Why are my split-ends still so bad?

[Bloodheart]

My hair grows very slowly, and just to add to slow growth I have major issues with split-ends, splits going up to an inch up the hair. What am I doing wrong?!? I'm a CO-washer (shampoo does evil to my hair and scalp - but I do very occasionally use a little shampoo on scalp alone), use vinegar rinse every few weeks-month, and I live in a hard-water area. I sometimes use coconut oil on my hair before washing - but not often as my hair dislikes having anything in it, oils are hard to wash out with CO washing and oils are a total no-no on my hair after washing - seriously, even the smallest amount of oil looks terrible. **Anyone any suggestions for leave-in treatments that could work for me? No oil or -cone treatments. I'm thinking maybe having something on the ends of my hair might help, but don't know what to use. I use wooden comb, but largely bristle brush for brushing, also keep tied up with snag-free bands when at home or in windy weather (can't keep up all the time). No use of hair dryers or straighteners, also rinse with cool water. I try to 'dust' as much as possible, sometimes trim myself, and only actually go to a hairdressers once every two years or so - but even when my hair has just been trimmed by a hairdresser (my hairdresser is also very good) the split ends come back very fast. I've just quit smoking so I'm hoping that it will help with hair growth, but until I find a way to deal with split ends I'll never get long hair :(

[spidermom]

My hair likes to split, too. There's no way I can keep up with it. I like a coney serum to make my hair easier to comb, which helps to prevent new splits, I think, but since you don't like cones, I guess that's not an option for you. Most of the time I get regular trims to keep my ends nice and even, although I'm not doing it this year until I reach my goal of classic length. I find that nice, even ends make my hair look strong and healthy. Other people don't look at it close enough to know that I have quite a few split ends.

If you have a rinse-out, non-cone conditioner that you like, you can leave a small amount of it in the ends. I leave conditioner in my hair all the time; the ends really need the extra moisture.

Do you look for split ends and trim them out individually, called S&D (search and destroy)around here? I look at my ends under strong light every few days and snip away the worst split ends/damage - the stuff that jumps right out at me. I don't bother with the stuff I can't see easily because it bothers my eyes to try to look at individual hairs. This seems to be enough to keep the worst damage under control.

[FrannyG]

It would really be helpful if you filled out your hair type, length, etc. in your profile, as well as giving us some history such as if you did something damaging to your hair in the past. That way we could give you more informed advice.

[pepperminttea]

How do you treat your hair generally? I find if I'm not gentle with mine it splits like mad, so I put aside a lot more time than I used to for detangling, and I wear it up 99% of the time. This article (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=8) is really handy for getting you to think about what you do to your hair every day.

[Kathie]

I've heard the the BBB can cause splitting in some peoples hair. Is it necassery for you to brush? Could you get away with just combing?

[Anje]

Is there a chance that the scissors you're using to trim your own hair aren't extraordinarily sharp? If they're old or get used to cut things other than hair, I'd suggest replacing them, since dull scissors can trim hair off with a ragged cut which soon becomes visible as a split.

You might want to consider wearing your hair up more, because for most of us, this prevents tangles, and preventing tangles goes a long way toward preventing splits.

How fast do you brush or comb your hair? I invariably get more splits if I'm curried or just rake the comb through my hair rapidly. If I slow down a lot, I find the little 2-3 hair tangles before I break one of the hairs involved, which adds up to fewer splits in the long run.

[twolunarspring]

I think some peoples' hair probably splits more than others' regardless of other factors. I know that even if I really baby my hair, it still splits, but I don't mind much as it's healthy overall. I do find that taking lots of time to gently finger-comb and preen before (gently) brushing helps to minimise it, though, as does wearing it up at least half the time :)

[julliams]

The amount of splits you have compared to the actual amount of hairs you have on your head is probably a small percentage. I am finding that the longer my hair is getting, the more splits I am getting and I'm thinking that it's a combination of "old" hair and also the fact that now it gets caught in things like seatbelts, bag straps and the like.

