No split ends?

[lapis_lazuli]

Hi. I was hoping someone could help me out here. How is it possible for one to have no split ends or white dots at all?
I often see on this forum people claiming to have neither damage, even people who have never had a split end in their life! WHAAT?!

I've had subtle blonde highlights (bleach) put in my hair maybe 4 times since I was 12. As a freshman in high school, I remember having very dry hair and horrendous split ends that I would snap off in class. This was a result of the highlights and daily heat styling. (400º F! :shocked:) I was such an idiot.
I've stopped that nasty habit and now my natural hair (dark ashy brown) is APL. I've had numerous trims since that time and haven't let heat touch my hair (not even blow drying) in over two years. The highlighted part of my hair is between APL and CLSC and I'm still finding split ends and white dots it seems every time I look.:cry:

I'm a perfectionist when it comes to most stuff in my life- but my hair is everything to me. It looks pretty nice and healthy from afar and I've had friends examine it who think I have no split ends. But I see them... a few it seems each time I'm searching. I S&D obsessively at this point but my hemline is already uneven and I just feel awful about my hair. No matter how well I've been babying it the last couple years, I can never attain this 'perfect' hair condition it seems so many of you have. I know perfection is not a realistic standard to have but I can't help it. Every little flaw is catastrophic in my mind.

I really don't want to trim my hair - I'm still gaining good length monthly and want to grow way beyond CLSC. Besides, I can't do it myself and don't trust my stylist. Should I just keep S&Ding as I've been? Are there any tricks to preserve hair that's over 6 years old?
Thank you. :blossom: Hope I didn't ramble too much - I just feel awful today.

[henné]

First and foremost - take it easy, it is just hair. ;)

Secondly, everyone has some split ends. No one has 'perfect' absolutely split-free hair, it just doesn't exist.

So just take it easy and S&D only once a while - doing anything obsessively isn't healthy. :)

Hugs!

[Nique1202]

I think it's perfectly possible to have split-free and white-dot-free hair, if your hair isn't prone to them. I once went a full year without trimming and found exactly one split end at the end of it. Now, I find about 2-3 split ends a week, but I absolutely believe that if your hair is extremely resilient/not prone to damage, if you take good care of it and don't treat it roughly, if you avoid as many sources of damage as possible, you can minimize or (if you're really lucky) eliminate split ends. It's just a VERY rare set of circumstances that's slightly more likely when you take the sample size of "people who want to grow their hair extremely long".

[lapis_lazuli]

Henné: I know you're right... it is just hair, I suppose, and I shouldn't be this sensitive about it.

Nique1202: I guess my hair is just one that is very prone to damage :( Hopefully it will get better with time, then...

[ravenreed]

I have reduced my split ends quite a bit by using catnip rinses. I will always have some splits and I trim or S&D regularly to deal with them. I think instead of worrying about the split ends so much you should work on finding a way to enjoy your hair more. I notice people who show up at LHC hating their hair at X length often think they will magically like it more as it gets longer. The problem is that the hair type doesn't really change, and for some of us, length just adds challenges in keeping our hair happy and looking good. So many of them give up when they realize that longer hair just means more of what ever they already don't like about their hair. KWIM?

[wilderwein]

Well in my case, even tho I have damaged ends, I don't have split ends. I have white dots, and breakage but just not split ends! So I guess it depends on the hair type. Sure I may find one or two once in a while, but my hair it's not prone to split ends-damage.

So I guess every hair type damages differently? I know people who never had white dots, but they have a bunch of split ends. Or people who havent either split ends or white dots but their hair ends get pretty rough and straw like wich even clarifying won't fix, so that is another type of damage.

The important thing we should realize is that hair is weird. It does and acts the way it wants too.

[lapushka]

It is possible to have split-free hair. I do. I also don't have white dots.

I had a perm in the past, my hair was riddled with white dots. I grew from shoulder all the way to hip with those dots in. Then we slowly cut that damage out; it's long gone. I also did extensive coloring (bleach, henna, dye), and when it all got too much I got a chemical cut and burn. So that was the final straw.

