Splitsville!

[Cirafly24]

I think I'm really starting to pay for my old chemical and heat damage :(

I'm doing the No Trims in 2011 Challenge, so I've been doing a lot of S&D. A LOT! Over the past 4 weeks or so, I've done about 6 hours of S&D, and I can only imagine how many splits I've cut. Maybe thousands!

Yesterday, I straightened my hair for the first time in months. Trying to minimize the negative impact, I used heat protecting spray and used a low heat setting. I brought my hair scissors to work with me today...since I'm wearing it down I figured I'd see a few splits and be frustrated if I couldn't cut them.

Well I was right, except instead of a few splits, I found HUNDREDS. In addition to normal splits, I have white dots galore, sometimes 3 or 4 white dots on one hair. Plus, I found at least a dozen splits that were about 4-6 inches from the bottom of the strand! :mad:

I don't know if it's just the straightness that's bringing the damage to my attention, or if I caused that much damage just by straightening once :confused:

I know I just need to be patient and eventually the damage will grow out. But I'm feeling kind of bad about it. Commiserate with me! Tell me I'm not alone!

I'm certainly going to refrain from using my flat iron for a LONG time!

[MiamiPineapple]

I TOTALLY feel your pain. I literally had zero sprli ends and after I went to the hair dresser in December to get black hair dye removed, my hair is full of splits, white spots galore on the end and 5 inches shorter.

Anyways, I try to do deep conditioning tremtments with castor oil everynight and protein rich conditioner is doing wonders for strengthening my hair. I have also been usuing Mega-Tek. I don't have a problem with protein buildup because the chemical damage left my hair so stripped.

Keep making time for deep conditioning treatments and lots and lots of TLC. My hair has gone from a complete poof to fairly smooth in just a few months.

I say focus on treating the scalp and promoting new hair growth and the damage will grow out. Stay positive...we have to :)

[aspartame gram]

Hm, do you think maybe using a blow dryer would benefit your hair instead of using the straightener? I've been trying hard to not use either, though I tend to use the blow dryer more than the straightener.

I had been dying my hair constantly and I've finally given it a break. I let my stylist cut a lot of it off and even thin it out. Makes me sad. :( But at least it's healthier than what it was! You can do it!

[Cirafly24]

Thanks MiamiPineapple :flower:

I'm using Mega-Tek and castor oil too :D I do have a *lot* of new growth that's about 4 inches long, so that's something positive!

[Cirafly24]

Hm, do you think maybe using a blow dryer would benefit your hair instead of using the straightener? I've been trying hard to not use either, though I tend to use the blow dryer more than the straightener.

I had been dying my hair constantly and I've finally given it a break. I let my stylist cut a lot of it off and even thin it out. Makes me sad. :( But at least it's healthier than what it was! You can do it!

Thanks :) Actually, I think using no heat at all would benefit my hair hehe. I only straighten it about 3 times a year, and blowdry maybe twice a year...so it shouldn't be too difficult to stop entirely. I think the ends are just too fragile to mess with. On the bright side, I haven't found any splits in the virgin hair from roots to APL...and I have a ton of new growth from the scalp treatments I've been doing. So I can look forward to a thicker ponytail and healthier hair :D

[Tressie]

You are not alone!! That's for sure! I used to think that only the long hairs got damaged, but I know that I've had splits on short hairs too. I think people with F/M hair may be more prone to these, but that's just my opinion. I have S&D'd for hours, four and more, and still knew I'd not gotten every split! So I do my best to treat my hair gently and I try not to worry so much about it, because I think it's a fact of life for some of us! (o:

[jesis]

I hear this. Even though I am not doing the No Trims challenge, I am trying to go 3-4 months in between trims. It's been painful so far. I just S&D'd last night and I'm already finding tons of splits and white dots today. I rarely use my flat iron (maybe once every 2 months), but I pay dearly after I do. I'm finding it's really not worth it anymore.

I've found some really horrendous splits lately. Split 5-6 times up the shaft, maybe 2-3 inches up. It really scares me when I find those! :shudder: I don't know what's causing them, but I don't feel like I'm going to get anywhere with my hair if I have to S&D once or twice a week! It's discouraging.

[gattina]

I just started doing castor oil 3 weeks ago, how long have you been doing castor oil and how often do you do it? i'm four inches from my goal, getting very anxious :)

[Jenn of Pence]

Maybe you're right; if your ends are previously damaged, all heck might break loose on them even just straightening once. Healthy, strong hair would probably be fine with such infrequent heat styling. I bet my hair (previously subjected to the straightener) would spring up a lovely crop of white dots if I tried straightening it again. :)

[MrsGuther]

I totally feel your pain!!! Sending hugs your way. I am STILL finding lots of white dots and splits from YEARS ago when I used to get highlights, flat iron my hair etc. It sucks to feel like they will never go away completely... ughhh. :( But we just have to keep strong and continue to think positively.

