My hair keeps getting split ends

[natural80]

I just cut a couple of inches off of my hair a month ago and when I look at my ends, they still have splits. I am doing sort of the baggy/ greenhouse effect method every night. I have been doing off and on for the past couple of weeks. I do have some mid splits. I moisturize and seal every day with an oil or butter. My hair is 3b/3c/4a. I have about 5 inches of growth. I don't know if I should cut my hair off again like a boy or what. I was also considering getting a texturizer. What should I do?

[Madora]

I don't know if you used heat on your hair, but over time that can lead to significant damage to your strands.

Also, if you're using a plastic brush, or one of those brushes with nubs at the tips, they aren't hair friendly.

As far as the current damage is concerned, you might want to trim away about an inch and then just baby your hair until it grows out more.

If you're using chemicals on your hair, then perhaps those are the culprit.

Detangling your hair properly with a wide tooth comb is also helpful. Good luck!

[katienoonan]

I agree with everything Madora said, but i'll also add my :twocents:

You said you had a trim recently.. what scissors did you use? If your scissors weren't sharp enough they can cut the hair at a fraying angle, which makes the shaft from the end open over time causing splits!

[natural80]

I haven't used heat on my hair in 2 years. I airdry my hair also. I haven't used any chemicals on my hair either. I don't wear my hair out much either. I have it covered in twists most of the time.

[natural80]

I don't use a brush. I only use a wide-toothed comb. The scissors I used were sharp. :eek:

[ravenreed]

Some of us have more split prone hair. No matter how kind I am to my hair, it is wavy and likes to tangle. Tangles lead to splits, and split ends are more grabby and lead to more tangles. In my case, the priority is reducing tangles. I trim frequently, use a satin pillow case, mostly CO, occasionally oil... All these things have greatly reduced the number of split ends I have. I also S & D often. However, I will never be able to look at my hair and not find at least a few split ends. Hopefully you will find things that reduce or eliminate the split ends.

[natural80]

I do shampoo alot with sls 'poo. That could be the culprit. When I 'poo, I mean I wash almost on a daily basis because of my itchy scalp. I have reduced my itchy scalp by using acv. I bought a sulfate-free 'poo at the beauty supply store, which works well with hard water (Elasta QP). Maybe I should try CO. I would use V05 Moisture Milk or Suave.

[natural80]

Thanks ladies for the advice. :cheese:

[spidermom]

My hair splits, too. Every time I look, I can find clusters of them. My solution - don't look. Trim regularly. And - of course - be as careful as I can and give deep conditioning treatments.

[KwaveT]

I wonder if some of my hair has the making for potential split ends though. I have noticed lately that when I do my deshedding that I have since pieces of small hair here and there no more longer than your nail plate. At that point I know these hair are not sheds. Most of my sheds are least the length of my thumb now.

[spidermom]

I get shed hairs anywhere from 2 inches to more than 2 feet long. Not every hair has the same growth cycle.

[natural80]

I get a lot of shed hairs. I may see one breakage hair every 6 months to a year. Most of the hair I lose comes from shedding.

What I did was cut about 1-2 inches of hair and co-washed. I used V05 Moisture Milk conditioner and sealed with shea butter. I did twists on my hair and covered it. I can still still splits, but most of them are mid splits. I'm ditching the sulfate 'poo for co-washes and sulfate 'poos. If I use 'cones it'll be my deep conditioner.

[heidi w.]

Consider microtrimming a method of taking off much less than gained length in a given time period. You can trim splits out yourself, if you like too. Just make sure you use good scissors. A bad blade can incite damage. But if you buy brand new trimming scissors, you should be ok. Ensure that the cut down motion is without any hidging up, or hesitation. If there's hesitation, oil the screw and work a bit, then wipe the excess oil off the scissors. Never use these hair scissors on anything but your own hair.

If you're brushing, this could be an issue. Detangling with a wide tooth or extra wide tooth comb is the best benefit.

If you're using a Boar Bristle Brush, this is NOT a detangling tool; it is a polishing tool. Hair must already be detangled, and dry, to use this brush.

To the best of my knowledge, oiling hair length does not build a seal on the hair. If it does, this could be problematic at a later date. (I'm thinking about conditioning.)

As you can see from my siggy pix, below, I have relatively long hair, although when I get with a long hair meeting, I typically am one of the shorter lengths. LOL

But I will share with you that I have splits. Going for entirely split-free hair, I think, is a cause that for most will not occur. Apparently some have this kind of hair, but I most assuredly do not. However my splits are in the range of the final 3 inches, for the most part. My hair is presently slightly shorter than my siggy pix, below.

