Does anyone else constantly have split ends?

[Reyn127]

Hey everyone, long time no see.

As the title says, does anyone else seem to always be getting more and more split ends, despite following a “good” haircare routine? I’m not looking for advice so much as to just express my frustration and see if anyone else is in this same boat.

About 2-3 times per year, I go on a thorough S&D mission - I’ll spend a few days at a time using pretty much all my free time to go through my hair cutting out split ends, to the point where I basically cannot find anymore on my head after a few days, so I’ll stop. Within a few months it will get bad again, so I’ll repeat the cycle. It gets to the point where about 1/4 to 1/3 of my ends are split, no exaggeration. I probably spend 15-20 hours per year doing S&D spaced out over a few chunks, and I have been doing this for 3-4 years at this point.

It drives me kind of nuts that my ends can’t seem to keep it together! I don’t have any scalp issues, I’m pretty sure I have a good moisture/protein balance in my hair, I’m super gentle while combing/brushing, never use heat, I keep my hair in a nautilus bun for probably 23 hours a day, and I’ll only wear it down (actually braided) probably once a month. I have noticed that using tools to comb my hair HAS made the splits worse compared to when I was strictly finger combing for a couple years, but even back then I’d end up doing almost the same amount of S&D as I am now.

I’m guessing that this might just be the result of me growing out my hair beyond the point of where I started to really care for my hair after joining LHC. I’m really hoping that this split end fiasco will end at some point once I finally manage to trim off all the pre-LHC hair, but also I’m kind of anticipating that maybe my hair is just super prone to splitting no matter what I do.

Does anyone else deal with something like this?? Has anyone with splitty hair managed to trim off their pre-LHC hair and seen an actual difference in the hair that received “proper” care? Thanks everyone for any insight.

[spidermom]

Yes! No matter what I'm willing to do, my hair just loves to split, sometimes so horrendously that the ends look like feathers. There are things I haven't tried like no water or water only, but I'm not willing to give up washing my hair. I love it when it's fresh and clean! When my scalp area gets oily, I add oil to the length and comb it through, then wash it hours to a day later, shampoo to the scalp area, finger-combing motions through the hair closest to the scalp, rinse, conditioner to length, allow to marinate while I finish my shower, then rinsed out while combing through. Sometimes I blow-dry it, but never on hot. I wear it braided and bunned most of the time but sometimes only bunned and sometimes only braided. Rarely, I'll wear it down. I'm gentle with combing.

Recently I went a year and a half without trimming, but it didn't grow much, and to my horror when I examined the ends under strong light, almost every single end was split. I gave myself a 4-inch trim then and there, and my hair has been gaining length since then. I'm seeing a lot of split ends again so will trim soon.

[baanoo]

My hair also likes to split - it’s fine and wavy and easily frazzled. Periodically (read: once every 3-6 months maybe?) I s&d whatever splits catch my eye (mostly my braid tail; if they’re further up I tend to let them go. I keep the ends oiled, use a strong leave-in, and wear it in a bun most of the time, a braid some of the time, and down rarely.

I suppose I consider splits to be part of the cost of doing business for me; if I were to keep them all cut out I’d have either hair that never made it longer than mbl - or else the most psychedelic hemline this side of the Atlantic. :p

When I look at the other lovely heads around here I notice that our friends with M and C tend to be more diligent s&d-ers - maybe those hairs are easier to see? Maybe this is not actually true but I had perceived is to be so? I don’t know what the “right” answer is beyond “do what makes you feel good and not obsessive”

[GoddesJourney]

Mine used to do this to where growing to, let alone past SL was just ugly. The ends would all stick together and I had the "feathers" that spidermom described. I found out my hair hates silicones and is also not a big fan of sulfates unless very watered down with conditioner and oil. I no longer get many split ends. I stopped s&d and trim once, maybe twice a year.

There may be some ingredient or some source of friction that is sabotaging you. If not, maybe you just need a micro trim every few months. No big deal.

Oh, and as you said, it may just be that you still have some pre-LHC hair that has taken extra damage. I can definitely tell what part of my daughter's hair was exposed to baby shampoo.