I think if you worry about it too much it will become a bigger issue than it really is. Splits are a fact of long hair for most people (some don't have them, that's true) so the best you can do is S&D weekly and trim every so often.

[countryhopper]

I was going to suggest the same thing as Anje. Keep a pair of good, sharp, hair-cutting-only scissors for S&D, dusting, and trims.

By the way, was your hair cut with a razor in the past? Razored cuts split badly, too.

[elina333]

You say you're using snag-free bands? How do you wear your hair up? In a ponytail or in a bun? Because ponytails will cause damage to your ends, as they are loose. Hvae you tried hairsticks? Also, how long is your hair and what type is it? How do you wear your hair when you sleep? Do you wear it in a braid? Do you use a satin pillowcase? Hope this all helps...

Good luck!

[Carolyn]

Please do fill out the rest of your profile when you move up to the next tier in membership, as Franny suggested. It would help a lot with hair care questions. It sounds to me that you are doing good things now. Maybe some small tweaks to your routine but everything you are going sounds hair safe. Some hair just splits more than others. Mine does. I do lots of S & D with good scissors, oil it, and do mostly CO washes. Be patient and keep on doing what you are doing.

[heidi w.]

1. Those of us with gained hair length -- it's entirely normal to have a zonage of split ends on the ends. The longer it might be as much as 3 inches from the bottom up.....! All you can do is manage things. Your description (I presume you mean from the ends/hemline up -- of 1 inch of rather intense splits going on then you're within the range of normal.)

2. While I have witnessed cases of hair that doesn't have much in the way of splits, the longer the hair length, the less likely this is true.

3. There should be no real reason to oiling prior to a hair wash, as you say in the instance of CO washing only. I presume you are a curly girl? It sounds like it from your description of hair behavior...but can't be sure.

IF I had to guess, the hard water may perhaps be the largest contribution to some degree of splits.

You might take a trip to a local hardware store, or a Home Depot, Menards....something like that (sometimes a Walgreens or store like that carries this product, but you won't likely see a good set of choices and product lines) and check out prices for a shower head (arm) water filter. They're easy to install. Typically in the $20 range for the whole thing. Just be sure to buy a product that you can reliably get a replacement filter for (as in do not purchase one that the product is being discontinued). These are conversely easily removable come move out time in a rental scenario, or breakdown.

DO replace the filter as the instructions suggest.

Those minerals can cling to hair and cause some problems, even contributing to buildup.

heidi w.

[heidi w.]

Sorry I'm doing this in steps. I just keep looking back at your OP.

IF you are literally brushing hair when wet, or even dry, I strongly advocate that you work towards switching to a hair comb. This should assist with the problem with splits at least through the length of the hair.

If you are a curly haired person, then brushing actually causes issues of poof. Brushing overly separates the coiled locks of hair to more individual strands and resulting poof.

IF you are brushing wet hair, this is the worst. You will want a good wide tooth comb.

Does your wood comb have spurs or splits of wood? Is it smooth between the teeth? Is the comb possessing a kind of lacquer or something to seal the wood which thereby means smoother through the hair? Wood combs tend to have thicker/wider teeth than plastic hair combs. I think for some wider "teeth" (this includes finger width) in my opinion can contribute to damage and more pulling of hair while detangling.

A GM salon (there are several in the country, and they'll ship anywhere) OR you can cull the "ethnic beauty" aisle for a better and wider toothed comb....they offer extra wide combs. IF you're a curly person, this type of comb is more suitable anyway. (For very coily locks, you may not need to detangle anyway.)

Detangling wet hair can actually contribute to damage throughout the length, but I converted myself from waiting to detangle til fully dry to being able to do so while wet (although I don't go for a pristine detangle) on my straight hair given that I found a nice leave-in conditioner that works to promote this ability.

CONVERTING FROM BRUSHING TO COMBING
I actually had a little trouble converting from a brush to a comb. At first I didn't find a comb that actually could make it through my hair, and it took some time to realize the teeth were too close and discover a comb with a wider setting. This made a difference, and then just getting used to the feel of a comb and holding a comb and all that.

heidi w.

