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CandyFluff
May 20th, 2010, 07:41 AM
Right now it seems as though I spend every evening S&Ding and yet the number of splits I have never seems to decrease. I can look at a section of hair and it always seems that every single hair has a split end or a white dot.

I haven't had a trim for about 10 months now, but getting a trim wouldn't help because the splits are all up the length of my hair. I'm about an inch away from waist now.

Will there ever come a point where the splits are under control, or is it just inevitable that having long hair equals lots of splits?

It's like weeding a garden, as soon as you think you're finshed, weeds start popping up again on the bit you've just cleared!

UltraBella
May 20th, 2010, 07:54 AM
Years ago I went through a period of time where I felt like my ends were terrible. I could see split ends everywhere and would sit on my couch at night trimming them off for hours. Finally I chopped 6 inches off to remedy the problem. Now my hair is super long again and I barely have any splits, and my hair is colored and highlighted ! I don't know what the difference is.

Topaz
May 20th, 2010, 08:06 AM
I had the same problem. I would S&D every single day and the number of splits and white dots never seemed to decrease. I solved my problem by buying a good pair of hair cutting scissors. The split ends went away. Of course I still have them, but so much fewer as to be a miracle. I can S&D now about once a week, and the number of splits is less than what I used to have on a daily basis.

I don't know if a good pair of barber scissors would fix your problem or not, but it sure fixed mine! :)

morecowbell
May 20th, 2010, 08:07 AM
I had the same problem. I would S&D every single day and the number of splits and white dots never seemed to decrease. I solved my problem by buying a good pair of hair cutting scissors. The split ends went away. Of course I still have them, but so much fewer as to be a miracle. I can S&D now about once a week, and the number of splits is less than what I used to have on a daily basis.

I don't know if a good pair of barber scissors would fix your problem or not, but it sure fixed mine! :)

Ditto :) Dull scissors could definitely be to blame

spidermom
May 20th, 2010, 08:45 AM
When my splits seem out of control, I have a significant trim. Last time was in January, about 4 inches. The problem hasn't been so bad since then, so I don't regret it.

Brenda714
May 20th, 2010, 08:48 AM
I have major splits too, it happend because I was bad and over processed my hair will color, perms and straighteners, yeah I know, stupid eh? I had healthy hair before that, I find I just have to let the strands do their thing and fall out, there is no way to glue them back, but you have enough hair that it won't be every hair on your head, so try not to worry too much. From a girl who knows what your going through ;)

cocolady
May 20th, 2010, 08:55 AM
I have the same problem and I'm considering cutting about 3 inches off. The split ends annoy me so much and it seems like they're getting higher up my hair, so I'm gonna cut it off before it gets to high.

freckles
May 20th, 2010, 09:28 AM
I suffer from split end frustration too. I don't colour, don't heatstyle, blowdry occasionally on cool but have given it up completely in the past few months, I s&d, and I trimmed just a couple of months ago. But I still have split ends ... Lots of them. I'm sure that for some people split ends are just a fact of life, and I guess I'm one of those people. I'm still trying new things to reduce them, but I'm also trying to accept them.

Nenyath
May 20th, 2010, 09:49 AM
I have the same thing; major splits and ends like velcro, it's close to driving me nuts ;) I have a proper pair of scissors, at least their hair scissors and never used for anything else. I s and d almost every evening and it never seems to end.. I noticed my ends were getting bad and I had a couple of inches taken off, this was about 3 months ago, and now it seems just as bad.. I use baby shampoo and try to cut down the amount, I oil, apply aloe, keep my hair bunned when outside.. But all of this is fairly new, I think the damage came from my ruthless brush, my office chair and plain old neglect..

So, a major trim or pampering? My pampering seems to go a little amiss though. My hair almost seems drier but greasier after I begun things like molasses treatment, oatmilk and such..

