Q: How do you prevent spilt ends?

[JuneBride]

I am planning on getting a micro-trim of all my layers by a professional hair dresser next month after my monistat experiment ends. This will be my first haircut since July 2010.

In anticipation of having healthy, non-split ends in a month, I would like to compile information on "How to Prevent Split Ends?"

I want to keep my hair as healthy as possible, for as long as possible, so I won't need to trim so much.......and I can let it grow!

Thanks!
:)

[GrowingGlory]

Handle hair gently when wet.

[tanya222]

And don't blowfry it to death. Let it airdry if you can, if you're not already.:)

[Qwackie]

Only S&D with scissors made for hair, not even sewing scissors work good. They're too blunt and damage your hair and take away length. Learned that the hard way.

[selenechiba]

I've found that keeping my hair up and out of the way prevents split ends like nothing else. No need to struggle with friction, or wind. No tangles. Very worry-free.

[RitaPG]

Don't let it out in the sun for too long, wear a hat or a scarf. It gets pretty hot in the sun, I know me ends get very dry and thirsty.
Oh and watch for windy days! Learn to bun or braid quickly or deal with tangles and more tangles. shudder:
I have thin, dry hair. Since I found out the concept of oiling and moisturizing, my ends never felt softer and I rarely find any broken ends. Also, combs run through it much easier when it's not velcro-ish and dried out. I like to think hair works like weeds, if it's green and juicy, it bends but doesn't break (a lot), but if it's dry, it breaks rather fast.
I detangle gently, and fingercomb in the shower with lots of conditioner, so that it has a nice slip and run through the tangles without pulling.
I'm a messy sleeper :p I braid or bun my hair religiously before going to bed and tie it with a silk scrunchie.

[pepperminttea]

These two articles really helped me reduce my split ends:
Keeping Split Ends At Bay: Secrets of Gently Handling Your Hair (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=8)
Damaged Hair: Understanding, Preventing & Rehabilitating (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=79)
:)

[little_cherry]

Keep your hair moisturised, use catnip rinse.

[JuneBride]

These two articles really helped me reduce my split ends:
Keeping Split Ends At Bay: Secrets of Gently Handling Your Hair (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=8)
Damaged Hair: Understanding, Preventing & Rehabilitating (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=79)
:)

Thanks! I read them before, and they are helpful, thanks for reminding me :)

[JuneBride]

Keep your hair moisturised, use catnip rinse.

Have heard this mentioned on the LHC once or twice, I will have to research it...
Thanks!

[podo]

This isn't exactly what you asked, but more of an FYI JuneBride - a micro-trim most likely won't get rid of your split ends. It'll catch the ones at the very very end of most of your hair, but splits can be as high as 2" in even virgin hair (mine are more like 6" because of damage) and your hairs are all at different lengths because of growth patterns, so they'll trim the longest ones but a lot will be too short to be included in the micro-trim.

If you want to kill split ends and not lose length (which it sounds like) I'd spend some time S&D instead. I actually keep a pair of hair scissors next to where I sit with my laptop and watch TV (not at the same time of course). Whenever I get bored or need a break I'll just check out the ends of my hair. :)

As for your actual question: oiling, wearing updos, hair-friendly toys, vitamins, not washing too much, handling gently, only lightly detangle with a comb when wet, no heat, no styling products, no chemicals (dye, perm, etc)...

Catnip is supposed to be good, too, but I didn't really use it long enough to see.

I think 30% of split ends can be prevented when hair is new - if it starts off right because of eating well and getting the proper nutrients, as well as moisture and protein balance, etc. it's less likely to split when that point reaches the end.

Probably 60% of split ends could be prevented by care of the hair while it is growing down the length - not using any kind of chemicals like dye or perms/relaxers, not using heat or any styling products, handling very gently, keeping it in updos, being even more careful when it's wet, etc.. Continue to keep the hair shaft in as perfect condition as possible, or at least as good as it was when it started, and again, less split ends. This is probably the hardest to do though, since it covers such a very long period of time.