Ever since those incidents I have grown all virgin hair all the way to classic. I diffuse weekly, so I'm not hair sin free, but still, I respect the rules on blow drying and have no damage.

I think the harshest are dyes, bleaches, and perms. Those can wreck your hair.

I would not go all scissor-happy, though. Try and microtrim.

[lapis_lazuli]

Well in my case, even tho I have damaged ends, I don't have split ends. I have white dots, and breakage but just not split ends! So I guess it depends on the hair type. Sure I may find one or two once in a while, but my hair it's not prone to split ends-damage.

So I guess every hair type damages differently? I know people who never had white dots, but they have a bunch of split ends. Or people who havent either split ends or white dots but their hair ends get pretty rough and straw like wich even clarifying won't fix, so that is another type of damage.

The important thing we should realize is that hair is weird. It does and acts the way it wants too.

Huh, I never really thought of it that way before... My hair hasn't been rough in years and never straw-like though I never considered it a type of damage - but it makes sense. That makes me feel a bit better haha, I must be doing something right.

ravenreed: I've never heard of catnip rinses! I'm always open to try new things though... I'll check it out :)
And it's weird, some days I love my hair: I always wear it in a long braid and I think that looks pretty. And then other days, I'm so focused on the imperfections I can't even enjoy it. I'm working on that though.

[lapis_lazuli]

Thank you for the advice, Lapushka.
Any remaining damage I have isn't really noticeable unless you get up close under a harsh light. Even then sometimes it's just lint - my hair is so, so dusty.
I would microtrim, but the very ends of my hair are split and white dot-free for some reason. It's only an few inches from the bottom where I find most of them. I'm not sure why... :confused: I'll just keep S&Ding there but in moderation... I don't want my ends to get thin.

[Anje]

I think it comes down to being possible for some people and not others. There's no way I can have both split-free hair and ever leave my house. (Actually, it'd probably still be splitty even if I never moved.) Don't get too caught up in trying to achieve zero splits -- it's not an attainable goal for most people if their hair is longer than, I don't know, BSL maybe.

Give yourself permission to have a few splits. I try to keep it in a certain percentage range; initially I wanted less than 10% of my hairs split. These days, it's more like under 2%, as my hair has improved in condition. Those sorts of goals are much easier to achieve and maintain without going loony. :D

[ravenreed]

Yes, catnip rinses have been a real game changer for me. I never could have stood to grow as long as I have without them because my hair is so split prone. I use it every time I wash my hair, which is every other day. I take an mason jar (I think it was originally pasta sauce) and fill it with water. I sprinkle in about a tablespoon of dried catnip. I microwave it 3 minutes and let it cool overnight. Before I shower I use a coffee filter in a funnel to separate out the leaves and then use that as a leave in rinse after I have finished up my shower. Every time I run out of catnip my split ends start multiplying quickly so I know it is helping considerably. Even so, I micro trim about every six - eight weeks or so to keep the worst of them at bay. I have dark hair, thick-stranded hair and those darned things show up like little disco balls in the sun.

[lapushka]

Thank you for the advice, Lapushka.
Any remaining damage I have isn't really noticeable unless you get up close under a harsh light. Even then sometimes it's just lint - my hair is so, so dusty.
I would microtrim, but the very ends of my hair are split and white dot-free for some reason. It's only an few inches from the bottom where I find most of them. I'm not sure why... :confused: I'll just keep S&Ding there but in moderation... I don't want my ends to get thin.

Yes that's where you usually find white dots! Not at the very end. That would make it easier.

[TwilightShadow]

I'm with you on this. I S&D-ed very often this year and I still find many white dots and my ends are quite tapered from old layers, so S&Ding makes them even thinner. I have dyed my hair for many years and even though the texture isn't rough, I do have many white dots on my ends. I haven't used oxidative dye since February, only deposit dyes, so hoping in time this will reduce the number of white dots.

[Deborah]

I think it is a combination of genetics and gentle hair care; that is, no heat, no sort of color change, no perms and no harsh chemicals.