I'l be keeping my eyes on this thread, wish I could help you CandyFluff!

spidermom
May 20th, 2010, 10:22 AM
Nenyath, baby shampoo could be your problem. It is formulated to be compatible with the pH of eyes so it won't burn. Therefore, it is slightly alkaline. Your hair and scalp prefers something slightly acidic. Look for the words "pH balanced" on the bottle.

pinchbeck
May 20th, 2010, 10:36 AM
I find big 4" chops on my hair only help temporarily. My ends look great for a bit, but when the length grows back I have a bunch of new split ends. I think it is just the nature of my hair. When I S&D it gets tiring and depressing because my mind is telling me my hair should be split end free.

I don't know what the solution is. I pre oil my hair with coconut oil, use sulfate free shampoo, a seamless wide toothed comb, and braid my hair every day to avoid snarling. I have learned to just ignore the splits. Although they're not noticeable to somebody else, they're to me.

Nenyath
May 20th, 2010, 10:38 AM
Thank you for that Spidermom, I'll have a look at it for sure! I do rinse with balsamic or apple cider vinegar though.. It does in fact say something along the same lines, "mild for the eyes".. Hmm.. Wonder what I could use as an alternative...

luckyduck
May 20th, 2010, 11:00 AM
If I don't have my glasses on, I can't see the splits! LOL! One benefit to being in the graying generation.

UltraBella
May 20th, 2010, 11:36 AM
Baby shampoo, ugh. It can dry your hair out so badly. Not only is it formulated to not burn your eyes, it's designed to remove cradle cap and keep it at bay. Especially for someone with long hair, it could really sabotage your ends. I would ditch the baby shampoo, have a trim to get the splits you have now, and then start fresh.

emmabovary
May 20th, 2010, 02:53 PM
I'm glad I checked into this thread... I thought baby shampoo was supposed to be mild!

Nenyath
May 20th, 2010, 03:15 PM
I thought so too Emma! But it seems to be working for some, my long haired better half (yay for long hair on males!) seems to thrive with the baby shampoo, it works better than any product he's ever tried (including commercial stuff like Elvital and several organic shampoos..). He follows the instructions on Habioku's website http://sites.google.com/site/habioku/My-hair/hair-care and it certainly seems to be working for her! Sorry if I have hijacked your thread somewhat CandyFluff!

teela1978
May 20th, 2010, 03:16 PM
I'm always surprised at how much of a difference a small trim makes. 1/8 to 1/4 inch off the bottom every couple of months really seems to help keep my ends nice. Perhaps just a quick microtrim would help a little?

Also, the only time I notice splits up my length is after I've been out in the wind with my hair down. Not sure why that causes splits, but even my braid tassel will develop splits on a windy day. Protective styling can help a lot.

lelaelena
May 20th, 2010, 03:20 PM
Silicone silicone silicone. I know a lot of people hate it, but it's the only thing that masks (albeit temporarily) and prevents further split ends (again only as long as you use it).

christine1989
May 20th, 2010, 06:28 PM
I used to have those on every single hair! I don't know if you use heat products but if you do then stop NOW! When I stopped using heat all of my split ends vanished and I haven't had one in years. You could also try deep condtioning more often and shampooing less since it drys out your hair. In the meantime you should think about trimming off the damaged ends so you can prevent them from splitting all the way up the hair shaft.

Flynn
May 20th, 2010, 06:37 PM
I agree with everyone who has said good scissors. I get them from PriceAttack Salon, which I think is basically the same as Sally's in the US. My fave brand is Iceman.

Anje
May 20th, 2010, 09:19 PM
I can relate, even if I can't give a ton of advice. I have splits scattered throughout the length, and taking off an inch or six wouldn't make that much of a difference. Not that my hair is generally unhealthy -- only a single digit percentage of the hairs are split, and the hair is generally soft and smooth. I think some of us are have hair that's more split-prone than other folks, and the only realistic goal is to minimize the splits.