Maybe 10% of splits happen at the ends of the hair, probably mostly due to an individual hair breaking or being caught or bent in something. There's really nothing that can be done at this point.

Once the damage or hard wear gets to the end I think it's probably just too late to prevent most split ends. The hair is hurt, one way or another, and that will show itself as a split end.

So basically, if you take care of your hair from the time it grows out of your scalp, you'll have less split ends. For now, just keep S&D and be conscious of the health and handling of your length, and eventually that babied hair will reach the ends and no more splits!

I have a lot of split ends and I HATE THEM so I've been studying and researching them for a long time. I can't wait for my damage to finish growing out!!!

[JuneBride]

This isn't exactly what you asked, but more of an FYI JuneBride - a micro-trim most likely won't get rid of your split ends. It'll catch the ones at the very very end of most of your hair, but splits can be as high as 2" in even virgin hair (mine are more like 6" because of damage) and your hairs are all at different lengths because of growth patterns, so they'll trim the longest ones but a lot will be too short to be included in the micro-trim.

If you want to kill split ends and not lose length (which it sounds like) I'd spend some time S&D instead. I actually keep a pair of hair scissors next to where I sit with my laptop and watch TV (not at the same time of course). Whenever I get bored or need a break I'll just check out the ends of my hair. :)

As for your actual question: oiling, wearing updos, hair-friendly toys, vitamins, not washing too much, handling gently, only lightly detangle with a comb when wet, no heat, no styling products, no chemicals (dye, perm, etc)...

Catnip is supposed to be good, too, but I didn't really use it long enough to see.

I think 30% of split ends can be prevented when hair is new - if it starts off right because of eating well and getting the proper nutrients, as well as moisture and protein balance, etc. it's less likely to split when that point reaches the end.

Probably 60% of split ends could be prevented by care of the hair while it is growing down the length - not using any kind of chemicals like dye or perms/relaxers, not using heat or any styling products, handling very gently, keeping it in updos, being even more careful when it's wet, etc.. Continue to keep the hair shaft in as perfect condition as possible, or at least as good as it was when it started, and again, less split ends. This is probably the hardest to do though, since it covers such a very long period of time.

Maybe 10% of splits happen at the ends of the hair, probably mostly due to an individual hair breaking or being caught or bent in something. There's really nothing that can be done at this point.

Once the damage or hard wear gets to the end I think it's probably just too late to prevent most split ends. The hair is hurt, one way or another, and that will show itself as a split end.

So basically, if you take care of your hair from the time it grows out of your scalp, you'll have less split ends. For now, just keep S&D and be conscious of the health and handling of your length, and eventually that babied hair will reach the ends and no more splits!

I have a lot of split ends and I HATE THEM so I've been studying and researching them for a long time. I can't wait for my damage to finish growing out!!!

Thanks!
I do S&D already whenever I can and I have only a few small splits as best I can tell (and I have looked often in sunlight and artificial light), and I CO, I eat pretty healthfully (organic oatmeal and organic fresh fruit 5 out of 7 mornings, salads for lunch 5 out of 7 days, and a sensible dinner! hahaha sounds like a commercial, but its true!), I am as gentle as I can be - "treating it like old lace," I wear it up a lot, sleep on a satin pillowcase, I air dry most times I wet it, and I have sworn off dye/bleach, etc. I am guilty of flat-ironing once a month (to gauge progress properly), but I use protective serum. So I think all in all, I am doing most everything I can think of. That is why I asked if there was even MORE I could do! I think the micro-trim will be enough for me at this point and as much as I can handle as I am not into losing all my progress...but I totally get and appreciate your advice! Thanks so much!

[podo]

So I think all in all, I am doing most everything I can think of. That is why I asked if there was even MORE I could do!

Oh, well d*@& woman! The top half of my hair is like that, but the bottom half is.. um... not so great. ;)

Why are you micro-trimming then? Why not just stick with S&D or do a micro yourself (take strands and twist and snip off just the ends)? As long as it's just a micro it shouldn't be too hard at any length.

Sorry, don't mean to pry; I'm just curious.