I don't have any splits or damage, my hair is silky and very shiny, and it grows very fast. I believe it is all just genetic. It has been that way my whole life, and I am 62 now with one tiny streak of grey in my dark hair - just like my mother. Her hair is an extremely beautiful, shiny silver now, at age 85. She wears it short, but it is so very pretty. My dad's hair on the other hand turned white very early, beginning in his thirties. It was curly, puffy, coarser textured, thick and white as snow when he died last summer. His hair was beautiful too, but in a very different way. One of my brothers has hair exactly like his. All genetics.

It sounds like you have some damage from coloring. Maybe when that is all trimmed off you will have few or no splits as well. It really depends on the hair you were given, and then, to some extent, on how you treat it. No splits are definitely possible for some people, but apparently not for everyone.

Just take good care of the hair you DO have, accept whatever type it is, trim off the damaged parts, and let it grow long and healthy! :flower:

[stachelbeere]

I agree with wilderwein - I also have barely any split ends but a lot of breakage due to past heat and hair dyes (growing it out). But since reaching APL/BSL I've been less and less obsessed with my hair and it really helps to practise benign neglect and noticing that it has grown every few months :)

[meteor]

Lapis_lazuli, if your hair is not very fragile and you aren't nursing any old chemical/heat/mechanical damage, then I think it's very possible to avoid split ends. :)

Can you share your routine and especially how you treat your hair on a daily basis? Maybe there is a possibility that some damaging practices are going unnoticed or conditioners aren't moisturizing or detangling enough? :hmm:

Just to give you an example, I used to get split ends when I used a low-quality brush on wet hair and overwashed my hair in pre-LHC days. Now that I wear hair up and only use a wide-tooth comb on my hair, I haven't seen a split end in years, despite tripling my hair length, having highlights and getting trims very rarely. I can't say enough about the importance of protective styling and gentle and low-manipulation handling.

[luxurioushair]

What are white dots?

[lapis_lazuli]

Meteor, well everyday I wear my hair in a simple braid and I'm really careful to not let it get caught or rubbed against. I really can't do buns for my life :( I only have pencils for hair sticks but even the simplest ones I can't get right. I always find my ends get crunchy in buns anyway :-(
I use olive oil to oil my ends when I feel they need it. I only wash my hair once a week, so every few days I'll do it- No one tends to notice oily hair in a braid anyway.
When I wash my hair, I use a shampoo only on my scalp and conditioner on the length - pretty simple. I let it air dry for a bit, detangle the ends with a fine-tooth comb, and once it's dry, I finger detangle and brush it all out.
I'm really very careful when I brush - I go extremely slowly to avoid snaps of any kind and always use my fingers first. I have a BBB brush but I find it doesn't go through my hair well at all- it kind of tangles it more.
I do caffeine rinses occasionally but nothing else too fancy. I have only cotton sheets and pillowcases unfortunately but I'm saving up for silk ones...
Er, my hair is also chronically dusty... I guess I have build-up of some kind (I can feel it on my scalp... ick:-( ) but I'm not really sure how to clarify. I'll read the threads here on that though...
That leaves S&D - I'll do it to pass the time and have been doing so for 9 months at least. I think my hair's condition has improved but the white dots are still there. I think my old scissors may have been a bit dull - it's so hard to find good quality barber shears where I live.
I think my new ones are better but who knows! Maybe they're also leaving white dots. :(
I'm beyond frustrated with myself at this point.. don't know if this gives any insight on my problem. I feel like a hopeless case

[meteor]

What are white dots?

Spots (nodes) where the hair is weakened and a break is forming: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichorrhexis_nodosa
They can look like this (http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh200/sarah4983/hairdots2.jpg) or (under microscope) like this (http://pittsburghcurly.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/white-dot.jpg)

[lapis_lazuli]

What are white dots?

