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lapis_lazuli
January 23rd, 2016, 12:49 PM
Just wondering if anyone has any tips when S&Ding. My hair's condition has improved a lot since I started but it's getting harder and harder to find splits (which is definitely a good thing!) However, I know there are still some hiding in there and even with a bright light, dark background, and small sectioning, I still struggle to find them.

Anyone have any techniques to share? And how do you know when to leave your hair alone?
Thanks! :blossom:

lapushka
January 23rd, 2016, 01:11 PM
If you can't find any with the best of efforts - then leave it alone. I don't go "digging" for splits either. If I happen to find one, I'll tackle it, but if not... then so be it. :shrug: It gets to a point where you have to let it go.

lapis_lazuli
January 23rd, 2016, 01:32 PM
That's true. I guess I'm just paranoid about not finding them because ideally I want hair with no splits at all. But I guess that's holding myself to a really high standard. I'll try not to go digging for them, as you said. I'll probably stay sane that way :)

school of fish
January 23rd, 2016, 01:40 PM
Congrats on finding fewer! That's got to be a good thing, right? ;)

The one tip I will give if you feel inclined to S&D is to do it in the car in daylight (when you're a passenger, not the driver!) The natural light coming from all sides of the glass has been the best light for me for finding splits hidden inside the length, bar none! I have a small pair of dedicated hair scissors I keep in my purse and when we're out on drives or in the car for any length of time I get to work on the splits and white dots.

Just being able to *see* them without digging has made S&D a much more efficient, and therefore enjoyable, process for me :) Otherwise I find S&D a chore...

Arctic
January 23rd, 2016, 01:42 PM
Maybe dedicate monthly 15 minutes (or so) for it, and don't obsess about the splits during the other times. Of course if you happen to see one and you have your scissors nearby, take care of that one individually.

It sounds like your hair's split situation is now at the realistically *good enough* level, which is a nice place to be. Now you'll just need to maintain your hard work (you might need a little experimenting to find how often and how much S&Ding is needed to keep up the current state). And, most importantly, enjoy your hair!

lapis_lazuli
January 23rd, 2016, 01:56 PM
Thanks for the tip, school of fish! I just hope my mom doesn't judge me too much :laugh:
That's a good idea, Arctic, I try to limit myself to doing it only once in a while and put my worries aside. Since I've been wearing my hair up, that's becoming easier to do as I can't inspect my hair every other second :)
Thanks both of you! :blossom:

Duchess Fuzzy Buns
January 23rd, 2016, 02:07 PM
Congrats on finding fewer! That's got to be a good thing, right? ;)

The one tip I will give if you feel inclined to S&D is to do it in the car in daylight (when you're a passenger, not the driver!) The natural light coming from all sides of the glass has been the best light for me for finding splits hidden inside the length, bar none! I have a small pair of dedicated hair scissors I keep in my purse and when we're out on drives or in the car for any length of time I get to work on the splits and white dots.

Just being able to *see* them without digging has made S&D a much more efficient, and therefore enjoyable, process for me :) Otherwise I find S&D a chore...

That seems kind of dangerous if you're doing it while the car is moving, no? If you have to stop quickly, or get in an accident, a pair of sharp scissors in your hands could be a problem. I could see doing it in the car while you're sitting in a parking lot or something though. Maybe I'm just paranoid. :shrug:

Dessi
January 23rd, 2016, 02:07 PM
Wow, wish I could say I can't find splits. Every time I look at my hair, I can see a lot of splits. But I don't worry about this anymore. The splits are many indeed, but not more than they were last year and the year before. My hair still grows and the ends don't feel dry or damaged. I guess I'm just one of those people, whose hair will always have splits and I have finally accepted this.
Good that you can't find splits, leave the scissors alone for a while then and don't think that much about the split ends. :) Enjoy your healthy hair!

school of fish
January 23rd, 2016, 02:15 PM
That seems kind of dangerous if you're doing it while the car is moving, no? If you have to stop quickly, or get in an accident, a pair of sharp scissors in your hands could be a problem. I could see doing it in the car while you're sitting in a parking lot or something though. Maybe I'm just paranoid. :shrug:

I guess I just like to live on the edge..? ;)

lapis_lazuli
January 23rd, 2016, 02:28 PM
Wow, wish I could say I can't find splits. Every time I look at my hair, I can see a lot of splits. But I don't worry about this anymore. The splits are many indeed, but not more than they were last year and the year before. My hair still grows and the ends don't feel dry or damaged. I guess I'm just one of those people, whose hair will always have splits and I have finally accepted this.
Good that you can't find splits, leave the scissors alone for a while then and don't think that much about the split ends. :) Enjoy your healthy hair!

