oh no.. splits!

[HaiirPEACE]

bahhh today i was driving and when im at lights i look at my ends to make sure they are ok since my car is the only place with the best lighting.. well i found some nasty looking splits and now im freaking out because if i have splits that means my hair isnt getting any longer. i dont use heat i use a wide tooth comb after i shower what the heck gives? what should i do? get a baby trim? as in 1/8inch cut off? i tried s & d just now and im scared i couldn't get it all.. plus im afraid to get a trim cuz i finally made it 19" and i was 18" from march until the beginning of june..



:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(

i'm so sad i feel hopeless

[aisling]

Huh, I've never heard that a couple of splits would make your hair stop growing. If that was true, I wouldn't have been able to grow from above BSL to tailbone during the last 2 years ;) You have to have heavily damaged hair with all kind of damage, white spots, splits and so on, to experience so much damage that your hair breaks off in noticeable amounts and prevents you from gaining any length.

As split ends cause tangling in my hair, I try to get rid of them through S&D (search and destroy) where you cut off the individual splits with a sharp, good scissors. However, I can't ever get rid off them all and they haven't exactly prevented me from gaining length either.

Some kind of leave in to protect your ends, making them more slippery to prevent tangling and tearing, might be something you could use. I am however of the opinion that some have hair that just split, whatever you do.

[mugglemomof3]

I have tons of splits, and always have. It's the kind of hair I have. And I've been steadily growing each month. Maybe not as much as some, but it's always at least something.

Don't let this get you down.

[spidermom]

I do everything that I can do to protect my hair without driving myself crazy, and I still get splits. I've managed to grow to hip length anyway. I've been reassured by people with much longer hair, even knee length, that splits are a normal part of having extra-long hair. Those ends have been around for a long time. They've been through a lot. Of course some of them split. How could they not?

I don't think it's reasonable to expect that you can successfully evaluate and spot-trim (S&D) over 100,000 hairs. Trims don't necessarily help because splits often occur on ends that are newer and shorter than your longest lengths.

My remedy? Continue to practice good hair-care habits and try not to stress over a tiny thing like a few split ends.

[Stagecoach]

Don't worry, I have loads of splits, and my hair certinaly hasn't stopped growing because of them!

What I do to keep them under control is S&D every couple weeks, and use a catnip rinse to pre-soak my hair.

[Darkhorse1]

Split ends are inevitable. The best thing is to practice healthy hair care and snip the dead ends when you see them.

[girlcat36]

Some people get them and some people don't. My hair is fine and slow to grow, but shockingly, I don't get splits.
Look at Stagecoach's amazing hair; she says she has a lot of splits, but look how long it is!
I think you got some good advice. Let it go a few more months and then maybe get a microtrim from a trusted stylist.

[jojo]

I get splits and have come to accept they are normal with longer hair, your ends are older so it stands to reason really. Bit like expecting a 80 year old to have an unlined skin!

Just continue to condition and treat your hair like a new born baby, it will pay you back with lovely length!

[julya]

I have tons of splits too, but my hair is still growing. I just try to be gentle with my hair to minimize damage.

[Isilme]

some splits are normal, but if you think they are getting too many, trim or S&D, or both:)

[soprano]

I get splits, but somehow I still average about 1" a month in growth.

At some point, they *might* get bad enough that the hair starts to break off, but it sounds like you have a loooong way to go if you can only find them in good light.

[tiny_teesha]

woah- relax!!! It is ok.
It may be splits from "pre LHC" they have aged a bit but whatever they went through before still counts.
Do an S&D, get as many as you can, if you miss a few it isn't the end of the world, each one you get is one split less!
I say just S&D i wouldn't trim, unless all your splits are at the very end of your hair you just loose length for nothing!

[Amara]

Yes, relax! I have lots of splits - always do, whether I S&D or not. Just be gentle and do a little S&D when you can or trim occasionally. I might consider putting a limit on my S&D time if I were you so you don't end up obsessing. Your hair will grow!