[Zesty]

If your ends have seen less-than-stellar hair care then that might be the issue, since hair doesn't heal. When you trim away the pre-LHC stuff it might improve. Though it's also not impossible that your hair might just be prone to splits by nature. I think most of us have to accept having splits as part of growing long hair, and just do what we can to protect our ends and minimize the look of any damage. Plus, it's doubtful that anyone will notice your split ends as much as you do while S&Ding. :)

[Ylva]

My hair also likes to split - it’s fine and wavy and easily frazzled. Periodically (read: once every 3-6 months maybe?) I s&d whatever splits catch my eye (mostly my braid tail; if they’re further up I tend to let them go. I keep the ends oiled, use a strong leave-in, and wear it in a bun most of the time, a braid some of the time, and down rarely.

I suppose I consider splits to be part of the cost of doing business for me; if I were to keep them all cut out I’d have either hair that never made it longer than mbl - or else the most psychedelic hemline this side of the Atlantic. :p

When I look at the other lovely heads around here I notice that our friends with M and C tend to be more diligent s&d-ers - maybe those hairs are easier to see? Maybe this is not actually true but I had perceived is to be so? I don’t know what the “right” answer is beyond “do what makes you feel good and not obsessive”

This would be such a cool feat to claim, though! Love it!

[Finda]

My hair also likes to split - it’s fine and wavy and easily frazzled. Periodically (read: once every 3-6 months maybe?) I s&d whatever splits catch my eye (mostly my braid tail; if they’re further up I tend to let them go. I keep the ends oiled, use a strong leave-in, and wear it in a bun most of the time, a braid some of the time, and down rarely.

I suppose I consider splits to be part of the cost of doing business for me; if I were to keep them all cut out I’d have either hair that never made it longer than mbl - or else the most psychedelic hemline this side of the Atlantic. :p

When I look at the other lovely heads around here I notice that our friends with M and C tend to be more diligent s&d-ers - maybe those hairs are easier to see? Maybe this is not actually true but I had perceived is to be so? I don’t know what the “right” answer is beyond “do what makes you feel good and not obsessive”

That's my take on things as well.

[Siv]

My hair also likes to split - it’s fine and wavy and easily frazzled. Periodically (read: once every 3-6 months maybe?) I s&d whatever splits catch my eye (mostly my braid tail; if they’re further up I tend to let them go. I keep the ends oiled, use a strong leave-in, and wear it in a bun most of the time, a braid some of the time, and down rarely.

I suppose I consider splits to be part of the cost of doing business for me; if I were to keep them all cut out I’d have either hair that never made it longer than mbl - or else the most psychedelic hemline this side of the Atlantic. :p

When I look at the other lovely heads around here I notice that our friends with M and C tend to be more diligent s&d-ers - maybe those hairs are easier to see? Maybe this is not actually true but I had perceived is to be so? I don’t know what the “right” answer is beyond “do what makes you feel good and not obsessive”

Agree! :heart:

I have constant split ends at any length beyond MBL-WL. I hated it so much I wanted to chop for that reason at around WL. Now I trim four times a year to keep them relatively in shape, because S&Ding with my translucent hairs is just impossibly frustrating. I do notice my own splits but I've been told no one else does so I've learnt to be satisfied with that

[foreveryours]

Mine doesn't split at all. It just breaks off

[Jane99]

I get constant split ends too. Sleeping in a braid has helped tremendously especially with the back layers. I believe catnip tea hair rinses also helped but I just don’t ever remember to do them. I S&D and microtrim 4 times per year. But aside from the ends the rest of my length feels awesome with keeping it in a protective style, prepoo oiling, post poo oil, washing less, gentle hair care. But yeah those pesky splits.

[Belgrade Beauty]

I try to s&d as much as I can, but it's so frustrating. I sit in my chair all armed and ready to deal with them and I can see them. Then I go to work and outside and they're everywhere! Gaaaah!
But yeah, I found them in my halo hairs, which are basically couple inches long..

[lapushka]

Used to get them when I used heat (like a crimper) on my hair. Got a couple back in the day, for sure, but it seems to have spun a whole 180 when I started to really moisturize my hair, which means oil rinse, double the conditioner and styling products. And these days I cut my growth off yearly in order to maintain, and so there's about 0 chance for splits to occur.