[JuneBride]

Oh, well d*@& woman! The top half of my hair is like that, but the bottom half is.. um... not so great. ;)

Why are you micro-trimming then? Why not just stick with S&D or do a micro yourself (take strands and twist and snip off just the ends)? As long as it's just a micro it shouldn't be too hard at any length.

Sorry, don't mean to pry; I'm just curious.

Because I have layers and I am afraid to mess it all up. Plus I like my hairdresser, and guilty pleasure: I like to go once a month and get a conditioning treatment and style from her. So I will let her micro-trim and blend my layers. Half of my hair is virgin and half of my hair is a bleach/dyed/fried mess. I really should be getting 4 inches of that bleach/dyed/fried mess cut off but I simply can't part with the lenght after finally getting it back. Take a look at my "hair journey" album on my profile...

Thanks again for your words of advice, I truly appreciate it :pumpkin:

[HintOfMint]

Avoid using shampoo on your length, particularly if it is a sulfate.
Use a leave-in conditioner or oil
Detangle GENTLY, from the bottom up.
Figure out where you get the most splits and gauge from there what is the likely cause, whether it is wind-blown tangles in the canopy, or friction matting in the underlayer from clothes. Adjust your hair routine accordingly
Don't bleach or use chemical dyes (even a black permanent dye still caused damage on me)
Be careful with what kind of elastics you use in your hair, and more importantly, how you take them off. If you just tug them out of your hair, chances are, you're taking a bunch of broken hairs along with it, even if they are the hair-friendly sort.

...and that's all I have that I believe hasn't been posted yet.

[jojo]

I also find either a little bit of conditioner or oil on the ends helps protect from splits too!

[Astarte_1980]

Split ends happen in older hair. You cannot really prevent it but be gentle to your hair.

[julliams]

The micro-trim will help the splits on the ends but examine your hair for splits which start higher up the hair - like an inch or more. I had no idea I had these until I found a few and now I find them everywhere. I just read an article that said that splits occur when the hair's moisture levels are low so I'm guessing that a combination of SMT's, oil and leave-ins would be a good idea to ward them off. I do think though that the longer your hair gets, the older the ends are and they just have a hard time standing up to daily wear and tear.

[isbmlamloi]

What is S&D? I keep seeing it mentioned, but not written out anywhere, and searching for it on the forums gets no results. :(

My hair is FULL of split ends, and it's causing me no end of worry. I'm afraid I'm going to need to do a trim of a few inches on the end (my precious inches!), but I don't know what to do about the split ends higher up on the hair. Get a pair of hair shears and trim them whenever I find one? Can oil/conditioning solutions help solve split ends that already exist, or are they a lost cause?

[isbmlamloi]

Argh, I'm too new to be able to edit my post, but I am reading the articles linked to earlier in the thread and answering some of my questions! (Like S&D was exactly what I was thinking of doing - grabbing hair scissors and going after those splits!) Sorry for not reading first.

[Pierre]

Wear it up most of the time, touching shoulders at most.
Sleep with it wrapped in a Buff.
Henna.

Some hair is more prone to splits than other. My beard hair, which is coarse, was full of splits, and really long ones, until I started hennaing. My scalp hair was not, though it had some.

[HintOfMint]

What is S&D? I keep seeing it mentioned, but not written out anywhere, and searching for it on the forums gets no results. :(

My hair is FULL of split ends, and it's causing me no end of worry. I'm afraid I'm going to need to do a trim of a few inches on the end (my precious inches!), but I don't know what to do about the split ends higher up on the hair. Get a pair of hair shears and trim them whenever I find one? Can oil/conditioning solutions help solve split ends that already exist, or are they a lost cause?

Splits and damage that already exist are, indeed, a lost cause. All you can do is trim them away. Le sigh, what can you do?

[Anje]

Minimize tangles.

On me, tangles turn into knots, kink the hair, and then it splits at that weak point. The kinks also breed new tangles. The best way to minimize tangles varies a bit from person to person, but it generally comes down to finding a conditioner or oil or other system that leaves hair smooth (and that keeps it that way between washings!), wearing it contained (especially when outside in the wind), and combing slowly starting at the ends.