It is what is left behind on the end of a hair after a part of it has broken off (or cut with dull scissors...)
They can also be along the length of a strand, I assume also from tension on the hair. They haunt me everyday :rolleyes:

EDIT: Ohhh my god, I am S&Ding right now and there is dust EVERYWHERE that I can't get out. I can't even tell what's a white dot anymore. :taz:

[meteor]

lapis_lazuli, first of all, your hair is absolutely stunning, so please, please don't think it's a "hopeless case" at all! :love:

Your routine sounds excellent, actually! :thumbsup:

But if your hair is chronically dusty, could it be that you overoil it? Oils attract lint and dust a lot, which is why it's important not to overdo it, or if you want to do a heavy oiling, do it as a pre-poo. If olive oil is too heavy for you, I'd experiment with other, lighter oils or silicones (coney serums, for example) on ends to see if the dust/build-up situation can improve. :)

About pillowcases, you don't need a silk one, you can just use a silky smooth scarf or something to wrap your hair with at night or just cover your braid with when you sleep. :)

If you suspect your shears aren't sharp, don't use them! :) It's way better to leave hair alone until you get the scissors you trust.

I think some silky fine hair types develop split ends pretty easily though. Do you remember if your hair has always had split ends? Or is it just a recent situation?

[meteor]

EDIT: Ohhh my god, I am S&Ding right now and there is dust EVERYWHERE that I can't get out. I can't even tell what's a white dot anymore. :taz:

Yes, dust and even some build-up from DIY homemade hair masks can look exactly like white dots. I'd clarify. :)
Have you started getting more dust issues since you started oiling your hair? If so, I'd cut back or try using light cones instead. :flower:
Dust and build-up can exacerbate tangles, for sure...

[lapis_lazuli]

Unfortunately, yes, I think I tend to overdo it with the oil. In my mind, it would be protecting my hair more but I absolutely think it's attracting all this dust... gahh.. It looks like I've just rolled around in my attic or something :disbelief :no:
I'll look into clarifying my hair really soon and I think I have a silk scarf to wrap my hair in for sleep... that never occurred to me :lol:
I don't remember having split ends before my freshman year, but that was when I was treating my hair the worst I ever have. I think most of that damage should have been cut off by now... any remaining hair from that period was from the shoulders up.
I appreciate you being so nice :flower: My goal is to have hair that doesn't just look healthy but that actually is through and through. I'm just anxious to perfect my routine and sort all this out - I fear I'm going to go grey early just like my mom.

[ravenreed]

I CO wash every other day and that moisturizes my hair enough that I almost never oil. Oils attract lint, which causes me more tangles, which leads to more split ends.

[memeow]

I also suspect I'm never going to have zero split ends. For a while I was trying to S&D them all away, but it didn't make much of a dent and did make me anxious and self-critical. I've stopped doing that and started doing a 1/4"-1/2" trim every three months. I hope that as I (very slowly) get rid of my pre-LHC hair the splits will go away, but I might just be prone to them as well. I don't notice them traveling up, so I think the small trims will be enough to take care of them...it just takes a lot of patience.

[yahirwaO.o]

I suffered from white dots and split ends after years of coloring blue black purple black and almost everyday straightning. Neglected for 3 years and now my hair barely has splits and zero splits and hadnt seen a white dot in a while. These things can take a while for some poeple, so dont over obsess, baby it, learn to microtrim your hair and the most important thing... have fun with it in a healhty manner!!!! :cool:

[rosey4exclaim]

Yeah, I've been babying my hair since I cut it to collarbone length in April, and I still have split ends. It just depends on your hair type, genetics, diet, climate, environmental factors, etc. Everyone's hair is different, and I'm slowly starting to accept that I'll always have some split ends.

[alishaxmarie]

The only way to prevent white dots for me is to spray my length with some leave-in conditioner daily and then sometimes apply some oil over that to seal the moisture in. I currently mix my own leave-in made of a teaspoon of oil (atm it's a mix of coconut and olive oils) and at least a tablespoon of conditioner, maybe more (I didn't measure the amount but I put like 3 types of conditioner in this bottle). The rest of the spray bottle is filled with water and I shake it up every time I use it although I'm sure it's thoroughly mixed by now. I've found that going back to cones has also improved my white dots and splits so sometimes I seal the leave-in with a coney serum. I also microtrim every month during the waxing moon and should really S&D more often but I'm lazy.

