It had macadamia and mineral oil that I know of and is heavenly . Makes my hair easy to detangle and silky and doesn't grease it up . In between wash days I dampen my ends and troil and they feel awesome again .
vega
January 2nd, 2015, 09:24 PM
It sounds like you need a mini trim desperately if not those splits will go higher in the hair shaft and be even more damaging , a friend of mine is not allowed to cut for religious also , but she sneaks in mini trims every now and then, as we know if hair never gets trimmed equals bad condition, so would you want long damaged hair??
Fairina
January 2nd, 2015, 09:30 PM
She said cutter ot was against her religion. Unfortunately I have no tips other than maybe a protective updo by day and a silky pillowcase by night <3
ARG
January 2nd, 2015, 09:39 PM
Have you tried using cones? A very cone-heavy leave-in might help seal in the moisture, and delay the damage from traveling until the hair is shed, plus prevent further damage.
LauraLongLocks
January 2nd, 2015, 11:31 PM
If heavy oiling helped prevent splits in the past, I would return to heavy oiling again. Eventually the split hairs will shed out. Are you allowed to S&D in your faith? Is that considered different than if the split hair naturally breaks on its own?
majesticgoldenr
January 3rd, 2015, 12:34 AM
Um, just no. I consider any cutting of the hair wrong, and I wont do it, no "sneaking in" bad behavior for me. Agree to disagree?
Anywho.... I really dont care that my hair looks a little worse or wear, just whats going on that shouldnt be and how I can fix it. Likely, I should be back to heavier oilings.
I appreciate the tips though.
Adiro
January 3rd, 2015, 12:36 AM
Maybe you could ask fo advice from other women of your faith? I don't imagine that you are the first one with a split ends problem, right? I respect all beliefs, but maybe trimming for health and not for fashion is more acceptable?
Freija
January 3rd, 2015, 01:52 AM
I'd still give up the baking soda - you're using it about three times a month by the sound of it, and it definitely can cause damage for some people, so maybe it's at least worth a try?
Honestly, I think you've had some brilliant advice here. I would clarify really thoroughly with a plain sulfate-based clarifying shampoo, then give your hair a protein treatment. After that, I'd try using really rich, 'coney conditioners and dilute SLS/SLeS shampoo (or even a sulfate-free shampoo, as long as it has a decent amount of coco-betaine in it, as this can remove silicone build-up, too). I'd definitely keep on with the minimal detangling/brushing/combing, too, and actually, I'd probably drop the tangle teezer altogether, and just fingercomb gently.
Good luck. : )
vega
January 3rd, 2015, 03:44 AM
Maybe you could ask fo advice from other women of your faith? I don't imagine that you are the first one with a split ends problem, right? I respect all beliefs, but maybe trimming for health and not for fashion is more acceptable?
Nice advice Adiro, my friend also is religious was not allowed to cut but for health reasons she had too, her hair was really damaged from the splits , and cause it was not maintained properly she ended up with a bob cause it was so damaged, now she has short hair and wishes now she shud of trimmed at least once a year
Annalouise
January 3rd, 2015, 07:33 AM
I don't know what length your hair is? How old are the hairs that are splitting and what has been used on them for the duration of their life.
Certain things degrade the hair over time and given that you have fine hair you might be using something on them that is degrading them to the point that when they get to a certain age, there is nothing left in them.
I don't know how long you have been washing with baking soda? And I don't know what else you have used besides shikakai during the duration of the life of those hairs. However, I will say that baking soda is very alkaline and not good for the hairs because its also abrasive.
Have you noticed that when you scrub things with baking soda it cleans them through abrasion?
If you have fine hair, it is delicate and you could be damaging them with the baking soda.
However, my guess would be that you were using sulphates in the past and probably something else like silicones (which can also lock moisture OUT of the hair that is why they are often not used by extremely long haired people (or curly haired people) as they eventually can lead to dry split ends).
If you haven't been using any detergents and silicones then my guess would be the baking soda. I would throw that in your toilette and start scrubbing because that is what baking soda is good for.:p
Why don't you try using a gentle soap like a shampoo bar? That would be infinitely better than using baking soda. And follow up with a diluted vinegar rinse if you have hard water. Give that a try. Or find a sulphate free shampoo that is gentle.
Wildcat Diva
January 3rd, 2015, 07:37 AM
Have you thought about reading the catnip tea threads here? Catnip tea is touted as a remedy to prevent further splits, and I am surprised that no one has mentioned it yet.
höpönasu
January 3rd, 2015, 08:14 AM
I just came here for a pic :cry: (as everyone has already shared their tips and I have nothing to add). I once had one with 8 splits, like a feather, it was pleasing to cut it off. shudder: :o
majesticgoldenr
January 3rd, 2015, 09:26 AM
Annaloiuse- My hair is a few inches short of fingertip
The longest ones, though are the "old faithful" ones because I baby them so much. The ones that are "problem children" are from when I was cutting bangs of various sorts and some trich regrowth now down to my hips, bra strap, and just shy of sholder. My hair, let's face it, likes to split and I know I wasn't using proper hair cutting scissors when I would.
I haven't cut my hair at all for about 23 months.
I've been no poo since not last October but in 2013. Baking soda works, I don't scrub so much as make a tea and apply the baking soda at the bottom, let rinse out (well okay, feeling along my head to help it wash out)
I haven't gotten to shampoo bars, but am having some sent to me soon. A lady wanted me to review them on by blog and they hadn't to cure still as of a few weeks ago.
Oh, we can throw the vinegar variable in to the mix, my hair doesn't like the stuff and I only use it like once every 4 months when I forget how much my hair hates it. I think the shock of ph change gives my instant splits. At least in my 15 year old brain. (Here is where I say that my faith is totally voluntary and I know what I am doing :) )
Next---
Nope, haven't tried catnip. Where can I pick up seeds to plant some and will it take over?
Next---
I had a pic but it sort of disappeared. I'll get back to you after I take a trip out to cyber space after it.
ooglipoo
January 3rd, 2015, 09:46 AM
Catnip will take over if you're going to plant it. Seriously take over everything. It is in the mint family. I've gotten more catnip take-over than any of my other kinds of mint.
I think as long as what you buy is fresh (for a dried product) what you can get at walmart is fine for hair treatments.
Madora
January 3rd, 2015, 10:26 AM
Here is Ktani's article on using catnip for split ends: http://ktanihairsense.blogspot.com/2009/11/part-3-of-4-on-innovative-approaches-to.html
Also, if you plant catnip outdoors, be prepared to welcome every feline within several blocks radius!
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