The basic split, the candle, the tree, fork in the road… all types of split ends, those splits at the end of the hair that start slowly and end up leading to hair breakage and overall hair damage. Split ends, hair breakage, and hair fall can be easily mistaken for each other, so it is important to determine if you’re experiencing split ends and hair breakage or hair fall. To do this, look at your brush and study the structure of the hair, if you see a bulb at the end of the hair strands that means it’s hair fall.
Now, don’t freak out if it is hair fall, it is normal, we all lose hair every day. You should only have it checked out if it is way more than usual and happens too often. If you’ve confirmed that what you have is hair breakage and split ends and you need information on how to prevent it and deal with it, this article is for you. The truth is, there is no way to fix your hair once it’s broken. Yes, there are products like split-end menders, leave-ins, treatment masks, and conditioners that can make your hair appear smoother and less frayed. But in the case of split ends, prevention is better than cure.
The causes of split ends can be divided into two: physical and chemical.
The hair’s shaft gets swollen and stretched when exposed to water, so your hair is slightly structurally stressed when it’s wet. Brushing your hair in this state adds more stress and can cause split ends and ultimately cause your hair to break. Brush your hair only when it’s dry, and if you want to brush maybe after taking a shower make sure to dry your hair before brushing it.
Treating your hair gently and paying close attention when styling and brushing can help prevent split ends and keep your hair from breakage. Don’t apply too much pressure when combing or styling, make sure not to pull too strongly. You should also be intentional about the accessories you use, plastic and metal accessories can tug and break your hair, so you can opt for accessories wrapped in fabric instead.
Hair straighteners and curling irons are the clear culprits here. Heat is not exactly great for your strands. Make sure to keep the heat low when using any of these devices.
Chemicals can be very damaging to the hair if they are not used correctly, especially those designed to change the structure or colour of the hair. Carefully selecting the products to be used on your hair to reduce chemical exposure is a very great way to prevent split ends. A solid inspiration is the Red Yao Tribe known for only cutting their hair once in their lives and using only natural products. They do not use complicated and over-processed products, they simply wash their hair in rice water and treat it with great care.
The tips we’ve discussed so far are for preventing split ends. We pointed out earlier that with split ends prevention is better than cure. Although trimming is the best solution for split ends, there are ways to fix split ends without sacrificing too much length.
Hair dusting is a great way to get rid of split ends without losing too much hair. You’ll need to visit a hairstylist for this one.
This method involves sealing the split ends so they don’t split again. Like hair dusting, it can only be done at a salon by a professional. It involves burning twisted sections of hair and burning it with a candle, so a lot of care has to be taken to avoid injury.
This is aimed at deeply moisturizing and making your hair supple and soft. For this, you’ll need a conditioner with as many natural components as possible because conditioners have moisturizing ingredients. You can use coconut oil masks, sweet almond oil, or argan oil if you want to lean more towards natural products.
Serums won’t actually heal or fix your split ends, but until you get the time to visit a salon for one of the more viable fixes, you can hide your split ends with a shine serum.
If you already have split ends, you can nurse them back by using a conditioner and hair products with ingredients that will keep your hair hydrated.
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