Split ends! ugh, who isn’t fed up when they encounter them and the worst comes when they re-appears. Here, I have solved your problem with DIY split ends prevention hair masks and the tips for you to avoid and remove them.
Split ends are fraying of hairs due to excessive heat or other stress to hair shafts. It is also known as Trichoptilosis.
What causes split ends?
Main causes for split ends are as follows:
1. Thermal Stress to hairs
If your hairs are prone to frequent split ends, excess heat from hair straighteners, curling irons and blow dryers can cause even more split ends.
Use heatless curling tools like the one I have mentioned here or here.
Use low setting instead, also try blow drying your hairs at cool setting to prevent frizz in the hairs .
2. Mechanical Stress to hairs
The tug and pull game you play with your hair while detangling is one of the most favorable reasons for split ends. It is advisable to always use a good detangler.
Pulling hairs with force weakens the roots of your hairs making them prone to split ends. Even there is no need to comb hundred times over in a day, it’s a myth that it brings shine and grows hair faster..
The shine people talk about is natural oil present in hairs called sebum which gets strips away damaging hair cuticles during the tug and pull as well as forcefully combing.
Combing 3 to 5 times per day is sufficient for any hairs.
3. Chemical stress
Excessive chemicals from coloring, too many hair products, frequently changing hair products can strip away the protective layer of the hair shaft making it prone to split ends.
4. Nutrients deficiency
Poor vitamins and essential nutrients in the hairs leads to unhealthy lifestyle and dry hairs that leads to breakage and split ends.
Eat foods rich in healthy fats, omega 3 fatty acids and vitamins. Biotin and folic acid in particular can improve hair quality considerably.
You can found these in nuts, green leafy vegetables, lentils, fruits like avocado, bananas.
How to Treat split ends
Can you fix split ends?
There is no such remedy of already affected hairs with split ends.
Thus, No, you have to remove already damaged split ends in order to make your hairs healthy again.
I’m sharing the top 10 ways you can prevent split ends to occur and how to tackle them
1. Trim
Get rid of split ends by removing them by yourself or at the salon. It is advisable to make a visit to salons every 3-6 months.
You can find if you have split ends by looking at your hair cuticles in sunlight or good light, the tip of your hair strands are splitting into two or many parts. At the end of the blog, I have mentioned different types of split ends to identify them.
If you have no option to visit salon, you can cut them by yourself by removing about 0.50 cm above the splits.
OR
You may remove them by rolling a group of hairs and removing the left overs as seen in the picture.
2. Wear a scarf or big hat or use hair extensions
Excess heat from sun and UV radiation can damage your hair quality. Hat or scarf protects your hair from ultra violet radiation and helps you in retaining moisture.
The heatwaves and loo that disrupt the summers for us can be damaging to your skin and hair equally, better prevent than cure.
3. DIY Hair masks
At-home treatments works, not overnight but it does last long. Give a try to this hair mask and see the magic yourself resulting in soft hair cuticles and the natural shine it brings along, due to the humectant and emollient properties of honey.
Ingredients:
- Banana
- Olive oil/Almond oil
- Honey
Direction:
- Peel 1 Banana and cut it into slices.
- Add 1 tbsp. Olive oil and 1 tbsp. honey into the mixture.
- Grind the ingredients using a grinder until it becomes a thin paste.
- Apply the mask for about 20 minutes and rinse with cold water using a mild shampoo.
4. Cold shower
Hot shower usually strips away sebum out of your hairs. It dries your hairs no matter how much you enjoys it. The hot bubble bath on regular basis is a big NO NO.
5. Avoid shampoos with heavy chemicals
Wash your hairs no more than thrice a week, Don’t skip conditioners! It locks the moisture in the hairs. The best conditioners available are mentioned here.
shampoos‘s list with essential and mild chemicals used have also been provided in the piece.
6. Use a wide tooth brush or wooden comb
Your hairbrush is meant to brush and not give you 101 problems. Instead, use a wide-tooth comb that detangles or comb your hair effortlessly. You may also use wooden hair combs specifically rosewood combs that evenly distribute sebums without damaging your hair quality.
Think of it as an investment! You comb daily.
To detangle your hairs always start from the bottom and move upwards. Or you may use the inversion method by combing your hairs upside down from near the neck.
7. A hair detangler
It is essential to be gentle with your hair when it is wet because of its susceptibility to breakage. A hair detangler can solve your many problems. This is one thing you do daily, and skipping a quality product is rather a poor choice.
8. Use Micro fiber Towel
If you do not have microfiber towels, you may use old T-shirts as well. Rubbing hairs vigorously when it’s still wet damages your hair shafts.
Squeezing dripping hairs to remove excess water and letting it air dry for split ends prone hair are the best choice!
9. Oil your hairs
Olive oil and almond oil are the best to keep your hair light-weighted and moisturized. You may oil twice a week or sleep and rinse first in the morning.
10. Sleep in silk or satin pillow
Sleeping in silk pillows is the best option even if you are an adult or kid. Lesser the friction, lesser the tangles.
During sleep when you toss and turn, a silk pillow prevents your hairs from damages and tangles.
In addition, sleep in a loose braid or loose low bun and throw away tight elastics if you use them daily. Scrunchies must be your best friend!
5 Types of Split ends
Split ends begin from the same hair but end up taking shape differently.
Tree-like Split: These are one of the most damaging ones, The several branches that come out of a single hair strand tend to damage the entire length of hairs eventually.
Y Shape Split: The most commonly found, also an example of early split ends development.
BABY Split: Also called mini-splits, removing these at an early stage prevents further damage.
FEATHER Split: Its highly damaged hair shaft that causes multiple splits. The different splits along one side of the hair strand.
TAPER Split: The candle-like structure represents the loss of the outer cuticle of hairs.
The cortical cells of the hairs damages when you happen to have split ends and it begins to separate.
Slow & steady when you follow a healthy routine, you might see a plethora of differences in the quality of your hairs.
Conclusion
To conclude, keep your hair well-nourished and moisturized to minimize the risk and remove split ends, and do not forget to follow the steps to avoid split ends in the first place.