[0xalis]

When I was having this problem it was a combination of my hair not liking proteins and needing sulphates to be extremely diluted, my hair was just too dry.
My hair was quite short when I was having this problem, too! Ear length!! And I was being WAY more careful with my hair in terms of mechanical damage than I am now!!

Now that I've found a good moisture balance for my hair, and started using silicones again because my hair actually likes them, I don't get splits anymore even though I mostly just ignore my hair and wear it down all the time.
It's only medium length right now at APL so I know things might change as it gets even longer, but it's still MUCH longer than it was when I was getting a bunch of splits!

I also obsessively check my ends though, and if I see a split, it gets snip-snipped immediately! I keep my hair scissors in my bedside table drawer for this very reason.
I actually enjoy S&D so it doesn't bother me to check my ends as much as I do, I get a huge feeling of satisfaction when I catch one and get to give it a nice clean blunt end LOL!!
I only find legitimate split ends once every few weeks. Most of what I do trim off are tapered ends, which really don't need to be trimmed but I do it anyway for the satisfaction :p And even then there's not a lot of those.

[spidermom]

I forgot to mention earlier that all my hair pre-LHC hair has been cut away. I grew out to classic length, then cut back to collarbone length and maintained that length for about 2 years since joining LHC. I'm on the grow again.

[MusicalSpoons]

Probably about half my lengths are pre-LHC hair but I've only had a consistently moisturising routine for maybe 3 years? I do still get splits though, not loads but they're not rare either. And a couple of streaks of finer hairs (all length since LHC) especially tend to crumble or break rather than split, and I don't have the energy to be extra babying them. At the moment I don't mind them too much, but in say 7 years when it's all LHC-cared-for I might be a bit annoyed to still have a fair amount of splits!

[Kibrah]

I definitely have tins of split ends. I just don't have the patience for s&d. I too am hoping that as the old hair gets trimmed off it will slowly get better.

[Gypsy_Nerd]

I’m trying a mask with mayonnaise and honey. I’ve stretched my washes to about once a week. I recently started a new job and had to start covering my half to keep it clean and I think that’s really helping with environmental damage. I’m also happy to report that my hair loss has stopped since quitting my previous job! So yay to stress reduction! 😝

[Gypsy_Nerd]

Sorry! Looks like I replied to the wrong post! 😬🤦🏻*♀️

Protective styles have definitely helped as had figuring out the right way to wash and extending my wash days as long as I can.

[Starchild494]

I also have constant split ends... but for me I figured out that for my hair leaving it in buns is the worst. I actually have stopped putting my hair up in buns ( sometimes it's a force of habit to just shove it up in a bun) and I have less breakage. I do use more braids French or otherwise. My only problem is finding a good hairstyle for sleeping bc I tend to sleep on my scrunchie which hurts in am headaches ensues.... not fun

[Longlegs]

Yes, my hair is quite porous naturally and I sometimes get mid shaft splits too. No matter how well I treat it I always get split ends. I have come to accept this is just the way my hair is. Taking supplements has never helped, and interestingly bleaching my hair didn't actually make them worse. Thankfully they don't look too bad. I probably notice them more than others do.

[Sarah P]

...........

[shelomit]

Shortly after I joined here, someone (can't remember who--sorry!) recommended I try catnip to prevent splitting. It's worked very well! At first I was doing it weekly, but now I do it when it occurs to me, perhaps every couple of months, and it still seems to help. I got regular old catnip from the pet care aisle, made a tisane out of it, and dipped my hair in it after washing, squeezed out some of the excess, and let it dry. I understand it may have some staining effect on those with very light hair. There's a thread running around to this effect somewhere. . .

Apart from that, I think the main thing I've discovered that's helped over the years is varying the way I put my hair up. Having the bun sometimes higher, sometimes lower, varying the amount of "tassel" on braids and therefore where the tie sits, seems to avoid stressing the same bits of hair over and over and prompting it to split.

[Larki]

Oh yeah, I get splits all the time and a fair amount are the monster splits. I trim about an inch off every few months and do S&D in between.

