NO MORE SPLIT ENDS WITH THESE TIPS
If you notice a hair strand that is split at the visible end and is fraying off, then you are most likely looking at a split end. If you are experiencing tangling of hair strands more often than before, then you perhaps have split ends. To be sure, simply wind a strand of hair around your finger. If the strand feels rough and broken, then it could be a split end.
Split ends are a common hair problem. They are indicative of dry damaged hair. Split ends are of many types. They can be a double split, tree split, fork or partial split.
Table of Contents:
- Split End Causes
- Damage from Heat Styling
- Damaging Hair Habits
- Subjecting Hair to Excessive Chemical Treatments
- An Unhealthy Diet
- Using Damaging Hair Products
- Climate
- Characteristics of Split Ends
- Solutions
- Trim Split Ends
- Go for Deep Conditioning Regularly
- Keep your Hair Nourished with a Healthy Diet
- Choose Chemical-Free Hair Products
- Protect your Hair with a Heat Protectant
- Avoid Excess Hair Coloring
- Use a Silk Pillowcase
- Recommendation
- Expert Tip
Split End Causes
While fixing split ends is recommended, preventing them is more beneficial. Prevention is possible when you know the causes of split ends. There are several reasons for split hair, including genetic causes. The most common reasons include the following:
Damage from Heat Styling
Subjecting your hair to heat-based hair styling treatments, often, can cause split ends. Styling treatments such as blow drying, straightening and curling, employ heating methods and devices.
Your hair comes into contact with heat devices such as curlers, straightening rods, dryers and hot rollers, during these styling treatments. As a result, hair loses its natural moisture content. Loss of moisture makes your hair vulnerable to hair damage and splitting.
Damaging Hair Habits
Bad hair habits can cause more damage to your hair than you may realize. If your routine hair grooming includes the following, then you are more susceptible to split ends:
- Washing your hair frequently
- Brushing your hair roughly, especially when it is wet
- Sleeping with your wet hair tied up
- Washing your hair with hot water or subjecting your hair to a hot shower too often
- Drying your hair after a wash by tying it up high in a towel
- Exposing your hair to heat-styling treatments specified above without using a reliable heat protectant
- Not trimming your hair regularly
- Not using proper protection during chemical treatment of your hair
Subjecting Hair to Excessive Chemical Treatments
Chemical treatments such as bleaching, perming and dyeing tend to disturb the natural strength of your hair and its roots. If you are undergoing such treatments too often, then you are making your hair susceptible to intense hair damage, including split ends.
An Unhealthy Diet
If your hair is low on nutrition, then it becomes susceptible to split-end hair damage. Hormone imbalance and vitamin deficiencies can result in hair damage, which is why eating healthy foods is a must for healthy split-end-free hair.
Here are some healthy foods that aid in nurturing your hair:
- Foods rich in vitamin B strengthen hair and help in its growth. Some examples of such foods include salmon, eggs, organ meats such as liver, milk, legumes, beef and yogurt.
- Foods rich in vitamin E deliver antioxidant activity, which is beneficial for the scalp. Almond butter, almonds, and sunflower oil and seeds, are some foods that are excellent sources of vitamin E.
- Iron-rich foods help control hair loss. Organ meats, shellfish, red meat, spinach and legumes are some iron-rich foods.
- Foods rich in vitamin C enhance body’s ability to absorb iron. Bell peppers, kiwis, guavas, oranges and strawberries are rich in vitamin C.
- Vitamin D-rich foods help hair growth by activating inactive hair follicles. Eggs, fish, and cod liver oil are some foods rich in this vitamin.
- Foods that contain omega-3 fatty acids help counter body’s inflammatory effects that can lead to hair loss. Tofu, chia seeds, avocados, Brussels and shellfish are rich in this nutrient.
Using Damaging Hair Products
Using hair products with damaging agents such as alcohol or other drying agents can increase the dryness of your hair, and make strands susceptible to split ends.
Ill-informed self-treatment can be as damaging as use of wrong hair products. If you have been removing your split ends without expert guidance, then you could be doing more damage.
Consider seeking the guidance of a professional stylist or a qualified cosmetologist for the best results.
Climate
The climate of your geography may not be in your control, but it surely has an impact on your hair. Factors such as too much sun exposure and absence of humidity can lead to dryness of hair, which makes you vulnerable to split ends.
Characteristics of Split Ends
Did you know that there are over 12 different types of split ends?
Though there are different types of split ends, the most common are of 4 types. You can recognize the type of split end you have, based on its characteristics:
- If you see your hair split into two at the end, then you are looking at a double split.
- A partial split is a small split at the end of a strand, and is indicative of an impending double split.
- A fork split resembles a fork with its three prongs. Fork split is a sign of deep and advancing hair damage. Left untreated, fork split can lead to a tree split.
- A tree split in a hair strand resembles a tree with little branches. A tree split shows that your hair has been damaged extensively and a trimming is urgently required. In its most intense form, a tree split consists of tiny sub-splits emerging from initial splits.
- Other types of split ends include long, deep, white spots, feather, offshoot, incomplete split, right angle and a knot.
Solutions
Split ends creep into your hair and before you realize it, most of the damage is done. So, how do you address split end problems and prevent them, if possible?
It is possible to treat and even prevent split ends and improve the texture and health of your hair. Given here are some solutions that you may want to consider for strong and split end-free hair:
Trim Split Ends
If growing strong healthy hair is your goal, then trimming can help you achieve it.
But how can cutting hair help it grow? Sounds confusing?