[shawty]

I've heard catnip tea is a good rinse if you have split ends. Haven't tried it, don't know why it helps, don't remember from whom I heard it (it was on LHC i think) but it's another possibility for you to explore.

[ghost]

Check out Nightshade's damaged hair article:

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

She has some good advice in there. Most of the length of my hair is damaged, and one of the things I've decided to do to help remove damage while growing it at the same time is do monthly microtrims of 1/4" or less, just to keep the ends of my hair clean and fresh, and S&D for individual splits in between. It's a lot less traumatic than chopping of a whole lot of hair at once and finding that you *still* get split ends.

[ktani]

I've heard catnip tea is a good rinse if you have split ends. Haven't tried it, don't know why it helps, don't remember from whom I heard it (it was on LHC i think) but it's another possibility for you to explore.

I use catnip tea as a treatment not a rinse and it has prevented split ends for me and helped others. Here is the Article, http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=118. There are links at the end of the Article on split ends and breakage. And here is the thread, http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=476.

[ravenreed]

I started using catnip as rinse, after ready Ktani's article. I think that the catnip rinse is a major reason why my split-prone hair has almost none now. However I have such hard water that I don't think I can use it as a treatment. I also recommend using a conditioner with a lot of slip on just the ends, to reduce tangling which can lead to knots and breakage. I also do frequent S&D's and dustings with good scissors. Over all, my hair is in better shape than it has ever been.



I use catnip tea as a treatment not a rinse and it has prevented split ends for me and helped others. Here is the Article, http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=118. There are links at the end of the Article on split ends and breakage. And here is the thread, http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=476.

[Bloodheart]

Lets see if I can answer most of the questions...
<br><br>
Hair type.<br>
BS length, 2A, thin...<br>
...I'd say fine; almost translucent when held up to the light and is difficult to feel when rubbed between fingers...but I don't think my hair behaves like fine hair.
<br><br>
Previous hair care.<br>
CO washing for a year or two, prior to that going between shampoo/conditioner and BS/ACV. Dyed my hair a lot, but haven't for about 5 years, now just use henna. I did straighten, but never when wet, not heavily, and haven't straightened for about two years.
<br><br>
Hair when up.<br>
Pony tails at home or asleep (use satin pillowcases), or in buns after a bath. I've tried hair sticks but I can't get them to stay in - they either slide right out, or I put the hair too tight and end up ripping my hair with the sticks.
<br><br>
My hair doesn't get very tangled, only really when wet. It does require regular brushing, and combing is no good for anything other than detangling.
<br><br>
Tools - scissors are sharp and comb has no snags.
<br><br>
I know my hair isn't badly damaged - prior to cutting my hair short there was a lot of damage, I believe due to dying constantly, you could see it and feel it (brush/combs would get stuck half way down and it took forever to dry). <br>
I feel that my hair is healthy now, but it is just the split ends...they do occur faster than I can get rid of them, and my hair seems delicate, the ends feather and the splits get very far up in a short space of time.
<br><br>
It feels to me like I'm just not getting enough moisture into the ends - I'll point out that it gets a LOT worse if I do use shampoo.

[ktani]

I started using catnip as rinse, after ready Ktani's article. I think that the catnip rinse is a major reason why my split-prone hair has almost none now. However I have such hard water that I don't think I can use it as a treatment. I also recommend using a conditioner with a lot of slip on just the ends, to reduce tangling which can lead to knots and breakage. I also do frequent S&D's and dustings with good scissors. Over all, my hair is in better shape than it has ever been.

The water where I live is also hard and using catnip as a treatment has never been a problem for me because of that. You can try a water filter or distilled water if you feel your water is the problem. If it is the water, then a catnip rinse should be a problem with it too and perhaps the reason you still need conditioner on your ends afterward. My ends are smooth and soft and moisturized without the need of conditioner or anything else following a catnip treatment.