[JasminxCat]

I do, I think everyone does. I try not to obsess. I take care of my hair as much as I can but even that I try not to obsess so much over. I like showing off my length so I wear my hair down more often than not. I want to enjoy it as much as possible without the constant fear of every day activities causing the inevitable split. If it's gotten to a point where it's a hassle to brush through certain sections, then I'll give it a thorough S&D, but that isn't too often

[memeow]

Yep lots of splits for me too. A lot of them are high enough up that they're not getting trimmed out for a long time, and I do a little S&D but I get obsessive over it sometimes so I try not to do too much. Somehow my hair still seems to grow as long as I keep it up most of the time, so I mostly ignore them.

[Jools69]

Yes, I do get a fair amount of splits, as I do use heat sometimes and from manipulation. I try not to worry about them too much, as they don’t seem to travel up the hair shaft as ‘experts’ claim and I only microtrim, or S & D when they start to tangle or if I think they look I unsightly.

At the end of the day, that hair strand with a split will eventually shed anyway and I believe the hype on keep the splits at bay, is a marketing technique to sell products and services.

[Siv]

Hmm. I have issues with split ends and have noticed a few trends over the years. I don't think I'll ever be split free at longer lengths but I deal with it and have stopped caring, as long as it doesn't look ratty.

Tangly hair
I thought porous hair > tangly hair > split ends. But this is not true for me. I really don't have porous hair, but I still do have tangly hair. I think this is because:
- my hair is sooo fine, like ridiculously thin hair strands: this makes them both more fragile and more flexible, which contributes to tangles
- I also have a lot of them: more hair > more opportunity for tangles...
- and it's long (even by LHC-standards, I'd say!) these days: again more hair > more opportunity for tangles...
I think this combination leads to tangly hair, which then leads to splits. Over in the fine hair threads I've notice people with similar hair have the same issue.

Detangling
I've tried all sorts of detangling methods and I just can't eliminate splits from detangling, no matter how gentle I am. Rough handling does lead to more splits, but gentle tangling does still cause splits for me. I'm not saying it doesn't make a difference for other people, but I do think that I - personally - will just get some split ends from detangling no matter what.

Emollients
Only silicones work for me, really. I need the heavy duty stuff and silicone-free doesn't cut it. But silicones really do help with the detangling bit. I prefer silicones in rinse out treatments and then oil (natural or otherwise) or serums if my ends are looking in need of extra protection between washes*. I really don't like detangling sprays and leave in conditioners, as they tend to have too much humectants which just leave my hair coated and sticky, which does the opposite of detangling! I think this is because my hair is fairly non-porous and the humectants don't penetrate it they way they're intended to. Heat protectants on wet hair works better though - they usually have silicones of some type and less humectants than other leave-in products. They tend to have alcohol in them though, but as the hair is wet I find it doesn't matter for me, at least.

Moisture
Winter is upon us, I live in a goshdarn cold climate and I notice my hair gets rougher, tanglier and splittier the colder it gets. The humidity freezes out of the air at colder temperatures so a cold climate is actually very dry, interestingly enough. I try to stay on top of moisturising treatments (humectants, protein and occlusives depending on how the hair is doing and what the weather is like), and one I like is pre-pooing the lengths with oil and leaving it in for a bit, then before lathering up with shampoo I put conditioner on top of the oil, shampoo, rinse, deep treatment or a very thick conditioner (this is where the silicones generally come in! I find it best to use them last to "lock in" more penetrative ingredients.

Actively growing vs. maintaining
When I'm actively growing and snipping off maybe 1-2 cm every 3 months my ends are looking really rough after 1 month until the 3rd month. When I'm maintaining and snipping off the entire growth (4-5 cm) every 3 months my ends still have splits but they don't look bad. I can feel them and see them if I look up close, but in braids or loose no one else can see it from a couple of steps away.


* Edit: emollients for a protective coat around the hair that helps with detangling, but also damage from e.g. brushing against furniture repeatedly and other mechanical stress

[Ylva]

Moisture
Winter is upon us, I live in a goshdarn cold climate and I notice my hair gets rougher, tanglier and splittier the colder it gets. The humidity freezes out of the air at colder temperatures so a cold climate is actually very dry, interestingly enough. I try to stay on top of moisturising treatments (humectants, protein and occlusives depending on how the hair is doing and what the weather is like), and one I like is pre-pooing the lengths with oil and leaving it in for a bit, then before lathering up with shampoo I put conditioner on top of the oil, shampoo, rinse, deep treatment or a very thick conditioner (this is where the silicones generally come in! I find it best to use them last to "lock in" more penetrative ingredients.