I hope this is helpful. Consider sleeping on a satin or sateen pillowcase, or some kind of slippery fabric. Consider wearing your hair up more of the time, or otherwise contained.

Just some immediate thoughts to hopefully help you a little bit,
heidi w.

Are you detangling with a wide toothed comb? Brushing can cause some problems. FYI....

[natural80]

Thanks for the advice. I sleep on a satin pillowcase and satin scarf. I always cover my hair and wear it in a protective style. I use shea butter on my ends since I find that oil does not help my ends too much. I may try castor oil. I never use a brush. I always use a wide-toothed comb. I should invest in a new one because the one that I have has fine teeth at the bottom. You know, the ones with wide teeth and the top and small ones at the bottom? When I first went natural 2 years ago, my hair didn't have splits. I used 'cones too. My scalp was itchy and my hair stayed dry.

[natural80]

Consider microtrimming a method of taking off much less than gained length in a given time period. You can trim splits out yourself, if you like too. Just make sure you use good scissors. A bad blade can incite damage. But if you buy brand new trimming scissors, you should be ok. Ensure that the cut down motion is without any hidging up, or hesitation. If there's hesitation, oil the screw and work a bit, then wipe the excess oil off the scissors. Never use these hair scissors on anything but your own hair.

If you're brushing, this could be an issue. Detangling with a wide tooth or extra wide tooth comb is the best benefit.

If you're using a Boar Bristle Brush, this is NOT a detangling tool; it is a polishing tool. Hair must already be detangled, and dry, to use this brush.

To the best of my knowledge, oiling hair length does not build a seal on the hair. If it does, this could be problematic at a later date. (I'm thinking about conditioning.)

As you can see from my siggy pix, below, I have relatively long hair, although when I get with a long hair meeting, I typically am one of the shorter lengths. LOL

But I will share with you that I have splits. Going for entirely split-free hair, I think, is a cause that for most will not occur. Apparently some have this kind of hair, but I most assuredly do not. However my splits are in the range of the final 3 inches, for the most part. My hair is presently slightly shorter than my siggy pix, below.

I hope this is helpful. Consider sleeping on a satin or sateen pillowcase, or some kind of slippery fabric. Consider wearing your hair up more of the time, or otherwise contained.

Just some immediate thoughts to hopefully help you a little bit,
heidi w.

Are you detangling with a wide toothed comb? Brushing can cause some problems. FYI....

I also want to say you have beautiful hair. I couldn't manage hair that long. The longest mine ever was was WL when I was a teenager and MBL when I was relaxed.

[heidi w.]

Natural80,

I went looking for your hair care routine, and I couldn't find anything. Perhaps your hair care routine will help us figure out the culprit?

Are your splits mostly in the bottom inch (I'm not clear how long your hair is, actually.) or so of hair? If it's higher up than that, there's something going on.

If you blow dry your hair, consider acquiring a diffuser and use a cooler setting and set a bit away from the hair.

If you curl your hair, consider using steam rollers.

I offered some other suggestions as well. Maybe one of these will help? Looks like you found a hair twin in this post, though.

heidi w.

[heidi w.]

Thanks for the advice. I sleep on a satin pillowcase and satin scarf. I always cover my hair and wear it in a protective style. I use shea butter on my ends since I find that oil does not help my ends too much. I may try castor oil. I never use a brush. I always use a wide-toothed comb. I should invest in a new one because the one that I have has fine teeth at the bottom. You know, the ones with wide teeth and the top and small ones at the bottom? When I first went natural 2 years ago, my hair didn't have splits. I used 'cones too. My scalp was itchy and my hair stayed dry.

I find for my volume, a plain ole wide-tooth comb is still too close positioning of comb's teeth, and I cannot get the comb through my hair. I have to use an extra wide wide tooth comb which I purchased/ordered via mail from a George Michael salon out of Ohio. When I was doing better financially, I would order a new one each year. I'm not so flush at the moment. This comb can easily be cleaned by being cleaned by hand with a kind of scrubby brush and some shampoo and warm water, or you can clean it by placing it in the upper rack of a dishwasher. You'd be surprised the crud I've discovered on people's combs when I overtook the cleaning of the comb.

Here's a link to the comb I order, if you're interested.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winchester_Mystery_House
Scroll very far down and you will see combs eventually.

Madora Detangling Comb (Ivory) -- the first one shown. It's described as extra-wide wide tooth.
(Ivory) IV-#116

I recommend you telephone in an order, and see if they will ship it to you. I'm fairly certain they will. You might get lucky and Marie, the owner, will answer the phone. A perfectly lovely woman. Truly wonderful lady.

