Split ends! The bane to every woman’s hair existence. On a scale from 1-to-Dilemmas, split ends stand at an absolute dilemma! A head full of split ends can single-handedly ruin your hopes of healthy hair growth and length retention.
A split end is when the tip of a person’s hair strand splits from loss of protein, dryness or ill-treatment.
Source: Quora.com
The ends are the oldest part of your hair strands. You need to take special care of them if you want to avoid splits working their way up your entire hair shaft damaging much more than just your ends. The only surefire way to “fix” split ends is to cut them. This sounds counter-intuitive if you’re trying to grow your hair longer, but trimming your ends regularly will help you retain length in the long run, it also keeps your hair looking healthy and full.
1. Prevention
Prevention is always better than cure, and while no one can 100% avoid split ends there are several ways to prevent them from completely taking over your head and obliterating any chance of growth.
2. Avoid Constant Heat Styling
Black hair responds to heat differently than other textures. Whether natural or relaxed our hair is susceptible to damage when placing undue stress on the hair shaft like with a heat styling tool. Don’t use heat at all if you can avoid it or give your hair a “heat holiday”. If you DO use heat, even a quick blow-dry and be sure to prep your hair by applying a heat protectant as a barrier between your hair and potentially damaging high temperatures.
3. Regular Conditioning
Deep conditioners and deep treatment masks are made to hydrate your strands, giving them a boost of moisture which helps your hair become softer and more manageable with improved elasticity. The better the elasticity, the longer your hair can withstand stretching and tension before it breaks- the thing that may cause split ends to begin with.
4. Use Products to Seal in Moisture and Bind Ends
Hairspray used to be the go-to product that many women used to “seal” split ends together. Today, you have a choice of products that are made specifically for this purpose. Once your hair is styled, use a sealer to bind your ends together. Regular use of these or similar products helps to condition ends over time and delay the need for a hair cut. Check the info tag for oils that moisturize vs. oils that seal your hair
5. Protective Styles
Tuck away your ends in low manipulation styles to protect your fragile ends from the elements. Low buns, Bantu knots, Cornrows and Braids are hair lifesavers. Not only do they protect your hair from the elements, but the protect your ends from friction that would result in split ends and breakage.
6. Trim
Its important to trim off dead ends, leaving them may cause the split to clim up your hair shaft and cause further damage. Getting your ends trimmed every couple of months is important to maintain your healthy hair.
