Tree Branch-like splits

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

I was doing some s&d. I was doing it outside and trying to focus on the overall length because I feel I have more random splits higher up than specifically on my ends. And thats where I found these.

Both of them had at least 4 different splits. I thought 4 different strands maybe got stuck together but as I started to separate hairs away from these I realized what was happening. holy heck. I have no clue how something like this even happens, and theres probably more lingering in there. I need to start doing s&d more often... :rolleyes:

https://s1.postimg.org/5i29z31hmn/Full_Size_Render.jpg

This one had splits that were like 4 inches above my ends...
Like it was in the near middle of the strand...

https://s1.postimg.org/12juttuo0v/IMG_5247.jpg
https://s1.postimg.org/3fmhb15h6n/IMG_5248.jpg

snip snip :scissors: Does anyone else experiences splits like this? what the heck is happening? im sure its just from mechanical damage and doing more s&d is fine :scissors: but it kind of makes me nervous because there are probably more HIDING. s&d is hard on my eyes enough as it is!

[wispe]

I hate those! I don't get them as often anymore, and not usually more than two splits on the same strand at most, but when I first started S&D (when I first joined LHC) I would find feathered strands with 12+ splits going 6+ inches up the strand. Prior to that I was wearing my hair down 99% of the time and it was after my hair had been through a lot of bleaching and force-fading of colors with harsh sulfates. I'm a lot more gentle with my hair now but I do still wear it down about every 2nd or 3rd day and the other half of the week is sometimes a braid (so I could be doing more protective styling, but I don't find it super necessary). I think S+D over the past year and a half has eliminated the worst of them, and now I catch them before they get too bad and can start really feathering. I don't usually find splits above the last 2-3" anymore.

[pandabarrier]

I’ve never had those, but DH’s beard get tree branch-like splits because of mechanical damage.

[Nique1202]

I've seen a few. Found one earlier today, as a matter of fact, though it was thankfully close to the ends. But I've seen the multiple-inch-long ones, near the middle of the hair shaft. Some people never get split ends, their damage manifests in different ways. Some people are only prone to split ends from specific kinds of damage. And for some of us, all it takes is the right amount of damage from any source to line up with the right structural weak point in the hair shaft.

[enting]

Oh yes, I get these all the time. At least half of my splits are like your second one, several inches up from the bottom or even halfway up the strand (yes, even at BCL/TBL length). I did notice a reduction in the higher up splits when I stopped using elastics in my hair. I started using tiny silicone elastics for braid ends only and the splits are showing up again where the elastic sits and even a bit higher up. I also was very naughty a couple of months back and slept with my hair loose for a whole week when I wasn't feeling well. I'm still working on S&Ding out the damage from then. I also get a lot of single strand knots, and if I don't cut those out soon after they form, they encourage splits in the neighboring hairs at the same height.
I can usually tell where such things are hiding by feel. Any area of my hair that feels velcro-ey or feels rough when i smooth my fingers down it most likely has a bunch of these.
I haven't studied a lot of hair science but what I figure is happening is that friction or heat (even sparking from dryness or combing too fast, like the sparks you get when shuffling across a carpet and then touching an object) is causing the protein strands that make up the hair to separate from each other and split off like that. I picture it like repeatedly bending and snapping a rope. Eventually the fibers fray and break, a few at a time. I don't know if more moisture or more protein or both would help the hairs be more resilient to whatever is fraying them.

ETA: a few weeks ago I had a coarse hair shed that had a ton of little split offs all the way up it! Nique1202 I think you're right about it lining up with structural weak points. Some of my hairs are very kinky and those are supposedly more fragile where the kinks form.

[spidermom]

When my hair was long, yes - I'd get that kind and worst. Some of them looked like tree limbs, branches, and twigs. In other words, the split ends at the end of my split ends were split. I didn't do much that could be considered damaging to my hair, so that's a big part of why I'm rocking shorter hair now.

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

I almost consider using cones again, just to see. But I think once my hair is virgin it wont matter as much.

[Beeboo123]

I don't think they can be caused only by mechanical damage. Typically, this kind of split occurs when there is extensive damage to the hair, which can be due to chemical and mechanical causes. You've mentioned multiple times that your hair is dried out by your use of hendigo, I wouldn't be surprised if that was the cause of your splits.