Even in -20 and beyond, I've actually not noticed particularly low humidities (even in continental areas as opposed to coastal). It tends to be upwards of 50%, still - at least according to the Microsoft weather app. I don't think the relative humidity is affected that much as cold air isn't able to hold as much moisture anyway? I am no expert in this area, though! This is just what I've observed, and I don't experience that my hair has any rougher time in the winter! The only time I notice issues with humidity is when the temperature suddenly rises, that time being the spring, and the relative humidity is temporarily low. That's when I get awful static - and my dogs also get all staticky.

I will certainly be paying closer attention to humidity this coming winter!

[bumblebums]

I know you didn't ask for advice or suggestions, but nobody else pointed this out, so... are your scissors sharp? Trimming your hair constantly with dull scissors can make split ends worse. Just because you only ever use those scissors on your hair doesn't mean they were sharp to begin with.

[MusicalSpoons]

Even in -20 and beyond, I've actually not noticed particularly low humidities (even in continental areas as opposed to coastal). It tends to be upwards of 50%, still - at least according to the Microsoft weather app. I don't think the relative humidity is affected that much as cold air isn't able to hold as much moisture anyway? I am no expert in this area, though! This is just what I've observed, and I don't experience that my hair has any rougher time in the winter! The only time I notice issues with humidity is when the temperature suddenly rises, that time being the spring, and the relative humidity is temporarily low. That's when I get awful static - and my dogs also get all staticky.

I will certainly be paying closer attention to humidity this coming winter!

I think that's the point though, if the maximum moisture it can hold is very little, then 50% of that is not very much moisture at all.

I think this is one reason why some people use dew points instead of relative humidity, but I can't remember exactly what dew points *are*.

[Ylva]

I think that's the point though, if the maximum moisture it can hold is very little, then 50% of that is not very much moisture at all.

I think this is one reason why some people use dew points instead of relative humidity, but I can't remember exactly what dew points *are*.

Yes, but if that matters so much, I don't understand why my hair only reacts the way it does to the sudden increase in temperature and doesn't flinch at the low temperatures in themselves.

[Lady Stardust]

I think that's the point though, if the maximum moisture it can hold is very little, then 50% of that is not very much moisture at all.

I think this is one reason why some people use dew points instead of relative humidity, but I can't remember exactly what dew points *are*.

I remember you and I talking about this in the past and I was trying to get my head around it!
https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=146136&page=4

My hair used to get staticy in frosty weather but it doesn’t seem to anymore (I’ve probably just jinxed it!)

[MusicalSpoons]

Yes, but if that matters so much, I don't understand why my hair reacts the way it does to the sudden increase in temperature and doesn't flinch at the low temperatures in themselves.

Interesting. I don't know, maybe this is an area where people's hair reacts differently. It's possible your hair isn't overly bothered by humidity? I haven't taken note of humidity for a very long time as my hair living in its bun largely tends to be unbothered :shrug:



I remember you and I talking about this in the past and I was trying to get my head around it!
https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=146136&page=4

My hair used to get staticy in frosty weather but it doesn’t seem to anymore (I’ve probably just jinxed it!)

Okay wow, you have an excellent memory and superlative thread-finding skills :thud: that was a blast from the past! I've not really thought about humidity since then; apart from the aloe Garnier hair food mask making my hair static I haven't noticed any real changes - or rather, not thought about any changes in connection with the weather. Any minor noticeable changes I just tend to deal with as they come. Here's hoping your hair stays static-free in frosty weather!

[Bri-Chan]

I live in a very humid area. I mean, often in these days when I go outside my lashes get wet, not joking! (someone here needs a waterproof mascara) I can say that my hair in this climate feels more weighted down, like I can't WCC like I used to do at home ( = in Italy), expecially in winter time. And it tangles more and get oily faster. At home with temperaturs like this my scalp would be super dry and sensitive.

Speaking for split ends, one of the good things about my hair is that it's not prone to them, so I've never had a lot of splits. I have to carefully search them to find some, even on my most-dead hair. I don't know what makes my hair to be like this, since there are several factor that should increase them (fine hair, wave-ish, long, a lot of tangles, damaged).

