No matter how skilled you are at creating luscious waves, if you’ve got split ends, your mane is inevitably going to end up looking scraggly and dull. Yes, it’s annoying, so let’s get into all you need to know about split ends, and the best ways to prevent and manage them.
The Cause
Usually, split ends are the result of too much styling on hair that’s not strong enough. Over-brushing, heated tools, and constant bleaching will all damage your hair. This then peels back the protective outer layer, the cuticle, making it weaker, and the hair will suffer trauma resulting in one or several splits at the end. As well as not looking great, split ends make hair extra frizzy, prone to tangles, and generally harder to manage.
Cosmetic Fixes
Hair is comprised of keratinised protein, similar to what makes up our nails. Like our nails, once it’s been split apart, you can glue it back together again, but it won’t be the same. Eventually, you’ll need to trim it off. Protein shampoos or smoothing serums will bind the hair back together, fixing its appearance at a superficial level, but the hair will still be weaker and prone to breaking again soon. In other words, it will look ok, and like the split end has been fixed, but it’s really only been glued back together.
What Not To Do
When your hair is starting to fray and split at the end, the worst thing you can do is ignore it and continue wreaking havoc with your hairbrush and styling tools. The second worst thing is to pick at it. Picking at split ends will most likely result in breakage as you’ll be compromising the integrity of the hair’s structure. A less likely but still damaging result is that the split will travel further up the hair, worsening as it goes along.
Prevention Is The Best Cure
The best way to prevent split ends is to treat your hair with nothin’ but love. A good hairbrush, excellent shampoo and conditioner, and use your styling tools with care. When you do see the first signs of damage, get the ends trimmed to prevent it worsening.