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

I don't think they can be caused only by mechanical damage. Typically, this kind of split occurs when there is extensive damage to the hair, which can be due to chemical and mechanical causes. You've mentioned multiple times that your hair is dried out by your use of hendigo, I wouldn't be surprised if that was the cause of your splits.

It probably is, but honestly it could be a multitude of things. The weather, the hard water. Its not bad enough that its causing me to not retain length but when im searching and I find these guys I sometimes wonder how it managed to even split so many times without snapping lol

[Jo Ann]

Rebeccalaurenxx, those splits are what I call "Christmas trees," although some here call them "feathers." Pre-LHC, I got those a LOT--I wasn't using conditioners or oils when I washed my hair, not taking the time to brush and/or comb properly (I do get impatient at times, but I've been working on getting better at it), leaving my hair down (the only two styles I knew were peacock twist or ponytails), not properly taking care of my body...you name it!

I still get them, but my goal is to take care of the ones at the last 2" or so of my hair. I feel that, if I can get those under control, it should go a long way toward better hair health for me. When I've come across a knot, I check for splits (and fairy knots) on the hairs involved and correct accordingly.

I know you're busier than a centipede on hot asphalt right now, but work on what you can to help your hair to feel and look better. After you get settled, you'll be able to go back to your full routine and get your hair back to what you want it to be.

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

Rebeccalaurenxx, those splits are what I call "Christmas trees," although some here call them "feathers." Pre-LHC, I got those a LOT--I wasn't using conditioners or oils when I washed my hair, not taking the time to brush and/or comb properly (I do get impatient at times, but I've been working on getting better at it), leaving my hair down (the only two styles I knew were peacock twist or ponytails), not properly taking care of my body...you name it!

I still get them, but my goal is to take care of the ones at the last 2" or so of my hair. I feel that, if I can get those under control, it should go a long way toward better hair health for me. When I've come across a knot, I check for splits (and fairy knots) on the hairs involved and correct accordingly.

I know you're busier than a centipede on hot asphalt right now, but work on what you can to help your hair to feel and look better. After you get settled, you'll be able to go back to your full routine and get your hair back to what you want it to be.

I mean my routine is pretty solid right now. I just get splits. Its how my hair has always been.
My hair is fragile and fine. I get it from my mother. I havent done any of those sort of things in years, so for me I know its probably from manipulation, and just the way my hair is. But thats ok. Im doing s&d and trimming regularly and being the best I can be to my hair. I just find these sort of splits to be sort of miraculous. :p
Like what the heck. I treat you like silk and you defy me like this?! LOL

Oh hair

[Jo Ann]

Tell me about it!

On my last S&D mission, I found a few Christmas trees :shocked: That and the fairy tale ends (where most of the Christmas trees were found) led to me dropping out of the No Trim Challenge this year. :(

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

Tell me about it!

On my last S&D mission, I found a few Christmas trees :shocked: That and the fairy tale ends (where most of the Christmas trees were found) led to me dropping out of the No Trim Challenge this year. :(

This is the first time I have ever really.. done s&d consistently either. So for me I am not surprised to see this stuff either!

[GalaMoon]

I noticed some Chrismas tree splits on my hair too, but not often. However, when I was in high school I grew my hair from the middle of my neck to halfway between APL and BSL in about 2 years with no trims. At some point, I looked at my ends and the splits were going up the hair almost to the middle of it. I had to chop to shoulder because so much of my hair was like that. All I did back then was wash twice a week, rinse with very diluted white vinegar and air dry. No hair dye, no heat, but I wore my hair down all the time and combed through it like a mad person. At the moment, my hair has damage in it but I don't get as many splits and they are usually in the first stages. I do however trim on a regular basis and do s&d in between, I guess some hairs need it more often. You just have to work with what you have. I know what you mean by s&d-ing being hard on the eyes, my hair is at collar bone, it's fine and I wear glasses. Not one of the most pleasant things to do

[leayellena]

I had such splits before I even knew what Conditioner is! But I think you should wear your hair up on autumn and winter seasons. Cold, even if you don't feel it that much, attacks hair. I see a lot of girls and women with their hair down these days but I am cold as a French bulldog 🐕 so my hair is always up and in a cap since end of august lol.