Someone on here told me that white dots are a sign of dryness which is why I WCC and use lots of leave-ins. Check out the LOC method to help seal in moisture or try an SMT every week/month/whenever to see how much moisture you may need. Proteins can also help keep the moisture in your hair so you could always check out different protein treatments if your hair likes them. As I've said though, the only thing that made any improvement for me was re-applying a water-based leave-in between weekly washes.

[lapis_lazuli]

Thank you all for your continued suggestions :) I feel more hopeful that it won't be like this forever.

I've been looking at pictures of white dots and most pictures show a large white bulb on the hair. I've had a few of these that I can feel and always snip them off. But most of the white dots I have can't be felt - they're merely a very tiny white spot at the end of the hair that has no texture. But this is still something I should trim off, right? Will it develop later into a white bulb?

[lapushka]

they're merely a very tiny white spot at the end of the hair that has no texture. But this is still something I should trim off, right? Will it develop later into a white bulb?

The end of a hair when it's cut can cast a white hue on it, it's not the same a a white dot (they are usually up the strand, way up).

[lapis_lazuli]

The end of a hair when it's cut can cast a white hue on it, it's not the same a a white dot (they are usually up the strand, way up).

Oh, jeez, I've probably cut many, many hairs unnecessarily then.:bigeyes: How do I tell the difference then? Most of the time, what I consider white dots are at the tip of the strand but, like I said, I can't feel them and they're tiny.
Should I just cut the ones I can feel or ones that are somewhere up the strand? Wow, I feel stupid if I've been cutting all my hair for nothing... :sad

[wilderwein]

Guys also! Let's not forget that split ends sometimes are kinda natural. And even with them you can have gorgeous hair.
I realized today that my cat has split ends on it's "moustache"
Also my sister told me that her boyfriend has bunch of split ends on his beard. I don't think he does something super damaging on it since he will shave at least every 2 weeks.

Every persons hair it's different. So yes for some people may work the babying and have zero damaged hair, but for others that may be impossible.
I say work with what you have. Even tho I plan to trim my damaged ends in the future, for now they kinda help me! They hold my buns better, and they give me the fairytale ends that I adore!

The only reason you should worry about it is if the damage travels through the length. But I think that also can be prevent with microtrimming once in a while, and a little bit of S&D

[Arctic]

For me, when my hair has broken, there will be a white dot at the very tip. When I S&Ded I did snip these too. They typically are above hemline, because the hairs are broken. I never get much splits.

Some people get white dots higher up, for example because of heat styling. I have never seen those in my hair. If there is a white dot looking spot higher up in my hair shaft, that's usually dust.

I don't S&D anymore because I became obsessive over it and it lead to triggering trichotillomania.

[lapushka]

Oh, jeez, I've probably cut many, many hairs unnecessarily then.:bigeyes: How do I tell the difference then? Most of the time, what I consider white dots are at the tip of the strand but, like I said, I can't feel them and they're tiny.
Should I just cut the ones I can feel or ones that are somewhere up the strand? Wow, I feel stupid if I've been cutting all my hair for nothing... :sad

Yes, my white dots were at least about 2/3 inches up a strand. The tiny "specks" at the bottom of hair when you cut it off are normal and come from severing the hair. Those aren't white dots. White dots are quite prominent and bigger.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichorrhexis_nodosa

[henné]

I S&D like a handful of times a year ... I think a good trim every couple of months is good enough, at least for me. Now I'm sitting here with my ends spread on my chest and I can see a couple of tiny splits, but that's it ... the clarification + SMT that I did last night seems to have done me good.

I'd say try not to focus on all this and try to have more fun with your hair - like someone else has already said. It's so easy to get consumed with all this stuff. I know because I did in the beginning when I first started coming on here.

[ladonna]

Use a wide tooth comb instead of a fine tooth comb, a tangle teaser instead of a brush. Or detangle when you have condish on, or when dry.