There are other combs as well, for your consideration.
In case the above link to PRODUCTS page doesn't work, here is the main link, then click on the top PRODUCTS tab.
http://madoralonghairheaven.com/madorahistory.html


Hope this helps you out,
heidi w.

[heidi w.]

A number of LHC folks choose to sleep in a sleep cap over a slippery fabric'd pillowcase.... FYI.....

heidi w.

[heidi w.]

I get a lot of shed hairs. I may see one breakage hair every 6 months to a year. Most of the hair I lose comes from shedding.

What I did was cut about 1-2 inches of hair and co-washed. I used V05 Moisture Milk conditioner and sealed with shea butter. I did twists on my hair and covered it. I can still still splits, but most of them are mid splits. I'm ditching the sulfate 'poo for co-washes and sulfate 'poos. If I use 'cones it'll be my deep conditioner.

Ah! VO5, for many, has too much protein. Too much protein can exacerbate loss of an otherwise totally healthy hair strand. Just FYI.

It is normal to lose as much as 100 strands of hair per day.

You might like to get a hold of the book, Naturally Healthy Hair by Mary Beth Janssen. It is typically not carried by a bookstore, but must be ordered.

Here's an Amazon.com link so you can see the book's cover.
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=naturally+healthy+hair+book&hl=en&prmd=imvns&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&biw=1280&bih=536&wrapid=tlif131887646255210&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=17807604784633870633&sa=X&ei=PXWcTvTPO--BsgLArrXSBA&ved=0CFoQ8wIwAA#

This book has a lot of hair information on how hair grows and natural hair care recipes, plus the end includes information on styling which for LHC is generally not very applicable, but the rest of the book is a wonderful resource. It might help you to understand some basic information.

You mean CO washing, conditioner washing, right? You have straight hair, and this may not be the best method for you. Just something to be aware of. CO washing is typically for wavy or curly haired folks.

Cones are not bad for everyone. Some need the additional slip that cones do offer. Also FYI.

You should understand that an oiling with Shea Butter or whatever does not "seal" hair. Also additional FYI.

heidi w.

[natural80]

My hair regime changes on a daily basis.

For now:


Co-wash once a week
Use a sulfate-free 'poo once a week with a dc of moisture or protein.
Wear my hair in a protective style of twists with a satin scarf and beanie.Products for now:

V05 moisture milk conditioner
ORS replenishing pak
100% shea butter or olive oil
Aussie leave-in conditioner or other
Elasta QP sulfate-free 'poo

I have mid splits too. I noticed that I can still see some splits from the 1 to 2 inches where I cut.

[natural80]

I'm African-American. My hair is curly. I have 3b/3c/4a hair.

[heidi w.]

I also want to say you have beautiful hair. I couldn't manage hair that long. The longest mine ever was was WL when I was a teenager and MBL when I was relaxed.

Thank you for your compliment. I didn't want to ignore you; I just didn't get the compliment at first. I was focused on trying to help you more. Thank you.

I've always wanted long, long hair, and I finally have it pretty much. I'm approaching age 52, come next spring.

heidi w.

[heidi w.]

I'm African-American. My hair is curly. I have 3b/3c/4a hair.

Ah. Then CO washing is definitely for you! Curly hair needs more moisture, and African-American hair really needs moisture. You might fare better with a sleeping cap, too. No brushes for you, My Lady!

You might look up the book, Curly Girl, as well. It may be helpful to you. There are also long hair sites for African-American hair types, too. Just use google to find them.

heidi w.

[Roscata]

In these threads: Thin Hair and Henna (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=77246) and Re: Do you find that henna really does make your hair stronger and thicker? (http://www.longhaircommunity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53400) some fine haired people experienced stronger and a bit thicker hair strands after they started to use henna on their hair. This is something you might want to consider. I read your thread and saw that you seem to be doing everything right for your hair, so if you just want to stop split ends by making your strands stronger this could be for you.

For more information on what damages hair and how to prevent it you might want to look at this article Damaged Hair: Understanding, Preventing & Rehabilitating (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=79). Also if you are having protein or cone overload you could check out these articles: Whats wrong with my hair? Hair Diagnostic Tips (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=44), Build-up and Clarifying (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=194).

Good luck! :D

[heidi w.]

My hair regime changes on a daily basis.