[spidermom]

I don't think they can be caused only by mechanical damage. Typically, this kind of split occurs when there is extensive damage to the hair, which can be due to chemical and mechanical causes. You've mentioned multiple times that your hair is dried out by your use of hendigo, I wouldn't be surprised if that was the cause of your splits.

I didn't use anything on my hair that could dry it out or damage it, was careful with it, wore it up most of the time, and protected it from the sun, yet I got horrendous-looking splits. Sometimes hair ends just get old and wear out, or something. I never figured it out.

[enting]

I just take it as a fact of life, at least in my hair. Ever since I first looked for damage I have found them. There are things that I can do to increase or decrease the number of them that I get, but I highly doubt I will ever get to zero. Sometimes I wonder if my nutrition or metabolism has anything to do with it, but it is an idle wonder.

[school of fish]

Oh yes, I get them too. Not in massive quantity but enough that I can generally find a couple in any given S&D session. I'm pretty sure it goes with the territory of my fine cobweb texture.

I've been caring well for my hair for 4 years now, but the relative delicacy of my fine strands probably means I'll never be entirely without splits, tree-branch or otherwise. I'm fine with it - they don't show to the outside world, they're few enough in number that generally speaking they don't tangle up intolerably, and they don't prevent me from enjoying my hair as a whole :)

[Reyn127]

I definitely get those, including the splits higher up on the shaft. That's why I've decided not to trim, because half of my split ends occur at least a few inches from the actual end of the hair.
I think you're right about your hair being fine and delicate, and therefore prone to more splits. Mine is fine, and if it gets too dry for a few days, or if I braid it more often than usual, my hair ends get really beat up. Even with babying my hair, sometimes it just isn't happy to withstand the small stresses I put it through.
I wouldn't worry too hard though, because I've seen a huge improvement over time with the things I've learned here.

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

Oh yes, I get them too. Not in massive quantity but enough that I can generally find a couple in any given S&D session. I'm pretty sure it goes with the territory of my fine cobweb texture.

I've been caring well for my hair for 4 years now, but the relative delicacy of my fine strands probably means I'll never be entirely without splits, tree-branch or otherwise. I'm fine with it - they don't show to the outside world, they're few enough in number that generally speaking they don't tangle up intolerably, and they don't prevent me from enjoying my hair as a whole :)

As I remember, our hair type is very similar in a few ways. So it's probably just the name of the game in regard to my hair. Just how it is!

[Beeboo123]

I didn't use anything on my hair that could dry it out or damage it, was careful with it, wore it up most of the time, and protected it from the sun, yet I got horrendous-looking splits. Sometimes hair ends just get old and wear out, or something. I never figured it out.

Ouch! Your hair is so delicate

[spidermom]

Ouch! Your hair is so delicate

Apparently that's the case. The hair down to hip length was pretty much o.k., but after that the ends tried their best to disintegrate.

[Ligeia Noire]

I get those too and I have never dyed my hair or used heat tools, well I might have straightened my hair a couple of times in high school, so you know what? They just show up anyway, I think it is just the nature of some strands, they are like trees they want to grow branches, I do not obsess about it... I trim it when I need it and it still grows.

[Wreckinbelle]

When my hair was long, yes - I'd get that kind and worst. Some of them looked like tree limbs, branches, and twigs. In other words, the split ends at the end of my split ends were split. I didn't do much that could be considered damaging to my hair, so that's a big part of why I'm rocking shorter hair now.

Same! I have, virtually no splits now and it feels relaxing!


It probably is, but honestly it could be a multitude of things. The weather, the hard water. Its not bad enough that its causing me to not retain length but when im searching and I find these guys I sometimes wonder how it managed to even split so many times without snapping lol

I wondered that too...Like: "How did it get this far?" :D:D:D


Sometimes hair ends just get old and wear out, or something. I never figured it out.

I was starting to think that after my cut, because my hair is soo soft and bouncy now..and I'm thinking "Why weren't you like this a month ago!" Then I was telling my husband that I think it's because the hair that I cut off was just getting old and worn. It was over seven years and had taken a lot of abuse.