[lapushka]

Use a wide tooth comb instead of a fine tooth comb, a tangle teaser instead of a brush. Or detangle when you have condish on, or when dry.

I detangle pre-wash with a wide-tooth comb and TT, and post wash -WET- when my hair is freshly out of its towel. I don't have splits. Often it's a combination of factors and in general how you treat your hair. :)

[lapis_lazuli]

Yikes!!! I apologize for my ignorance that was really dumb of me! All this time I thought my hair was a mess and I've just kept on thinning the ends with S&D... oh me oh my...
From now on I'll be super careful with my scissors :scissors:

[ladonna]

I detangle pre-wash with a wide-tooth comb and TT, and post wash -WET- when my hair is freshly out of its towel. I don't have splits. Often it's a combination of factors and in general how you treat your hair. :)

Op said they detangle with a fine tooth comb, then brush. I was thinking perhaps they are causing damage to op's hair.

[lapushka]

Yikes!!! I apologize for my ignorance that was really dumb of me! All this time I thought my hair was a mess and I've just kept on thinning the ends with S&D... oh me oh my...
From now on I'll be super careful with my scissors :scissors:

Normally if you have barely any splits, and there are only a few white dots (up the strand I mean), you only need to get those with S&D, that's what S&D means, more "search" than "destroy". It's not meant as a trimming experience.

[lapis_lazuli]

Normally if you have barely any splits, and there are only a few white dots (up the strand I mean), you only need to get those with S&D, that's what S&D means, more "search" than "destroy". It's not meant as a trimming experience.

Oh I know, but I do it so often that it's resulted in thinning and an uneven hemline :p
oy...my mistake

[Alexa]

I could honestly count the number of split ends I have found in my hair in my whole life on one hand. And I have never had white dots. But. I haven't had hair longer than shoulder-length since I was a little girl. Right now it's finally at APL which is a huge accomplishment for me, but which I realize is still pretty short for most of the people on this site, lol! I'm guessing that as my hair gets longer, and my ends get older, I may have more problems with split ends, but I also think I'm not very prone to split ends. I have never dyed (well, a couple of times when it was really short) or permed my hair, but I used to blow-dry with a round brush every day. Who knows how any of that helped or hurt? I will admit to being grateful for the lack of split ends I experience, but I'm still learning to accept, appreciate, and hopefully someday love my hair as a whole. I have wished it was thicker, or a more interesting color, or a little more curly or straight. No split ends aren't the end-all, be-all of great hair!

[lapushka]

Oh I know, but I do it so often that it's resulted in thinning and an uneven hemline :p
oy...my mistake

Hey, I didn't get the hang of things when I first got here either. :shrug: It happens. :D

[luxurioushair]

It is what is left behind on the end of a hair after a part of it has broken off (or cut with dull scissors...)
They can also be along the length of a strand, I assume also from tension on the hair. They haunt me everyday :rolleyes:

EDIT: Ohhh my god, I am S&Ding right now and there is dust EVERYWHERE that I can't get out. I can't even tell what's a white dot anymore. :taz:


Spots (nodes) where the hair is weakened and a break is forming: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichorrhexis_nodosa
They can look like this (http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh200/sarah4983/hairdots2.jpg) or (under microscope) like this (http://pittsburghcurly.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/white-dot.jpg)

Oh, I see, thanks for the replies. Well I can see why I never have white dots OR split ends. My hair strands are way too thin for those! With my hair it's either really good or really bad, there's no middle ground for it to be damaged while staying attached to my head. Any kind of damage will result in the strand breaking off completely.

[vpatt]

Yes, catnip rinses have been a real game changer for me. I never could have stood to grow as long as I have without them because my hair is so split prone. I use it every time I wash my hair, which is every other day. I take an mason jar (I think it was originally pasta sauce) and fill it with water. I sprinkle in about a tablespoon of dried catnip. I microwave it 3 minutes and let it cool overnight. Before I shower I use a coffee filter in a funnel to separate out the leaves and then use that as a leave in rinse after I have finished up my shower. Every time I run out of catnip my split ends start multiplying quickly so I know it is helping considerably. Even so, I micro trim about every six - eight weeks or so to keep the worst of them at bay. I have dark hair, thick-stranded hair and those darned things show up like little disco balls in the sun.