Thank you, but my hair is not perfect. I'm worried I'm just kidding myself and there are so many splits hiding in my hair that I just can't find. I dunno... I know I shouldn't stress over it. My hair also grows and doesn't feel damaged but I still worry... haha my hair is like my child I guess :laugh:

Wildcat Diva
January 23rd, 2016, 04:15 PM
I second sitting in the car. It's also helpful if you have any loud kids that make you really not want to come home after work so a person can just hang out in there in the driveway lol. However, usually one of the loud and yelling offspring will notice I am home yet not inside the house and come out to gripe at me or tattle or pester me for something (they are all 12-16).

Anyhoo, I do have another tip. Take your length about half way down and grab it with your non scissor hand. Your hair goes over your thumb. Move your hair over your thumb and bend it (weird, sorry?) so that shorter hairs like new growth or whatever pop up away from the rest of the hair. These can be examined or just snipped a tiny tiny bit to micro trim them. Then move further down and do the same thing.
Hope that makes sense and that it helps.

lapis_lazuli
January 23rd, 2016, 05:08 PM
It totally does, Wildcat Diva! Thank you for the tip, I seem to recall doing this before. :)

trolleypup
January 23rd, 2016, 09:16 PM
I second sitting in the car. It's also helpful if you have any loud kids that make you really not want to come home after work so a person can just hang out in there in the driveway lol. However, usually one of the loud and yelling offspring will notice I am home yet not inside the house and come out to gripe at me or tattle or pester me for something (they are all 12-16).

Anyhoo, I do have another tip. Take your length about half way down and grab it with your non scissor hand. Your hair goes over your thumb. Move your hair over your thumb and bend it (weird, sorry?) so that shorter hairs like new growth or whatever pop up away from the rest of the hair. These can be examined or just snipped a tiny tiny bit to micro trim them. Then move further down and do the same thing.
Hope that makes sense and that it helps.
And if you put a bit of slack in the loop you make there, you can shake it and even more bad ends will pop out.

lapis_lazuli
January 23rd, 2016, 09:18 PM
Thanks Trolleypup! I may just spend tomorrow sitting in my car, S&Ding :p

Anje
January 23rd, 2016, 10:02 PM
I like to sorta fingercomb my hair with the scissors within easy reach. When I encounter a tangle, rather than picking it out, I grab the whole thing and examine it closely. Usually there's a split or a badly kinked hair that doubles back on itself, causing the snarl. So I find the bad hairs and cut them out. This has the bonus of eliminating hairs that you know all cause more tangles down the road.

lapis_lazuli
January 23rd, 2016, 10:06 PM
Oh, I never thought of that Anje! That's so smart. Thanks for tip! :D

Dessi
January 23rd, 2016, 10:14 PM
Thank you, but my hair is not perfect. I'm worried I'm just kidding myself and there are so many splits hiding in my hair that I just can't find. I dunno... I know I shouldn't stress over it. My hair also grows and doesn't feel damaged but I still worry... haha my hair is like my child I guess :laugh:
Also have a look at this:
https://sites.google.com/site/habioku/about-hair/self-trimming
Number 3 and 4 is usually how I S&D. I think that's an easy way to find the hiding splits.

lapis_lazuli
January 23rd, 2016, 10:20 PM
Thanks for the link, Dessi! Some good information on there :thumbsup: Bookmarked!