[monsterna]

I'm sure you've seen this (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=79)article before, but it's still a great read if you have or haven't!

Just look at what heat damage does to the hair. I seriously would never go near a straightener again after seeing that. I have highlight damage I'm growing out the last few inches of my hair and it splits quite often. I am also doing no trimming and so S&D is my friend.

I can see you've decided to stay away from the straightener, which is good. I use the hair dryer still on warm or cool setting if I need to readjust my bangs in the morning, but that's about it. I have no advice for you though, but I wanted you to check that article nonetheless! I'm with you still growing out damage that must eventually be snipped.

[Cirafly24]

Thank you, monsterna :) I have seen that article, but it's always good for another read. Lots of good information!

[xoxophelia]

I realize you are doing the no trims challenge but maybe now or after you are done you could start frequent micro trims (only a few mm)? Perhaps then you won't have to S&D quite as much and won't lose much length as well as keep the hemline even. Just a thought though.

I am also growing out damage and last night did a good 2.5"-3ish trim. A decent amount of my length is still damaged but my hair feels a lot better for it and I am happy with that decision. I on the other hand had been thinking about it for a very long time. I can feel your pain and frustration though for sure.

[freckles]

you're not alone. My hair is full full full of splits. I can't hold up a pencil-sized section of hair without finding a bunch. And I don't just get the little ones, I get really long splits and those 'tree' shaped things fairly often. In some lights, it look like the ends that aren't split are tiny white dots, but I don't know if that's REAL 'white dots' or some kind of trick of the light -- I hope the latter!

All my current hair on my head is undyed (last dyed when I was 14ish, I think), I have never done perming, I can count on one hand the amount of times in my life I have used a straightener, and though I used to get my hair curled when VERY small, I can count on one hand (probably one finger) the amount of times my current hair that is now on my head has been put in curling tongs -- and then it was only the front pieces to keep out of an updo! It seems a little unfair that my hair has all these splits considering I haven't done the main causes of damage. However, pre-LHC I have had my own bad hair habits -- tearing through with a brush, no conditioner, occasional blowdrying (well, I haven't 'quit' this -- I haven't done it this year yet but I plan on still blowdrying a bit), etc. So I'm hoping that, in time, the situation will get better. But who knows? :shrug:

I try to console myself with the fact that this seems to be the only way my hair is showing any damage -- it still feels soft and silky, it still looks smooth and nice, it still retains length, and I don't get chunks broken off any more. So although the splits drive me insane, it's possible they're just part of my hair type, and maybe I should just get over it since they don't do any harm. :shrug:

(Holy long rant post, Batman!)

I hope that you see some improvement as your damage grows out. But if you don't, maybe it's not a big deal? Can other people see your splits? Can you see them, if you don't go looking? Do they stop you from retaining your growth? If not, maybe there's nothing to worry about.

[x0h_bother]

You're not alone this happens to me. One thing that happened to me is I used bad scissors which made splits worse. My dots and kinks are from tangles and layers.

[born_confused90]

Yup, you are not alone. I was totally stunned when I read that people do S&D sessions that are about 20 minutes long when mine can last over an hour every other day and I'm still not done! Even my split ends have split ends!
The majority of my split ends aren't actually at the the ends and in certain dots I have white dots galore! - I should probably stop trying to cut these :s
I do blow dry quite often - once a week? I quite like straight hair and found it odd that after using my sister's GHDs I did have larger split ends but after using my *thinks* straighteners (i can't remember what they're called but they were supposed o cause minimal damage), which I've now given to my sister so she can use them on her synthetic hair extensions, I had so much damage that my hair looked burnt - my black hair looked auburn at the bottom where I had inches of split ends.
I sometimes worry that I'll cut off so many split ends that my hair will start getting shorter! Yet, it's still slowly but steadily growing :)
But, oddly enough, to other people, my hair looks really healthy and I love the way that my hair feels silky and strokeworthy after a really thorough session!
S&D sessions are absolutely addictive (my mum says I need a more healthy hobby!) but totally worth it, I think. keep it up!

[littlenvy]

Hugs to you!!
I know what you are going through.