[FrayedFire]

It's the reason for my username!

[Siv]

Yes, but if that matters so much, I don't understand why my hair only reacts the way it does to the sudden increase in temperature and doesn't flinch at the low temperatures in themselves.


Interesting. I don't know, maybe this is an area where people's hair reacts differently. It's possible your hair isn't overly bothered by humidity? I haven't taken note of humidity for a very long time as my hair living in its bun largely tends to be unbothered :shrug:

Interesting! My hair doesn't mind high temperatures! I lived in Texas for a bit and had no issues. But cold? Yech

Also love your signature picture @Ylva!!

[Lady Stardust]

Interesting. I don't know, maybe this is an area where people's hair reacts differently. It's possible your hair isn't overly bothered by humidity? I haven't taken note of humidity for a very long time as my hair living in its bun largely tends to be unbothered :shrug:




Okay wow, you have an excellent memory and superlative thread-finding skills :thud: that was a blast from the past! I've not really thought about humidity since then; apart from the aloe Garnier hair food mask making my hair static I haven't noticed any real changes - or rather, not thought about any changes in connection with the weather. Any minor noticeable changes I just tend to deal with as they come. Here's hoping your hair stays static-free in frosty weather!

I have a daft memory for not very useful things, and a useless memory for useful things!

As for split ends, my hair is very prone to them. I’m hoping that it’ll fare better when it’s completely virgin. I haven’t been able to wear my hair up much because of migraines so that will probably limit how long I can grow, but I’m happy with a compromise as long as I can get to MBL-ish.

I have to protect my hair from sun and wind because even minimal exposure will make it split. Luckily I like head scarves!

[sipnsun]

Unfortunately yes... The longer (and older) my hair is the more split ends I'm dealing with. If I S&D'd them all I think it would take a couple of inches off my length.

[paulownia]

I do, I think everyone does.
Not everyone :D
I'm coming from another spectrum- I don't have split ends, I don't get them. None.
Maybe I'm just lucky and yes, my hair is not very long;)
When this topic comes up I just want to speak up my mind and say that I feel that S&D is doing more damage then benefit.

[Bri-Chan]

Not everyone :D
I'm coming from another spectrum- I don't have split ends, I don't get them. None.
Maybe I'm just lucky and yes, my hair is not very long;)
When this topic comes up I just want to speak up my mind and say that I feel that S&D is doing more damage then benefit.

I don't S&D, and I'm glad I can skip that! The only thing that make my hair split is flat iron.

[AmaryllisRed]

Yes, this is me. I can always find splits if I look for them. I'm guessing it takes very little to split one of my superfine strands.

[memeow]

Yes, this is me. I can always find splits if I look for them. I'm guessing it takes very little to split one of my superfine strands.

I can't tell you how encouraging it is to read this, look at your (similar to mine!) hair-type, and then see your beautiful length shots past knee, looking thick and healthy! Makes me feel much less like I need to chop to shorter than the shortest layer to eliminate all splits. Which is great since having done that before I know that within 3 months there'd be....more splits...

[AmaryllisRed]

I can't tell you how encouraging it is to read this, look at your (similar to mine!) hair-type, and then see your beautiful length shots past knee, looking thick and healthy! Makes me feel much less like I need to chop to shorter than the shortest layer to eliminate all splits. Which is great since having done that before I know that within 3 months there'd be....more splits...

Yes! You can do it! Some people think if you have fine hair you can't grow long but I am only one of many fine-haired folks who have grown to thigh and beyond. I have layers, too, in the last six inches or so from my last haircut.
And thank you.:blossom:

[Jane99]

My hair basically splits if you look at it for too long. I go between the idea of, S&Ding will prevent more splits, and It’s just going to split anyways so why bother. I could just S&D forever and it would never end. It’s also easy to obsess about. Limiting it to a couple sessions every three months or so has been working for me, unless I find a gnarly one and then it’s on. I think my hair is a mix of fine medium and coarse hairs. I’ve never measured the thickness so I don’t know for sure

[Ylva]

Interesting! My hair doesn't mind high temperatures! I lived in Texas for a bit and had no issues. But cold? Yech

Also love your signature picture @Ylva!!

I would love to understand what the deciding factor is here!

And thank you so much! :smooch: