Split end advice...

[wahmof9]

I have fine and usually lots of splits...hence the reason my hair has not been long since childhood...I cut it off when I see splits.

I have not had a professional hair cut since 01-09...however, since finding LHC I have been doing a monthly dusting to get rid of a v-cut and lots of layers...

Today I noticed a few splits here and there...but my ends are still very nice and soft....

....so do I cut, do what I have doing (dusting) or ??????

[Kris Dove]

If your ends are still nice, you don't have to don't dust or trim, just S&D (search and destroy) by cutting those few individual splits that you've spotted.

[dolcevita]

Sounds like my hair. I'm slowing getting to the point of absolute frustration with it. We have the same hair type so I know how you are feeling about this!

I treat it like ancient silk, wash 2-3 times a week, don't tear through it with brushes/combs, use natural products and advice from recipes on LHC, etc. And on Monday the splits got so bad that my boyfriend trimmed off almost 2 inches. This got rid of my splits - for the day - and really thickened up my ends.

Well today is Saturday. Splits and white dots galore. Sigh. I had luck with Redken's Anti-Snap during the summer, but now that the seasons have changed, I am once again at a loss (and getting close to giving up). Catnip didn't help me either.

So all I can do is offer you a hug and I will subscribe to this thread for hopes that someone can help us!

[DARKMARTIAN]

Now this is a thread I can use....

I posted in another string that my hair for awhile seemed to stop growing. No doubt it was due to breakage. Not only that but I go for at least a year between trims. I just never seem to be able to drag myself somewhere to get it done...

I think we should take each hair and tie a teeny tiny knot in the ends..one so small that it wouldnt even interfere with brushing. Then maybe it would only split up to that point.....:D:D

im joking.

.....I do let my conditioner sit in for awhile before rinsing though....

Can somone give me an "E-trim".....:o

[longforhim]

If you only have a few splits and your hair still looks and feels nice I wouldn't cut. I would probably just do a S&D mission.

[wahmof9]

Did a small trim last night...it did thicken up my ends a tad...but of course shorten the length....it'll be a while then before I reach my goal.

[spidermom]

I get small trims on a regular basis but still get plenty of splits in the length. My current routine is to keep my scissors handy when I'm combing out and styling so that I can snip any splits or dots that I see. I also keep scissors in my purse for when I'm stuck in the car as a passenger or waiting in line at the bank drive-through.

Deep moisture treatments help, I think, also oiling damp hair. I use CHI Silk Infusion coney serum very sparingly to prevent tangling; it helps a lot.

[Linda K]

Now this is a thread I can use....

I posted in another string that my hair for awhile seemed to stop growing. No doubt it was due to breakage. Not only that but I go for at least a year between trims. I just never seem to be able to drag myself somewhere to get it done...

I think we should take each hair and tie a teeny tiny knot in the ends..one so small that it wouldnt even interfere with brushing. Then maybe it would only split up to that point.....:D:D
Funny!

im joking.

.....I do let my conditioner sit in for awhile before rinsing though....

Can somone give me an "E-trim".....:o
Hey if this works ... :D


I'm in the same boat w/ snaggy ends and winter winds coming.
I've been wondering about making something along the order of these "gloves" but in a soft warm fabric so I don't freeze w/ hair in a pony.

http://www.bikersden.com/shop/shopexd.asp?id=1036

Here they have some cute items but most of the links are dead ...
http://www.hairglove.com/

[wahmof9]

I get small trims on a regular basis but still get plenty of splits in the length. My current routine is to keep my scissors handy when I'm combing out and styling so that I can snip any splits or dots that I see. I also keep scissors in my purse for when I'm stuck in the car as a passenger or waiting in line at the bank drive-through.

Deep moisture treatments help, I think, also oiling damp hair. I use CHI Silk Infusion coney serum very sparingly to prevent tangling; it helps a lot.

Great idea! This is also the time I see them the best!

[Niftytiffs]

Am I right when I say that you must use a really good, sharp pair of scissors when doing s&d and that blunt ones can actually harm more than help? if I have it right, blunt or poorly aligned scissors crush the hair, rather than slicing through it which of course, makes it look good for a short while but then a few days or a wash later, you get loads of little white bits on the ends of the hair you trimmed....?

Tiffers

[sincerebydesign]

On Monday I'm hoping to go to get about an inch cut off from my current length, hopefully taking most of my split ends with it! Then I plan on doing S&D as I see the ones left, and committing to wearing my hair up. I plan on keeping my ends well conditioned, too!

I wish you the best of luck!

[imposterpockets]

I need help on split end identification. It seems terribly unlikely that I don't have any, since I don't get regular haircuts and have only recently started being extra careful with my hair. However, I have looked at my ends, held them up to the light, checked everywhere and I do not see any split ends. There are no strands where the single hair shaft splits into two.

There have been a few where the hair shaft looked like it had been bent at the end creating an angular corner, which I cut off with my shiny new hair sheers. There are places where the very end of the hair shaft appears to catch the light a little different than the rest, but no splits.

Am I missing some critical information about split ends? :confused:

[emi77]

I need help on split end identification. It seems terribly unlikely that I don't have any, since I don't get regular haircuts and have only recently started being extra careful with my hair. However, I have looked at my ends, held them up to the light, checked everywhere and I do not see any split ends. There are no strands where the single hair shaft splits into two.

There have been a few where the hair shaft looked like it had been bent at the end creating an angular corner, which I cut off with my shiny new hair sheers. There are places where the very end of the hair shaft appears to catch the light a little different than the rest, but no splits.

Am I missing some critical information about split ends? :confused:


I have the same problem!;) I just don't know what I'm looking for, so its impossible to find splits!

Hmmm...perhaps this is a blessing in disguise! I won't obsess over them if I can't find them! lol

But seriously... its quite disconcerting
Will be watching this thread with interest :eyebrows:

[imposterpockets]

I have looked online for images of split ends and found three (useless) types of pictures:

Women holding up big sections of damaged hair without any single-strand photos. How will that help me S&D?
Images of damaged hair as seen under a microscope. I don't have a laboratory in my bathroom.
Drawings of what split ends could look like. Drawings? Really??:(

[Leah Polamalu]

I have looked online for images of split ends and found three (useless) types of pictures:
Women holding up big sections of damaged hair without any single-strand photos. How will that help me S&D?
Images of damaged hair as seen under a microscope. I don't have a laboratory in my bathroom.
Drawings of what split ends could look like. Drawings? Really??:(

Does this help?...
http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/7826/splitlhc1.png

Thank goodness for macro mode on my camera.

[Eboshi]

Check out this article:

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=79

[danacc]

Here's a pretty bad one: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_yoymQaFVE1s/SnVlyh6DCPI/AAAAAAAAF44/Ffs71mqtl14/s400/DSC03119.JPG

Single splits: http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0YIa-SxBtN8/STI7COTtlQI/AAAAAAAAAI0/SV0CidZqjWE/IMG_1617-t.JPG

And I assume this is the sheet of drawings referenced by a previous poster: http://media.onsugar.com/files/ons1/270/2707156/31_2009/e9/SplitEndChartvi-vi.gif
(I'm posting it since it helped me identify splits even though it's drawings and not hair.)

In my own hair, an angular corner signals a damaged, weak area in the hair strand that will break and split. An end that catches the light differently is where it broke off and will likely become a split. I personally cut just above these.

[imposterpockets]

Oh my! :bigeyes: Those really are actual splits! Crazy.

I suppose so far I only have minimal damage, but now I know what to look out for as my hair grows and gets more delicate. Thanks so much for posting those photos. They were very helpful.