- What are Split Ends?
- What Causes Split Ends?
- Types of Split Ends
- How to Prevent Split Ends?
- How to Get Rid of Split Ends?
- How to Conceal Split Ends?
What starts out slowly and then occurs all at once? Split ends! They are quite sneaky. Just when you start dreaming of styling that long, luscious mane you have always wanted, your hair ends start showing signs of fraying. Before you know it, your hair tips decide to part ways, literally. This leaves you with a heavy heart and head, and you have to (painfully) decide whether a blunt bob or a pixie crop is a more practical option.
Before you manifest Scissorhands to get rid of these dead hair ends, why not try a few split end treatments that have proven to temporarily fix split ends. Your hair will be as good as new! You can understand how to get rid of split ends better when you are aware of what causes split ends in the first place. This gives you a head start against this annoying, yet universal hair problem and you can prevent split ends from occurring.
What are Split Ends?
Split ends occur when a hair strand frays or separates into two or more fragments. The damage to your oldest hair shaft causes your hair to split into two or more parts. It starts out really slow; you’ll notice a flyaway or two sticking out of your hair after you have neatly combed and secured your hair into a ponytail. This won’t worry you since its nothing tiny scissors or a little hair oil can’t fix. The next thing you know is that split ends have taken over your gorgeous hair, and you have to deal with dry, scraggly ends, and a lot of hair frizz. Kudos for guessing- split ends and hair frizz align their efforts to ruin your hair.
What Causes Split Ends?
Understanding the split end causes will arm you with the necessary information to prevent them in future. The culprits are:
- Junk these hair care habits
If your shower looks like a sauna room after you step out it, the warmth might feel good after a tiring day, but it’s wreaking havoc on your mane. Do you put your hair up in a towel to dry? Or you sleep with your hair secured in a ponytail? If you have answered yes to these questions, then know that this is exactly what causes hair breakage and the dreaded split ends.
- Chemical hair treatments
Salons definitely make your hair-related desires come true, but you pay dearly for it (hair and money-wise). The chemicals used in the straightening and other hair treatments weaken your hair and make it more prone to breakage and split ends.
- Heat styling
Hairdryers, curling iron, straighteners are quite handy when you want to save yourself from a trip to the salon. However, constant heat exposure strips your hair of its natural moisture. This makes your hair dry and more susceptible to damage.
- Wrong hair products
If the hair care products in your beauty arsenal contain drying agents and alcohol, it makes your hair drier and more prone to breakage. Different hair types require different hair products. Even if you decide to go all-natural, you need to choose the right products or else split ends are inevitable.
- The weather
Environmental factors such as humidity, the lack of moisture, and direct exposure to the sun, can make your hair more susceptible to damage and frizz. Though you have no control over the weather, if you fail to take measures to protect your hair, you’ll witness the rise of frayed hair ends.
Types of Split Ends
Everyone knows what split ends look like; the hair ends have a clear split! But, did you know there are different types of split ends as well. Let’s take a look at them:
- The basic split
This is the most common type of split. It resembles the letter ‘Y’ and is one of the early stages of damage. The cortical cells in your hair are held together, but large sections start separating.
- The mini split
This type of split end can be healed. It’s similar to the basic split and looks at it as your hair’s cry for help. It’s the right time to find effective hair treatment for split ends.
- The ‘fork in the road’ split
This type of split end is less common than the basic and mini split and occurs due to more widespread hair damage. Hence, the significant split in your hair strand.
- The ‘tree’ split
This type of split is more frayed and resembles a tree. This occurs due to severe damage to one side of the hair fibre, and several ‘branches’ of cortical cells starts separating.
- The ‘candle’ split
This type of split occurs due to severe damage to the outer cuticle, and you can get rid of it only with a trim.
- The ‘knot’ split
This type of split end mostly affects curly hair. So, when you brush your hair, it can cause your hair to break at the ‘knot’ spot.
How to Prevent Split Ends?
We all know that prevention is always better than cure. So, let’s take a look at some tried and tested ways to prevent split ends.
1. Get regular haircuts and trims if you don’t want split ends to ravage your hair. Gear up for a haircut after every six weeks.
2. Do not give in to the temptation of washing your hair daily. It makes your hair dry and more prone to breakage.
3. Use a conditioner after shampoo, always! Do not skip your conditioner if you love your hair. It makes your hair more manageable and creates a protective sheath on it to prevent damage.
4. Do not comb wet hair! And when you comb your hair, switch to a wide-tooth comb to detangle your hair. And yes, be gentle.
5. Eat well! Poor nourishment can weaken your hair and make it more prone to breakage. It even makes your hair dull. Ensure that you consume a balanced diet. You can also add supplements like biotin and folic acid to your diet to strengthen your hair.
6. Refrain from heat styling your hair. Nothing gives rise to split ends as fast as styling products.
How to Get Rid of Split Ends?
Being the harbinger of bad news isn’t a pleasant thing, but there’s only one sure way of getting rid of split ends- cut your hair! If you aren’t ready to part with your long locks, you can try and repair your split ends temporarily. For this purpose, you’ll need Pantene Ultimate 10 Repair & Protect Shampoo. This shampoo is crafted using Pro-V nutrients that strengthen your hair from inside-out. Since we have asked you to keep a safe distance from chemicals, this shampoo is formulated with 0% silicones, paraffin, mineral oils, and colourants. There’s nothing in it that can harm your hair. It restores your hair’s strength and leaves your hair looking and feeling great.
Since you should always use a conditioner after shampoo, follow up with Pantene Ultimate 10 Repair & Protect Conditioner. This rich, repairing conditioner infused with Pro-V nutrients repairs and restores your hair, and reduces split ends in this process. It even protects your beautiful tresses from any styling damage.
So ladies, instead of subjecting your hair to trauma with the candle cutting technique that was popularised by the supermodel Alessandra Ambrosio, simply switch to Pantene Ultimate 10 Repair & Restore shampoo and conditioner.
How to Conceal Split Ends?
If you need a quick fix for your split ends, you can try concealing them. You can resort to hair masks that offer deep conditioning and nourishment or try leave-in conditioners that seal in moisture.
Note that this only gives you temporary respite from split ends. You will soon have to make an appointment with your hairdresser.
Instead of letting split ends and hair damage decide when it’s time for you to get a haircut, show your hair some love and start taking care of it. Put in some efforts to protect your hair and prevent damage and split ends. With some TLC, your hair will look and feel great!