What causes split ends in hair?
What causes split ends? This article also discusses how to treat and prevent split ends.
What causes split ends?
A split end is literally when the cuticle of an individual hair is split in half at the end. The reason this happens is because the ends of the hair is dead. Despite what hair care products may claim, there is no way to repair split ends. Just as you cannot bring a person back from the dead, you cannot bring a hair back from the dead either. The only way to get rid of split ends is to cut them off. Having your hair trimmed frequently will help you avoid having a lot of split ends. Maintaining a short haircut will virtually insure that you will never deal with split ends. The longer your hair grows, the greater the chance that the ends will begin to die. If you prefer a long, layered haircut, this can be problematic. It is difficult to trim each layer sufficiently in order to eradicate split ends. There are products on the market that claim to have the ability to cut only the last eighth of an inch from each hair, thus ridding your hair of split ends. You will have to be the judge of whether or not you think that these products do what they claim.
If long hair is a look you wish to maintain, following some simple hair care steps will help you to prevent split ends. Along with dead hair, breakage is another common cause of split ends. Breakage is mainly caused by styling tools such as fine toothed combs and brushes, and rubber bands and anything that administers heat to your hair, like blow-dryers, curling irons and straight irons. Other causes include chemical damage from permanents, relaxing treatments and hair color. Frequent swimming in chlorinated water may cause damage to your hair. Overexposure to sun may also play a role in causing hair to break.
The foremost way to avoid the causes for breakage is to choose a hairstyle that allows your hair to act in its natural way. For instance, if you have naturally curly or wavy hair, chose a style that allows your hair to air dry, and thus avoids blow drying, straightening irons and relaxers. If you have naturally straight hair, allow your hair to be straight and avoid permanents, curling irons and hot rollers. A good hairstylist can give you a great “wash and wear” haircut that will require little more than washing and combing to make it look great. If you do desire to use styling products and tools, try to use the minimum in order to achieve your desired look.
Preventing chemical damage is as simple as avoiding the chemicals that cause it. Unfortunately, natural isn’t necessarily in fashion these days and nobody wants to have gray hair. So if you are going to use chemical treatments on your hair, try to stick to one at a time. Don’t color and perm your hair in the same month for example. To help your hair recover from the damage caused by chemicals use a thick, moisturizing conditioner and a conditioning leave in treatment. Also try to shampoo your hair as infrequently as possible. Shampooing too often strips hair of its natural oils. If you require a daily shower, try only rinsing your hair and applying conditioner. Avoiding excessive use of styling products is also important.
If you are worried that overexposure to the sun may be causing damage to your hair, you may want to use products that contain sunscreen. There are all sorts of hair products on the market that contain sunscreens and you may find these very helpful.