Here's what I know is true for me:
Good sharp scissors are key to preventing trimmed hairs from re-splitting.
Baby shampoo is mild on eyes, not hair. My hair does best with a conditioner-only routine using a protein-free, silicone-free conditioner.
Silicones seem to make my hair dry and tangly about two days after using them. That makes me shampoo to get them out, which is also harsh. I've had a nice long silicone experiment and concluded that they cause a damage cycle in my hair. YMMV.
The less my hair tangles, the less it splits. It tangles more loose than in braids, and more in braids than in buns.
Buns are the best way to keep your hair out of bunsen burners and petri dishes. Setting hair on fire is damaging. So is catching it under purse or backpack straps, rubbing it on zippers, and slamming it in car doors.
Velcro on jackets does not get along well with braids.

lelaelena
May 20th, 2010, 10:27 PM
Silicones seem to make my hair dry and tangly about two days after using them. That makes me shampoo to get them out, which is also harsh. I've had a nice long silicone experiment and concluded that they cause a damage cycle in my hair. YMMV.


hmm, maybe it's the types of conditioners you used or your hair type just not melding with the types of 'cones in your conditioner.
I find dimethicone, phenyl trimethicone and polymethylsilsesquioxane have the best effect on my hair in high concentrations. Cyclomethicone and cyclopentasiloxane are often used in "volumizing" products because they are very volatile and evaporate pretty quickly, which is great for fine hair but for those that need true conditioning, not ideal.

Then again, everything is personal taste.

Pear Martini
May 21st, 2010, 05:21 AM
I second the no more heat styling advice. I don't know if you heat style but if you do I would reccomend cutting it down to maximum of once a week. My hair has been bleached, dyed, and bleached again. I had terrible problems with splits and it seemed my hair was not growing past lower APL. I stopped heat styling about 2 months ago and no only do I prefer my hair wavy, but I have not had to trim since!

Nenyath
May 21st, 2010, 08:53 AM
Not sure if the "no heating" is directed at me or not but, anyway.. I do not blow dry my hair, haven't since teenage years, never styles and haven't done anything major to my hair since I dyed it purple in 2003 with one of those wash out colours, it's all grown out now though..

And with regard to silicones, my goal is to keep my hair as healthy as I can naturally, but thanks!

UltraBella
May 21st, 2010, 09:13 AM
Maybe some people just are more prone to getting split ends ? It's interesting how some people can treat their hair so delicately and they still battle split ends, yet here I am doing all the bad stuff to my hair - heat, bleach, dye, cones - and I barely have any. Genetics maybe ??

Anje
May 21st, 2010, 09:31 AM
hmm, maybe it's the types of conditioners you used or your hair type just not melding with the types of 'cones in your conditioner.
I find dimethicone, phenyl trimethicone and polymethylsilsesquioxane have the best effect on my hair in high concentrations. Cyclomethicone and cyclopentasiloxane are often used in "volumizing" products because they are very volatile and evaporate pretty quickly, which is great for fine hair but for those that need true conditioning, not ideal.

Then again, everything is personal taste.
Dimethicone and dimethiconol were my identified culprits. Both ere with the volatile silicones, which might have something to do with the hair drying out, but I would have expected that to strike sooner than 2 days out. I may make a forray with amodimethicone sometime, but I think first I need to get rid of the existing products and help my hair recover a little.

I'm sure using sulfates further exacerbated the problem, but the cones would start to feel built up pretty regularly. They also had my scalp greasing up faster than normal.

Milui Elenath
May 22nd, 2010, 03:52 AM
I don't S&D often (no time :( ) but I have a theory about why sometimes I seem to get endless split ends when I do and it might be the reason in your case as well.

I have good hair cutting scissors (yeah price attack) but I noticed that I would S&D and later seem to have just as many. In the end I have surmised that I may have been taking off what appeared to be the entire split but in fact I hadn't snipped enough. I now examine the hair to ensure that what remains seems strong and healthy.