A question on S&D

[juliaxena]

I wonder if S&D may not be as beneficial as I think for my hair. I started doing it on Saturdays only to find the number of splits does not seem to be decreasing. I showed my scisors to my hairdresser last time I went in for a trim and she said they are good quality and sharp. I also make sure I cut them off at the right angle. I started asking myself if I should just leave my splits be, If maybe somehow if I leave them alone, new ones won't emerge because they will be a sort of defence against them. I can see how this is not making any sense, because supposedly damage travels up if you don't get rid of it. I can understand that. But isn't it possible damage that is already done could somehow act as protection against further damage? I don't know, I am just guessing here, but I could swear I did not get as many new splits every week before I started to do S&D and I did look...:confused:. Thatk you for clearing this up for me.

[spidermom]

Splits definitely travel upward for me; I've found them open as much as 4-6 inches. Plus I think they contribute to tangles, and detangling causes more damage.

But it really doesn't seem like I could ever get them all, so S&D is a waste of time, really. I've been just doing the splits that stick out of my braids mostly, but I feel I never really make a dent in the number of them. While I'm snipping one, another is forming (or so it feels).

[Madora]

Unfortunately, splits continue to split and ruin the strand. Best to get rid of them.

Or, if you have too many, then getting a small trim to lop them off all at the same time, may be the way to go.

Spidermom is right on..splits can lead to tangles, something you want to avoid.

[melusine963]

I generally go on an S&D binge about twice a year, and each time it takes weeks for me to notice any kind of difference. How long have you been doing your weekly S&Ding? Maybe you just need to give it more time before the change becomes obvious.

[Madora]

Juliaxena, the splits are probably due to not enough moisture in your hair. Here's Ktani's comprehensive article on how to use Mineral Oil to help combat dryness:

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=225

You might also be interested in her catnip article for helping to prevent splits:
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=118

It might be more benefical for you to just get a small trim than trying to get rid of the splits by S and Ding.

[juliaxena]

Thanks you guys. Unfortunately I now see how splits can form not only on the very end of the strands but higher up too. It would take a significant trim that I am not ready for right now. It is all bleach damage of course (growing it out now).

To the one who asked, it must be about half year that I am doing this now. Luckily I haven't found long splits yet but I did find multiple splits on a single strand. Or the worst, ones that occur a few inches upward. Ugh. I use Panacea now but I haven't had results from that yet. I also do a deep treatment after every wash which I do once a week (stretched washes).

[spidermom]

That's my problem, too. I'd have to "trim" 6-8 inches to get rid of most of my splits, and I just donwanna!

The idea of mineral oil is a total YUCK to me, and I keep forgetting about the catnip.

[juliaxena]

That's my problem, too. I'd have to "trim" 6-8 inches to get rid of most of my splits, and I just donwanna!

The idea of mineral oil is a total YUCK to me, and I keep forgetting about the catnip.


I have catnip at home. I used it about a year ago but I was not impressed with it. I still need to use the conditioner and it would probably wash off the catnip. Hmm though the ashy tone it gives (if I remeber correctly) could be beneficial for evening up my bleached hair with my natural hair color.

I am afraid 6 inches could go for me too and I would be left with no hair. I thought it was only 4 inches of damage but new assessments show it could be 6. Gah why did I ever use hair dyes...

[spidermom]

You're definitely not alone, Juliaxena. I've even found splits on hairs as short as shoulder length. I don't know why I get them. I'm as careful as I can be without making myself crazy, and I didn't dye or bleach, either (unless Manic Panic is more damaging than I thought).

[juliaxena]

Well if the shoulder lenght splits are only occasional, you are still doing just fine. 6 to 8 inches on your lenght does not sound bad at all. I am sure others have them too.

[spidermom]

I have noticed that S&D can in and of itself be damaging. One day I was sitting on hold with a telephone call, and I started to pull up a strand of hair so that I could see it for a bit of S&D. It was pretty much stuck to neighboring strands, and as I pulled, I saw the ends of a hair pull apart. Of course, maybe it was already split, but it looked like it tore apart because I was pulling in opposite directions.

[amantha]

I think I might have done more damage to my hair with S&Ding just because it's seriously impossible for me to cut the hair at the exact perfect angle. My hair is wavy, so it always wants to curl away from me. Plus I can't seem to separate the damaged strand from the rest of the hair that I'm holding without dropping it in the process. So I just try to cut it as carefully as I can while I'm holding it with the rest of my hair and I always end up with a weirdly angled cut and that (I think) will lead to another split. But at the same time, if I see a split I can't help but not cut it! :(

[jacqueline101]

Splits are a pain to get rid of they seem to multiply. I s&d once a month. I try to get the big ones.

[missdelarocha]

Look the best answer I can give you is that it seems to be the colouring damage that is just continuously showing itself, you could try stopping but I think it would just double the amount though of course I am not sure of it.

I'm sorry that you feel this way though...

I wonder, how do you S&D so thoroughly? I take a small chunk and it takes forever to just get through that section and that's only looking at the very ends (my eyes get dry from not blinking :lol:), I can't imagine ever finding/spotting a split further up!

[juliaxena]

Well, guys, I ended up having a 1.5 inch trim and guess what. The number of splits is again no less. Some of my hair had spits higher up but not THAT many. I really wonder if the existing splits, if they don't travel up, don't somehow protect the damaged hair higher up from splitting. I know it is not logical at all. But if my scissors are sharp (mom did it for me and she knows how to) and I am doing everything right, I just can't understand why it would otherwise split right away at the height where it was not split before. I think I might lay off S&D for a while and just do trims. The S&D was part of the reason I had to trim anyway becuase my ends got so thin. I might just let them thin by "natural" breakage alone and trim again.

[JuliaDancer]

It could also be that you feel like you are getting more, but you're really just seeing ones that you didn't see the first time. There could be hundreds of splits hidden by hundreds more strands of hair, and you won't get them all in one session. Now that you're paying attention to it, the problem seems bigger than before when you weren't paying attention. I doubt that trimming the splits is giving you more splits.

[afu]

maybe its just something your hair is particularly prone to naturally. My hair has been damaged by bleach, heat damage and general handling abuse yet i rarely get split ends. I do get some white spots near the ends which i s&d but nothing like the amount i would have expected at this level of damage. I like fairytale hemlines so s&d is more appealing to me than a trim

[juliaxena]

maybe its just something your hair is particularly prone to naturally. My hair has been damaged by bleach, heat damage and general handling abuse yet i rarely get split ends. I do get some white spots near the ends which i s&d but nothing like the amount i would have expected at this level of damage. I like fairytale hemlines so s&d is more appealing to me than a trim

My hair is not generally split prone. Although it is fine and it was bleached, it did not start splitting till well on the way to APL...I know damage is the main culprit but with all the logic I can gather, trims should make them less at least for a while...don't know...it just seems S&D is not helping so I will stop doing it for a while to see if my splits get even worse without it.

[Amber_Maiden]

It takes a long time to see a decrease in splits. I did it everyday for about a month until I stopped finding as many.