Everyone who plans on growing their hair out, are aware of this one nightmare that forces you to get a haircut. The nightmare namely split ends, can ruin even the best of hairdos, be it a ponytail or a bun. From brushing hair too vigorously to not applying heat protection, the causes for split ends are right in your hair routine. Read on to understand what split ends are, what causes them, and how to get rid of them and keep them gone.
WHAT ARE SPLIT ENDS?
Split ends occur when the ends of your hair become dry and damaged beyond repair. Split ends, as the name suggests, are when the ends of your hair split into two, or more. You can often see a splintering effect towards the bottom of your tresses, which, if left untreated, can cause breakage that leaves some strands shorter than the rest.
Split ends are caused by wear and tear from natural, environmental and mechanical factors. Excessive usage of heating products, too frequent brushing of hair, chemical processes such as hair coloring, and extreme climatic changes are a few of the major causes of split ends.
TYPES OF SPLIT ENDS
From a traditional split to a feather split, there are a whopping 7 different types of split ends!
- Traditional Split: Hair splits in two and resembles a ‘Y’ shape.
- Baby Split: This has all of the makings of a soon-to-be split end, but the hair shaft hasn’t completely separated yet.
- Fork Split: Hair separating into three pieces, resembling the shape of a fork.
- Double Y Split: Hair splits in two which further splits again from one of the branches.
- Partial Split: Unlike the double split, partial splits are a sign that your hair is dry and damaged.
- Tree Split: Just like the name for it, this is where you’ll see many different pieces of the shaft coming apart, resembling a tree and its branches.
- Feather Split: Resembling a feather in appearance, many different splits comes along one side of the hair shaft.
MENDING THOSE ENDS
- Start Moisturizing: Split ends are a result of dry hair. So, the only way to overcome dryness is to moisturize. Oiling not only moisturizes your hair but smoothens it, too, especially coconut oil. Make it a rule to oil at least once a week. For everyday use, you can opt for a leave-in conditioner that focuses on the ends. Lastly, if you want to a take step further, you can always use hair masks on towel-dried hair. Hair masks have proven to be the best solution to dryness and split ends.
- Stop Picking: We can all agree to this guilty pleasure, but you gotta avoid picking on your split ends. When you pull apart a strand into two, it damages the outer layer, called the cuticle. It further slows down hair growth since your hair becomes weak and brittle. Picking your ends also causes harm to the roots. All this leads to an overall decrease in your hair's natural strength. The more you pick on your split ends, the more likely you are to get stuck in a cruel cycle of unhealthy hair.
- Build a Time Bridge between Treatments: We understand you love coloring your hair or getting it permed every month. But you have to keep a limit if you want to avoid split ends and further damage. We are not telling you to stop treatments completely but keep a gap of at least 8 to 10 weeks. This way your hair will have ample time to recover from damage. Get your hair trimmed at regular intervals so that your split ends can be removed as soon as they start developing.
- Be Gentle: You must treat them real good after every wash and every hair treatment as the hair is very vulnerable at that time and prone to breakage. Instead of rubbing them vigorously to dry them out, you can use a clean towel to dry them. Rather than using hot water, use lukewarm water for washing your hair. After washing, wait for the hair to dry before brushing it. You must detangle your hair so that your comb can easily move across the strands while grooming. Be careful not to brush too much though. Argan is a great ingredient to treat split ends, primarily because it is highly nourishing for damaged hair.
- Cut Them Off: The easiest way to get rid of these ends is to simply cut them off, which either means a quick trip to the salon. You can do that by either getting a trim or giving a try to hair dusting. Hair dusting is a cutting technique that maintains the length of your hair while removing flyaway split ends. It's a way to keep your hair looking healthy while you're trying to grow it out.
