Incredibly fragile hair

[Tangles]

I blow dried my hair today with a round brush because it had been about three weeks since I'd done it last, and I wanted it to look perfect for the weekend. However, I noticed some splitting as soon as my hair was dry--about three or four split ends and several wonky, fried looking hairs. This alarmed me as my hair is only just past my collarbone right now. If I blow dry so infrequently, using leave in conditioner and applying the brush gently, then my hair must be EXTREMELY fragile to fry so easily. It didn't used to be this brittle. I guess this means I should swear off the blowdryer forever, but I can't help but worry this little incident is a sign that my hair is way weaker than I thought. I did some dying about a year back but cut off most of the damage.

[Periwinkle]

When did you last have your hair cut? Ends just split over time, I think...it's possible that it's just life.

Are you rough with your hair - heat (which you explained), rough brushing, brushing when it's wet? That can cause splits too.

As for the fried...well, I guess that's just the blowdryer. Have you tried airdrying?

[Tangles]

Well I had my hair cut a few weeks ago, and it was a pretty big cut, to get rid of damage. The splits definitely appeared RIGHT AFTER the blowdrying. If it had just randomly appeared I would have simply S&D's and not worried about it.

[Anje]

Remember, that if your hair is to your collarbones, the ends of some of those hairs are nearly 2 years old. They've had to deal with everything you've done to your hair in that period, and so may be fragile from former abuses. As Periwinkle said, there's also just some splitting that happens when hair has undergone wear and tear. Your best bet is to S&D out the splits and continue to be gentle. Also, if you're noticing dryness even with a leave-in conditioner, it might be good to re-evaluate whether your current conditioning routine is really working. You may need to try other products, clarify, try oiling, or mess with some of the recipes and deep treatments described on the site.

[loves2spin]

If you feel you HAVE to blow dry your hair, for a certain look, let it air dry until it is just barely damp and then finish it off with your blow dryer set on the low setting.