For now:


Co-wash once a week
Use a sulfate-free 'poo once a week with a dc of moisture or protein.
Wear my hair in a protective style of twists with a satin scarf and beanie.Products for now:

V05 moisture milk conditioner
ORS replenishing pak
100% shea butter or olive oil
Aussie leave-in conditioner or other
Elasta QP sulfate-free 'poo

I have mid splits too. I noticed that I can still see some splits from the 1 to 2 inches where I cut.

I assume by mid splits you mean splits in the middle of your hair length? These can be microtrimmed out, if your hair is long enough for you to see.

I am betting you might have a protein-overload from the range of products you are using. For example, most leave-ins may have protein, and combined with VO5 conditioner might put you on overload, and could be contributing to the formation of splits.

African-American hair is a delicate hair type. It needs, yes, a lot of moisture, but you must be mindful of mixing and combining products from different lines/brands.

Here's where I'm going.

Let me first share my experience. I once was recommended to use a leave-in conditioner, and the second use, my hair started to break off in droves, just falling like leaves off a fall tree. That sudden, that pronounced. When this occurs, it's usually a sign of too much or too little protein. Within a given brand of shampoo/conditioner, they balance the protein amongst the product line. But when you start mixing brand lines, it can get really hard to balance the protein yourself. Usually a protein overload leads to hair breakage (or under the needed amount, too), but I could see it leading to increase of splits, per your description.

So, what I recommend is changing one thing at a time, to kind of slowly make your way to figuring out which product is setting you up for increase in splits. Then find out the culprit that way, perhaps. You can also read the use description on the bottle. In my case the leave-in I was recommend specifically recommended that I rinse the leave-in out of my hair and not leave it in for my specific hair type.

I also happen to be against using Olive Oil as a leave in or on hair at all, for the most part. It's generally too acidic a product for delicate hair, such as yours, for example. Go with another carrier oil such as Coconut Oil, Almond Oil, Apricot Oil, or just stick with the Shea Butter, which is good for your hair, I'm guessing. A carrier oil is an oil with usually little to no scent and capable of carrying an essential oil. Essential (scented) oils should be diluted in a carrier oil. Vials of essential oil are most often carried in Jojoba Oil, but more is typically necessary for using on hair itself.

African-American hair needs a lot of moisture and tends to break easily. Also, when it grows longer it tends to "kink" up more, coil up more intensely, unless you're a mix of ethnicities and do not possess typical "African-American" hair, which it would seem the original pix of you at 15may reveal. Those pictures reveal an almost straight hair type.

Hopefully something in this is helpful to you.

heidi w.

[heidi w.]

In these threads: Thin Hair and Henna (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=77246) and Re: Do you find that henna really does make your hair stronger and thicker? (http://www.longhaircommunity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53400) some fine haired people experienced stronger and a bit thicker hair strands after they started to use henna on their hair. This is something you might want to consider. I read your thread and saw that you seem to be doing everything right for your hair, so if you just want to stop split ends by making your strands stronger this could be for you.

For more information on what damages hair and how to prevent it you might want to look at this article Damaged Hair: Understanding, Preventing & Rehabilitating (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=79). Also if you are having protein or cone overload you could check out these articles: Whats wrong with my hair? Hair Diagnostic Tips (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=44), Build-up and Clarifying (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=194).

Good luck! :D

The use of henna on your hair is up to you, of course. But I tend to not recommend it because most salon stylists don't use it because it apparently tends to block the uptake of conditioner, in time. Just a little FYI. Apparently there's different types of henna's that do this to a lesser degree, and I'm not wholly informed about all the types of henna. A lot of folks at the free website Long Hair Loom use henna and know a lot about it. You might enjoy checking it out.

I recommend a thorough study before making any decisions or applications of henna.
heidi w.

[heidi w.]

I looked at one of the articles quoted, and it recommended clarify shampooing without conditioning. I would advise against this as an African-American hair type. This could lead to damage and breakage in the way of too much for your hair type.

Clarifying is a way of removing buildup off of the surface of the hair. If it's bonded with the hair, then you need chelating. I never recommend advancing to chelating without at least clarifying, twice.

When I recommend clarifying, I recommend to follow with conditioning to replace what's been removed. When we clarify, we remove all residue from former shampoos/conditioner; we remove built up hard water minerals on the hair, that kind of thing. This means that hair is plain "nude" without any kind of sebum. Hair left in such a state will be left in a tangled bit of a mess, and difficulty detangling. For your African-American hair type, I would heartily recommend that if you clarify, whether with purchased or homemade recipe, that you follow immediately with a good conditioning session. African-American hair needs to have plenty of moisture.

This is in response to the article about clarifying and then going about self-diagnosing hair's problem.

heidi w.