For the longest time I had no or very little splits. But it seems that my hair took one too many 'hits' and now I can't control them.
It does not help to cut them. Two days after the hair is cut it starts to split also.
It seems to me that when the damage occurs in along the lenght of the hair, cutting the split will only allow for more damage to show.
I have about 4 to 5 inches of real damage at the ends of my hair. I'm hoping that one I finally cut that off the hair will stop splitting.

[Marianne]

I try to console myself with the fact that this seems to be the only way my hair is showing any damage -- it still feels soft and silky, it still looks smooth and nice, it still retains length, and I don't get chunks broken off any more. So although the splits drive me insane, it's possible they're just part of my hair type, and maybe I should just get over it since they don't do any harm. :shrug:



I think splits come with the territory for many with fine hair and I've given up worrying about them. I still include S&D in my routine (It's very relaxing for me), but don't stress out about the amount of splits I find. I have many, no matter how well I take care of my hair, but it still grows well and remains soft, silky and very shiny.

[freckles]

I think splits come with the territory for many with fine hair and I've given up worrying about them. I still include S&D in my routine (It's very relaxing for me), but don't stress out about the amount of splits I find. I have many, no matter how well I take care of my hair, but it still grows well and remains soft, silky and very shiny.

I agree that it seems that, often, fine hair = splits. I'm working on feeling as calm about it as you do -- but I'm not quite there yet! :lol:

[Firefox7275]

I can't remember the last time I saw a split end, but I do have a lot of breaks. :( When I was combing my longer ponytail frequently, the white dots and breaks were in the middle, Once my hair was shorter and I was mainly twirling, the breaks were at the pony elastic and around the face. I know it's often said that it's better to blow fry than straighten, but may people use a brush when they blow dry which has to be damaging when applied repeatedly to damp hair. :confused:

[spidermom]

I don't think that the no-trimming challenge is going to get you much ahead in length because those ends are likely breaking off, and the tangling is going to create more splits. It really sounds like you need a good trim to me.

[Shoga]

Awww, I’m in the same boat as you and totally understand how frustrating it is. D: I’ve snipped off thousands of splits over the past few days (found some feathered ones with 6+ splits!!). I think the biggest culprit is the straightener. About a year ago I had bangs and I straightened those every day. I’ve been growing those out and now that’s where lots of my splits are, in what “should” be my shortest and most healthy pieces of hair. I got more splits from straightening than bleaching. ._.

[Cirafly24]

I try to console myself with the fact that this seems to be the only way my hair is showing any damage -- it still feels soft and silky, it still looks smooth and nice, it still retains length, and I don't get chunks broken off any more. So although the splits drive me insane, it's possible they're just part of my hair type, and maybe I should just get over it since they don't do any harm. :shrug:

(Holy long rant post, Batman!)

I hope that you see some improvement as your damage grows out. But if you don't, maybe it's not a big deal? Can other people see your splits? Can you see them, if you don't go looking? Do they stop you from retaining your growth? If not, maybe there's nothing to worry about.

That makes me feel better! My hair also still feels soft, no tangles, still growing steadily at 1/2" a month. No one else can see the splits, and they don't seem to be slowing down my growth, so I'm going to try not to freak out about them so much :)


I don't think that the no-trimming challenge is going to get you much ahead in length because those ends are likely breaking off, and the tangling is going to create more splits. It really sounds like you need a good trim to me.

Hmm, my hair doesn't seem to be breaking, and I don't have any problem with tangles. I'm going to stick to the no-trimming challenge for now :cool:

[lapushka]

I grew from shoulder all the way to WL with hair that was full of white dots and splits (not many of those though), so there's hope for you yet. ;) Only when I'd almost reached WL did the white dots get cut out. Why? Because I only realized at that point how much damage there was. Before that time it just kept breaking off (pieces ranging from 1/4 inch to 2 inches). I was absolutely puzzled by it when I should have known. It started breaking off in places after it was permed.

I had about 2 inches worth of damage and you won't believe what had to be cut out of my hair! I lost about a quarter to half of my volume in the last 2 inches (more towards the ends). It was either gradual and thorough S&D or lose a lot of length. But really, had I not noticed the white dots and splits, it would still be breaking off... and it would also still be growing. I wouldn't worry about it too much. I didn't because I was oblivious.

[einna]

It seems to me like splits and white dots are part of having fine hair. I have to trim my hair every three months, or my ends get bushy, extra dry and tangles a lot. Untill recently I thought this was just because of damage, but then I found a lot of white dots in my bangs that has not been trimmed for 6 months. They are virgin, and has known nothing but reasonably good haircare..
This is dissapointing, but I think it could be kept under control with S&Ds or microtrims. I would guess the same thing goes for you to.

