Taking A Closer Look At Split Ends

 

Hello Ladies,

Todays post will be a quick and straight to the point post about split ends, what causes them, how best to get rid of them and a mistake you should avoid when getting rid of split ends.  I will also share some images I have taken with my Trichoscope of split ends which I hope will drive home a few points.

 

 

Common Causes of Split Ends

1. Letting your hair become dry and brittle
2. Using high levels of direct heat
3. Excessive and aggressive manipulation
4. Lack of protective styles
5. Sleeping on cotton pillow cases without a satin scarf or bonnet

 

Facts About Split Ends

1. Split ends cannot be repaired. Do not let any product manufacturer fool you.  Hair products can only make split ends look better temporarily.  The only permanent solution to split ends is to cut them off.

 

2. Cutting off split ends with regular scissors will result in ends that are not sharp and will fray and split much more quickly. I can back up this fact with my own experience.  When I began using proper hair scissors to cut my hair, my ends stayed split free for longer.  My trimmed ends seemed to take much longer before they are in need of a trim (aside from when I had hard water issues which you can read about in my last post).

 

3. A mistake many ladies make when they happen to spot a split end in their hair or a single strand knot to pull it off. This is the worst thing you can do.  You would be better off leaving the split end in your hair than pulling it off with your fingers.  When a split end or single strand knot is pulled off or broken off with our fingers, we create a very damaged and thin end.  Pulling, breaking or tearing off a split end also tends to create a new damaged that tends to be long and tapered, basically you create a much larger area of damage.I captured the image below after tearing off a split end and you can see the end has a long area of damage which I have indicated with the pink marks.  Also, if you look closely, you will see that the cortex layer (inner layer) of the hair which looks like a like a tube in the picture below is now exposed and visible. Pulling off the split end tore off the cuticle layer which is supposed to protect the inner layer.

I hope seeing what happens to ends that are torn or broken off with our hands deters you from do that your hair.  It certainly worked for me and now I tend to grab my scissor when I find a single stand knot in my hair rather than snap them off like I used to.  A good time to do this is when you are detangling and moisturising your hair, have your hair scissor nearby so you are not tempted to snap off the knot or split end.

The best way to fight split ends is to avoid getting them in the first place by being consistent with your regimen.  Keep your hair moisturised and sealed especially the ends.  And if your ends are damaged and /or just very old and weathered, cut it off, do it in stages if that’s what you feel comfortable doing.

 

I am hope you found this post useful. See you soon for my next post, I haven’t decided what the topic will be yet but…..it will be good. : )

 

X

Lade