A question about split ends...

[Tabihito]

I've always heard about how split ends can absolutely destroy your hair, move steadily upward if you don't take care of them, etcetera. Which is why I was a little confused when I went to do S&D, and couldn't find any long split ends. I hadn't done this before, so theoretically I should've seen some major damage, but all I saw were little tiny splits. None were more than a millimeter or two from the very end, tiny and hard to notice. Conventional wisdom states that fine hair should be more prone to damage, so it struck me as a little odd that there wasn't a lot of it evident.

Or is what I've always heard wrong, and split ends tend to stay there on the very ends?

[spidermom]

Some of mine travel. I've found hairs split to as much as about 4 inches from the end. I also find quite a few of the small, end splits. I also find hairs with a little "twig" sticking out 2-6 inches from the end, which I assume is from splitting, breaking off, splitting some more, breaking off, and so forth.

[swellmel]

I get a mixture of the tiny little splits and longer ones- usually no more than 2 inches up the hair. My hair in the front that grows from my temple area is a lot finer than the rest of my hair (don't know why- it just is) and that is where the longer splits are usually located. Although it isn't unusual for me to find a hair several inches up with a tiny split- which like a pp poster said is probably the result of splitting/breaking/splitting/breaking. But the majority of my splits are usually located closer to the ends of my hair.

[GoddesJourney]

Yes, but not necessarily visible damage. My finer hairs are more proned to breakage, while my coarser hairs split. They can split inches or look like tree roots without necessarily breaking off. My finer hairs or too thin to survive such splits, so the break off without showing much, just tiny white dots.

[bumblebums]

At SL, your hair might still be too short to show much damage. It depends on how you're treating it, among other things. I have mostly fine hair, and when I was growing up, I I never had any splits. I didn't even know what people meant by "split ends." Then, as an adult, I tried to grow it out, and I got horrible damage, with velcro ends and splits and white dots and eventually breakage. That's because I was an idiot and ironed it, blow-dried it, washed it every other day, and rubbed it with a towel each time, and did all sorts of other unspeakable things to it. If you don't do any of them, you might not get any splits for a while.

[Tabihito]

At SL, your hair might still be too short to show much damage. It depends on how you're treating it, among other things. I have mostly fine hair, and when I was growing up, I I never had any splits. I didn't even know what people meant by "split ends." Then, as an adult, I tried to grow it out, and I got horrible damage, with velcro ends and splits and white dots and eventually breakage. That's because I was an idiot and ironed it, blow-dried it, washed it every other day, and rubbed it with a towel each time, and did all sorts of other unspeakable things to it. If you don't do any of them, you might not get any splits for a while.
I used to straighten it every day, from the point where it was long enough to get to where it was impossible to deal with at about two inches, until it was a little past chin length, at which point I started school and had to make a very, very tiny bun (with most of the hair not in the bun, but held with a lot of bobby pins). So, yeah, I was pretty abusive to my hair. Been kind to the remainder of it though, aside from some problems from pinning it back into the bun, and trying to force it to stay in a french braid back in October and November. It involved more bobby pins than ever, and a whole lot of gel.

But it's definitely showing damage, just not to the degree that I was expecting. Obviously, it's a good surprise. Just was a little confused is all. Also, at this point it's closer to APL than it is SL (soooo close!).


Yes, but not necessarily visible damage. My finer hairs are more proned to breakage, while my coarser hairs split. They can split inches or look like tree roots without necessarily breaking off. My finer hairs or too thin to survive such splits, so the break off without showing much, just tiny white dots.
This sounds pretty likely for my hair. I did notice some white dots, again only very close to the ends, but I have very fine hair, so it would make sense if it was breaking off entirely instead of splitting.

[Speckla]

I see several splits here and there and it's just the ends. I either split them myself or break the tip off....not good haircare technique but I haven't noticed them getting higher or worse. I no longer snip them off.

[Night_Kitten]

I haven't noticed traveling splits eather (rarely I find splits higher on the shaft, but it is usually at "damage-prone" places, like where I put the scrunchie when I braid and such...)
Perhaps there are some hair types that are more sensitive to travelling splits, and some that aren't?

[emsahib]

I used to have really bad split ends, I didn't go to the hairdressers much when I was younger and I think I brushed my hair too roughly plus when I got older I blowdried and dyed my hair alot and I did notice if I had a split end i would have another split higher up on the hair. Since I've had it cut and been taking better care of it I haven't found any. Found about 2 the other day not a split but one of those little dot things so I just cut them off with some sharp scissors. I think 2 split ends after nearly 4 months since a haircut is pretty good I wonder if I'll get more as my hair gets longer. I think it's best to get rid of any that you see though otherwise it can get out of hand