[jojo]

Your hair is the exact same of mine. I started off doing the no trim challenge, its no good for our hair types. I have just cut back to 29" due to splits and breakage. I now have a plan to dust hair 3-4 monthly, my hair is just too delicate for no trims and I end up loosing more length due to damage.

[jojo]

I don't think that the no-trimming challenge is going to get you much ahead in length because those ends are likely breaking off, and the tangling is going to create more splits. It really sounds like you need a good trim to me.
I have to totally agree with spidermom, those splits will eventually break, which overall will prevent you retaining length.

[Cirafly24]

Several people have commented that fine hair seems more prone to splits, and I have to agree. I'm going to keep a close eye on things...if the splits are causing me to stall or if the damage is traveling up the length, I'll reconsider my No-Trimming challenge :) For now, I'm going to try not to obsess over it too much. :p

Jojo, your hair looks lovely!

[Rafusen]

OP, I'm in Splitsville right with you. I've a newbie and only recently started S&Ding and I feel like it's NEVER ENDING. I seem to find so many, I'm tempted to get a magnifying light just so I can stop straining my eyes trying to get rid of them all. The only consolation for me is the hope that maybe one day, I'll have no more splits ... but for now, I think I have several thousand more to snip. :eye:

[haibane]

OP, I'm in Splitsville right with you. I've a newbie and only recently started S&Ding and I feel like it's NEVER ENDING. I seem to find so many, I'm tempted to get a magnifying light just so I can stop straining my eyes trying to get rid of them all. The only consolation for me is the hope that maybe one day, I'll have no more splits ... but for now, I think I have several thousand more to snip. :eye:
This was pretty much me when I first found LHC, but with lots and lots of S&D and a better routine, I get very few splits these days. So it definitely is possible to improve a splitty situation. :)

[growingpains]

I'm in the same boat- my ends are pretty dotty and split. Some days I just want to chop the damage to my virgin hair (which is now between APL+). However, as pointed out on many threads here it seems, babying the hair can minimize splits, etc, while growing out damage.

Therefore I like your idea of staying in the no trims challenge and trying not to worry about it. Worrying won't help :) (reminds self too!). If you do however happen to notice many, many more splits while staying away from the heat them maybe some monthly dustings might be good?

[jojo]

Several people have commented that fine hair seems more prone to splits, and I have to agree. I'm going to keep a close eye on things...if the splits are causing me to stall or if the damage is traveling up the length, I'll reconsider my No-Trimming challenge :) For now, I'm going to try not to obsess over it too much. :p

Jojo, your hair looks lovely!

aww thank you Jenna xx

[x0h_bother]

I grew from shoulder all the way to WL with hair that was full of white dots and splits (not many of those though), so there's hope for you yet. ;) Only when I'd almost reached WL did the white dots get cut out. Why? Because I only realized at that point how much damage there was. Before that time it just kept breaking off (pieces ranging from 1/4 inch to 2 inches). I was absolutely puzzled by it when I should have known. It started breaking off in places after it was permed.

I had about 2 inches worth of damage and you won't believe what had to be cut out of my hair! I lost about a quarter to half of my volume in the last 2 inches (more towards the ends). It was either gradual and thorough S&D or lose a lot of length. But really, had I not noticed the white dots and splits, it would still be breaking off... and it would also still be growing. I wouldn't worry about it too much. I didn't because I was oblivious.
Thank you for this. I have big breakage too but am growing out and hope one day they will cease when the damgage gets cut out. :)

[Cupofmilk]

I have to say I was meant to be no trims in 2011. BUt I did no trims in 2010 - at the end of the year I trimmed about 1/2 inch and it just wasn't quite enough. So I took an inch off this month - I find no noticeable difference in length but S&D is so much easier .... not much to find. Woohoo and it's like someone else's hair - it's got all the length and bounce and it's less tangly. Plus it appears to have grown a lot last month.

[Cirafly24]

I have to say I was meant to be no trims in 2011. BUt I did no trims in 2010 - at the end of the year I trimmed about 1/2 inch and it just wasn't quite enough. So I took an inch off this month - I find no noticeable difference in length but S&D is so much easier .... not much to find. Woohoo and it's like someone else's hair - it's got all the length and bounce and it's less tangly. Plus it appears to have grown a lot last month.

That's good to hear! I was looking at my latest length picture a little while ago, and thinking that even if I cut off 3 inches, I'd still be past hip. Still think I'm going to stick it out, though :D