[unheardletters]

I never use heat or dye and I wear my hair up all the time yet I get a lot of split ends (even split all the way to the root or feathered or split anywhere along the strand). My hair is coarse, so I shouldn’t get so many splits, but it just seems to be its nature. My hair has always had tons of splits all over even when I was a baby. I used to S&D but I had to stop because it was becoming an obseession, where I’d spend hours searching each strand from top to bottom every day cutting out splits. I’ve had very long hair in the past so I know I can grow my hair long despite having lots of split ends.

[school of fish]

As I remember, our hair type is very similar in a few ways. So it's probably just the name of the game in regard to my hair. Just how it is!

Yeah, looks to be that way ;)

If your hair continues to behave like mine I think you'll find that over time the good habits will accumulate into more and more of what you want your hair to be - at least that's how it's been for me :)

[FantasyBoudicca]

Agh, same. I'm not quite sure, but I'm fairly sure that the ends of my hair are virgin. My hair is almost always up in a bun, if not in a braid, I don't heat-style or blow dry my hair - still get light-coloured streaks through the last several inches (I'm Chinese with extremely dark hair from both sides of the family) and tree branches every few months. At this point I'm sincerely considering visiting a hair salon to get a professional to help get rid of the damage, or asking my roommate to help me go at it as an objective judge of how screwed up my ends are. I don't mind losing up to four inches, I just want to get rid of the damage.

[lithostoic]

I noticed one yesterday. I'll be S&D-ing at the end of the month, after I clarify and deep condition.

[lucid]

I have them as well. Mostly the strands that are bleached though. I did a super thorough S&D a while ago, so most are gone now. But I think I will have lots of splits coming until the bleach is grown out...

Some of the bleached strands are even damaged all the way, not necessarily splits, but bumps, kinks and "wavy" texture. Like I can look at the strand and just know it's a matter of time before the strand will split and break :p

[*Wednesday*]

In my case, many, many years ago when my hair was officially damaged from coloring/highlighting and using curling too much, I would see splits like these. I would do cholesterol treatments to remedy. Someone recommend eggs but I couldn’t stand the smell. I would keep the cholesterol in my hair for hours with a cap on my head. This year, I saw one of those types. It had three splits but it was towards the end of the air. I know having some splits is normal. If the splits are just forming constantly, the hair shaft/cuticle is suffering from not just dryness but damage to the hair from what I’ve read. Damaged can be temporarily mended but not fixed. Is that stretch of length of hair (i.e. last 3 inches) still remnants from previous damage? Until that damage is cut away from the hair the splits will form.

Marie Claire has a topic about different kinds of splits.

Tree Split

"The tree shows an example where more damage has occurred to one side of the hair fiber than the other and as a result several 'branches' of cortical cells are beginning to separate,"
http://www.marieclaire.com/beauty/news/g3668/different-types-of-split-ends-and-what-they-mean/

[Andthetalltrees]

I got one from getting a strand of my hair caught in something and then pulling it out.

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

Yeah, looks to be that way ;)

If your hair continues to behave like mine I think you'll find that over time the good habits will accumulate into more and more of what you want your hair to be - at least that's how it's been for me :)

Hopefully!!! I am spending much more time doing s&d which before I was not doing at all.. which is a step i think lol

[school of fish]

Hopefully!!! I am spending much more time doing s&d which before I was not doing at all.. which is a step i think lol

Crossing fingers for you! Hopefully the softer water where you are now (I saw the thread where you updated about that) will help as well! I have a gut feeling that it might... :D

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

Crossing fingers for you! Hopefully the softer water where you are now (I saw the thread where you updated about that) will help as well! I have a gut feeling that it might... :D

I think so too!

[Stray_mind]

I sometimes get these on my ends, but they look less like tree branches and more like a broom's end, lol.

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

I sometimes get these on my ends, but they look less like tree branches and more like a broom's end, lol.

Odd enough my splits never split like that. There will be several up and down a strand but I dont actually get too many of them on the ends. More L shape splits than the Y.

[peachyleshy]

I get these all through out the ends, not just on the ends and where it has been dyed. I've been better and gentler with my hair so I don't know what causes them. Probably tangles and friction against the pillowcase (though I'm sleeping on a silk one now). I hope my flexi clips and hair fork are not breaking my hair. :/ Having fine hair, I think I, too will always have splits.

[Alex Lou]

I think these resemble feathers when I get them.

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

I havent seen any more since i cut these out, so its possible it occurred from me never doing s&d lol