[Aveyronnaise]

I do shampoo alot with sls 'poo. That could be the culprit. When I 'poo, I mean I wash almost on a daily basis because of my itchy scalp. I have reduced my itchy scalp by using acv. I bought a sulfate-free 'poo at the beauty supply store, which works well with hard water (Elasta QP). Maybe I should try CO. I would use V05 Moisture Milk or Suave.
check out castor oil , i had an itchy kind of dry sensitive scalp now it's totally gone and it doesn't really matter what kind of shampoo i use anymore.
It's also cheap which is a plus.
I have heard it helps with splitting as well.

[Roscata]

Heidi W. I totally agree, people usually follow clarifying with a deep moisture treatment such as The much-recommended SMT (Snowymoon's Moisture Treatment) (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=128) to (ETA) replenish moisture that was lost. I personally do an overnight coconut oiling before clarifying also.

Concerning the henna locking out moisture, I used BAQ henna (Ancient Sunrise) from mehandi.com for one year and I never experienced moisture lock out. But speaking of mehandi.com, they have a type of henna specially for African hair (Ancient Sunrise® Henna for African Hair (http://www.mehandi.com/shop/african/index.html)). If you want more information on henna or want to ask a specific question here is the henna thread: Henna Thread, take two (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=45&highlight=henna). :D

[heidi w.]

It might interest you to know that I helped Snowymoon, some number of years back now, with resolving a flight of fancy over applying salted spritz spray stuff to her hair. I recommended chelating as her fix. She resisted at first, but eventually gave it a try, and for her situation at that time, it resolved her then problem.

I had an opportunity, almost, to meet Snowymoon once. Too bad it didn't transpire. I would have loved to meet her personally.

Her SMT (Snowymoon Moisture Treatment) has enjoyed popularity for some time now.

heidi w.

[haibane]

I have fine split prone hair. I second the henna and castor oil advice. I've only done weak henna-glosses, but even with that my strands seem stronger. I use castor oil pre-wash because it's too sticky to use as a leave in for my 1a hair, but I know some with African hair can use it as a leave in.

Also, you say you moisturize daily but you didn't say how. I have found that misting my hair daily (or even twice a day) has helped to greatly reduce splits and keep my hair soft.

[coneyisland]

Hi natural80. My hair has been growing increasingly wavier and curlier, and my hair types range at least through 3c. It has generally taken about three years for my ends to split at the ends, and I have supposed that the cones have had protective effect for my ends; however, I have just recently had my first mid-shaft split just a few inches from my scalp in one of my curlies.

The Herbal Essence and Aussie lines have products specifically for ends protection, to help prevent splits and other damage. I think they are sold in small pump bottles. I am going to start using the Aussie one (it is the only one of these I have found where I shop) on my ends and my curly patches. I am wondering, since your hair seemed to be more resistant to splitting when you used cones, if one of those products for ends protection might be tolerable to your scalp if you spread it only through your ends?

[lacefrost]

How are you detangling your hair? Since your hair is so curly you want to make sure to do it in sections, while soaking wet and full of conditioner with a wide toothed comb. Take your time.

I find that wetting my hair a few times a week helps with dryness and prevents splits. (I do this while my hair is in twists or braids.)

ETA I do suggest you getting a new pair of scissors because it sounds like some of the splits are from the pair you have been using.

[thelittlestdoc]

Some of us are just unlucky and split-prone. It's a bummer, but cutting them off when you see them is the best way I've found to prevent them from getting worse. :)

[natural80]

Thanks ladies for the adivice again. :cheese: I don't detangle the right way. I just comb it dry or wet, which I shouldn't do. I was looking at my hair and I don't know if it is split or not. It looks split when I put a lot of strands together, but when I look an individual strand, there is no split at all. :confused: My understanding of a split end is different, I guess. I may have just cut length off.

As for oils and butters, shea butter makes my hair shed. I'm using it right now with my hair in twists. I noticed when I use a heavy oil or butter, it makes my hair shed more. Coconut, olive, or grapeseed oil do not do it.

When I first went natural, I could not find a split anywhere. I was using 'cones every day. So, maybe I should go back to using what works. I stopped using 'cones since I heard some negative stuff about them. I heard negative stuff about grease and I used it until I was in my late 20s with no ill effects.

[lacefrost]

A split end is basically a strand of hair where, at the end, it splits into two, kind of like a fork in the road.

Also, if cones work for your hair, then they work for your hair. Everyone is different. Just because one person says it's bad for them, doesn't mean it'll be bad for you.