While trimming may seem an alternative contrary to growing your hair, this technique can in reality help you grow your hair faster. By trimming you are getting rid of split ends. Without trimming, split ends continue to exist, breaking your hair along its shaft. This damage results in hair frizzier than before. With regular trimming, you can break split ends.
Your stylist can perform trimming using texturing techniques such as feathering. He/ she will choose a hair style that best fits your face and implement it while ensuring that split-ends are trimmed off.
A professional approach can help remove split ends while allowing you to grow healthy beautiful hair.
A healthy haircare routine is to have your hair trimmed every 6 to 10 weeks. If you notice any split ends, head to your hairdresser immediately. By trimming your hair, you will prevent split ends from growing further and damaging the entire strand.
If you are doing your own trimming, then ensure that you do not tear or pull your hair. This is not the right or the best way to get rid of split ends.
If you want to trim your hair yourself, then use scissors with sharp blades. Using blunt blades can worsen existing split ends or lead to more split ends. This is because blunt scissors tend to tear hair.
Go for Deep Conditioning Regularly
Deep conditioning nourishes your hair without damaging its natural oils. You can use reliable deep conditioners as frequently as once a week. Frequent deep conditioning treatment is essential if you use heat-styling treatments often, or are a habitual swimmer.
With deep conditioning, you can maintain your hair strong and healthy while minimizing split ends and turning your mane soft and shiny.
You would want to try WOW Skin Science conditioners if you are looking for the best and the safest deep conditioning treatment for your hair.
Keep your Hair Nourished with a Healthy Diet
To make your hair healthy, start from the inside. Nourish your hair with healthy foods and a healthy lifestyle. Include fresh vegetables and fruits in your daily diet. In particular, include foods healthy for the hair.
In addition to the foods mentioned above, include foods such as walnut, brown rice and lentils, which are rich in biotin. This nutrient is key to strengthening your nails and hair. Make way for oranges and leafy vegetables in your diet to obtain folic acid. This nutrient promotes red blood cell production, which in turn, is key to hair growth.
Be assisted by supplements if you feel diet alone is not providing the essential nutrients. Be sure to seek the opinion of your doctor before starting supplements.
Most important is keeping yourself hydrated. Without sufficient hydration, body becomes dehydrated. Dehydration not only weakens your body but also makes your hair dry. Dry hair leads to hair damage such as breakage and split ends.
Choose Chemical-Free Hair Products
Whether you are shampooing your hair, using a deep conditioner, or applying any hair-styling product, use only products free of harsh chemicals. Harsh chemicals can make your hair dry and frizzy, sucking out its natural moisture. Read product labels to know if the product contains harmful chemicals such as parabens and silicon.
Also, choose products that address issues of dry hair and split ends specifically. Such products save you from expensive salon treatments that may be required to fix your damaged hair.
WOW Skin Science hair products, including hair oils, shampoos, conditioners, hair masks, are natural and designed to address specific hair issues. These natural products rejuvenate your hair, keep it hydrated, and nourish it from the roots.
Protect your Hair with a Heat Protectant
It may not always be possible to let your hair flow naturally. You may want to try a cute curl to wow your friends or go for a professional style to impress your employers. So, there are occasions that warrant the use of a heat-based styling device.
You may not be able to prevent heat-styling your hair, but you can reduce the impact of heat devices such as dryers, curlers and straighteners, on your hair. Use heat protectants when using these styling treatments. This precaution reduces hair damage by heat.
As a protective measure, allow your hair to dry in the air, before styling. Keep the temperature on heat-styling devices at medium. Increasing the temperature can cause extensive damage to your hair.
Avoid Excess Hair Coloring
You may love your natural hair color, but you may want to experiment with different colors too. If you are using techniques such as bleaching or dyeing, then do not indulge in them too often. Consider going for natural hair coloring methods instead. With natural methods, you do not have to repeat your coloring, which protects your hair and saves your money too.
Use a Silk Pillowcase
The best way to keep your hair while sleeping is to let it down and allow it its natural flow. A silk pillowcase reduces hair damage because it is slippery and does not cause the hair to snag as is the case with a cotton pillowcase. Whether you toss or turn during sleep, you can sleep in peace knowing that your hair is safe while you sleep.
Recommendations
There are numerous hair care products in the market for treating split ends. Choosing one that is effective and safe for you can be a huge task. Our Recommendations can help you make a well-informed decision.
We present here some WOW Skin Science hair products aimed at treating split ends and hair breakage.
- Coconut and Avocado Natural hair conditioner uses botanical extracts to revive dry hair. It is free of harsh hair-damaging chemicals such as silicone, sulfates and paraben.
- With this hair conditioner, you can beat hair dryness and restore its natural softness and moisturized look. If you are looking for the best DIY hair conditioning treatment at home, then this conditioner can give you salon-like results within a span of weeks.
- You may also want to try the Moroccan Argan Oil hair conditioner for the best conditioning results. This conditioner reduces hair breakage and split ends while lending a shine and gloss to your hair, naturally. It keeps your hair moisturized and does not have harsh chemicals that make the hair dry.
- You may be interested in WOW Skin Science’s Coconut Milk Hair Mask, which repairs damaged and brittle hair. This mask uses natural plant actives to provide deep hydration while adding a natural shine to your hair.
Expert Tip
Try a hair mask to address split end issues effectively. Use a hair mask once a week for best results.
Split ends can be frustrating. But you can effectively treat them with good food, regular trimming and healthy hair habits. Choosing the right haircare products is crucial. With this haircare routine, you should be seeing natural glossier and healthy hair soon.
You may want to explore more haircare products from WOW Science Skincare. Shape your natural haircare routine with us.