I use a cold water/vinegar rinse after washing. I wonder if it would work to make the catnip tea and add a splash of vinegar to it?

[vpatt]

Unfortunately, yes, I think I tend to overdo it with the oil. In my mind, it would be protecting my hair more but I absolutely think it's attracting all this dust... gahh.. It looks like I've just rolled around in my attic or something :disbelief :no:
I'll look into clarifying my hair really soon and I think I have a silk scarf to wrap my hair in for sleep... that never occurred to me :lol:
I don't remember having split ends before my freshman year, but that was when I was treating my hair the worst I ever have. I think most of that damage should have been cut off by now... any remaining hair from that period was from the shoulders up.
I appreciate you being so nice :flower: My goal is to have hair that doesn't just look healthy but that actually is through and through. I'm just anxious to perfect my routine and sort all this out - I fear I'm going to go grey early just like my mom.

Have you seen some of the beautiful silver hair on LHC?

[alishaxmarie]

I use a cold water/vinegar rinse after washing. I wonder if it would work to make the catnip tea and add a splash of vinegar to it?

I've done that a few times but something I read on Ktani's blog (or at least that's where I think I read it) makes me think that the two combined wouldn't have the same pH as the scalp and therefore may not close the hair cuticle. :shrug: I've been meaning to ask but never got around to it since I never noticed a difference with catnip rinses anyway (which I actually used as a leave-in rather than a rinse-out). Hopefully someone will come along with some actual facts for us since I definitely have no way of truly knowing. I'd personally have to spray some leave-in conditioner everyday between washes even if the catnip/vinegar combo worked in conjunction anyway since my hair can never seem to get enough moisture.

[mira-chan]

I have coarse hair, so each hair strand is thick. I also nave never used a blow dryer in my life, nor any other heat hair styling. I have used henna only occasionally for color and no standard dyes.

I don't get split ends until my hair is classic length now as it's worn up most of the time. When I wore it in a ponytail all the time as a teen, I didn't get split ends till past hip length. I also didn't trim more than once a year, if that, at the time. I don't S&D either now. At classic length I'll get maybe 10 or so splits in 3 months between trims. Mostly because those ends I sit on occasionally and that causes more friction damage.

[vpatt]

I've done that a few times but something I read on Ktani's blog (or at least that's where I think I read it) makes me think that the two combined wouldn't have the same pH as the scalp and therefore may not close the hair cuticle. :shrug: I've been meaning to ask but never got around to it since I never noticed a difference with catnip rinses anyway (which I actually used as a leave-in rather than a rinse-out). Hopefully someone will come along with some actual facts for us since I definitely have no way of truly knowing. I'd personally have to spray some leave-in conditioner everyday between washes even if the catnip/vinegar combo worked in conjunction anyway since my hair can never seem to get enough moisture.

Alisha, thanks I never thought of the ph changing.....I'm curious about this.

[ghost]

I have a few friends who seem to never get splits. I think it just comes down to strong, thick, well-moisturized hair because my friend who has thick hair with a normal moisture balance almost never gets spits, and another girl who has almost the same hair type but has problems with dryness, gets more split ends. And then I'm over here with my fine, wavy hair that I can't touch with any heat at all or it's split city.
WCC and LOC have helped me out a little bit. The ends are always going to be fragile, but my newer growth looks and feels amazing, especially for dyed hair.

S&D made me absolutely obsessive. Trimming my ends a little bit every two or three months has been much more helpful -the ends get evened out and I don't sit there obsessively inspecting every strand of hair. I'll snip off individual splits if I happen to see them, but I don't go actively looking for them.

[julya]

I tend to not have many split ends, but I think it is because my hair is more likely to break than split. I think it is because my hair is very fine.