Daydreamer.
January 25th, 2016, 02:14 AM
Sometimes, you can feel for them. Slide your a small section of hair between your fingers (from mid-length to the ends). If you feel roughness, kinks, etc., hold onto them. Then, take a look at those ends. If they are splits, trim them off. This technique works especially well with fairy knots.

maborosi
January 25th, 2016, 09:37 AM
Is your hair drier and tanglier than usual? Is clarifying, hitting it with lots of moisture, using cones, or whatever is your go-to detangling method not working?

That's how I find splits-to-be. I try to get them before they start. I'll usually notice that my hair feels more unruly, or doesn't want to detangle no matter what I do to it.

I usually only notice this every couple of months, though. Every now and then a stray split will show up, but if I do a good trim, I'm usually golden for 3 or 4 months.

lapis_lazuli
January 25th, 2016, 10:43 AM
Sometimes, you can feel for them. Slide your a small section of hair between your fingers (from mid-length to the ends). If you feel roughness, kinks, etc., hold onto them. Then, take a look at those ends. If they are splits, trim them off. This technique works especially well with fairy knots.

I actually don't feel roughness in my hair which makes the splits even more elusive.

lapis_lazuli
January 25th, 2016, 10:45 AM
Is your hair drier and tanglier than usual? Is clarifying, hitting it with lots of moisture, using cones, or whatever is your go-to detangling method not working?

That's how I find splits-to-be. I try to get them before they start. I'll usually notice that my hair feels more unruly, or doesn't want to detangle no matter what I do to it.

I usually only notice this every couple of months, though. Every now and then a stray split will show up, but if I do a good trim, I'm usually golden for 3 or 4 months.

I'd say my hair is not drier or more tangled than normal... maybe I'm just making mountains out of molehills... I know I have a few splits but not enough for it to affect the overall condition of my hair. Thank you for the advice though :flower:

LongCurlyTress
January 25th, 2016, 10:48 AM
Also have a look at this:
https://sites.google.com/site/habioku/about-hair/self-trimming
Number 3 and 4 is usually how I S&D. I think that's an easy way to find the hiding splits.

Oh my! If I did this, I wouldn't have any hair left! LOL! :rolleyes:

Magalo
January 25th, 2016, 11:17 AM
You can try clarifying and not using conditionner before doin s&d. Hydrating shampoo and conditionner hides them. :)

lapis_lazuli
January 25th, 2016, 11:25 AM
You can try clarifying and not using conditionner before doin s&d. Hydrating shampoo and conditionner hides them. :)

Oh, I didn't know that! Thanks for the tip! :flower:

Anje
January 25th, 2016, 12:28 PM
You can try clarifying and not using conditionner before doin s&d. Hydrating shampoo and conditionner hides them. :)

So do oils and leave-ins. Which is nice when you're not S&Ding, but it's a pain when you are.

Beatrixity
January 25th, 2016, 06:15 PM
Found this and think it's a great method for s&d.
(It's wrapping hair around around a stick and then taking care of the ends, but the tutorial is informative.)

http://eleganceandbeautyreviews.com/how-to-remove-split-ends-from-hair-fast/

school of fish
January 25th, 2016, 07:13 PM
Just thought of another thing - if you braid your hair and leave a nice long tassel, split strands often show themselves more readily. Same thing with ponytailing your hair or putting it in a rope braid - the strands realign themselves differently and ends that normally are hidden in the length reveal themselves more easily.

The long braid tassel thing has been particularly helpful to me since I've recently reintroduced S&D into my routine. I like that I can isolate the most damaged/split section of my length (the bottom 10") and focus on that zone where it needs it most :)

lapis_lazuli
January 25th, 2016, 07:51 PM
Thank you Anje, Beatrixity, and school of fish so much for your advice :D I will put it to good use. :flower:

Quasiquixotic
January 25th, 2016, 08:23 PM
I want to second S&D when a passenger in a car. Really ideal.

I find lots of splits. But not so many that I want to trim just yet. I value my length too much and most of my ends are good. It has been over 2 years since my last trim and I'm noticing I can only go about a 4-6 weeks between major S&D sessions, so I know I will need a trim soon. I'm hoping I can firmly establish my hair at waist first. But really when you need a trim you need a trim.

Good luck!