Many people struggle with retaining the length of their natural hair. One of the many reasons for that can be down to split ends.
Most of us have come across the term split ends at some point but how many of us really understand what split ends are?
Today we are going to take a look at what are split ends and how you can get rid of them.
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What Are Split Ends?
Split ends are when a single strand of hair begins to split.
It can split in a variety of different ways but essentially a singular strand of hair will split itself into 2 or more pieces and become unhealthy and weak.
When this happens the strand of hair is much more prone to breaking which results in a loss of length.
What Causes Split Ends
Split ends can be caused by a number of different things. Here is a list of 6 things that can cause you to have split ends.
- Not using a heat protectant when straightening your hair
- Colouring treating your hair
- Forcefully detangling
- High maintenance hairstyles
- Incorrectly moisturising
- Not trimming your hair
How To Tell If You Have Split Ends
If you have split ends they are quite easy to spot. You can see them if you take a small section of your hair and look closely at the ends.
The ends may look frizzy to you or if you look carefully enough you will actually be able to see the hairs that have been split.
The more you take notice of your hair the faster you will begin to notice the split hairs happening and be able to do something about it before it gets very bad.
Types Of Split Ends
When you get a split hair, it doesn’t just split perfectly symmetrically it can split in a number of different ways.
Some of the different ways your hair can split are:
1. Y Split
Where the hair splits into 2 pieces in the shape of a Y
2. The Tree
The one strand of hair has split several times like a tree.
3. Incomplete
This is the hair that has not quite split yet but there is a distinct hole in the middle much like a needle.
4. The Taper
This strand of hair appears to be wholesome but as you look towards the ends it begins to get very thin.
How To Get Rid Of Split Ends
There is a lot of information floating out there on all the things you can do to get rid of split ends.
Split ends are a problem for many people but honestly speaking once you start getting split ends the only real thing that you can do is to carefully trim them off.
If you are going to do this make sure that you do so using a professional pair of scissors otherwise you will end up with more split ends than you started with.
Using the wrong pair of scissors will not cut the hair sharply enough causing more split ends.
If you are unsure how to trim your own hair I would suggest you go to a professional who can do it for you.
Can Split Ends Be Repaired?
The honest answer to this is no, they cant be. Once a hair has split there is no way of actually sticking the hair back together again. That’s just the raw truth.
There are products out there that can help stop your split ends from getting worse but generally on the whole a split end can never fully be repaired.
There are a few things that you can do to ensure that your hair doesn’t continue to suffer from split ends.
Deep condition your hair regularly, use protein treatments like this one to give your hair added strength. Trim your hair when needed and ensure you keep the ends of your hair protected as they are the oldest and weakest part of your hair.
Do Split Ends Stop Hair Growth?
Whilst split ends cannot stop your hair from growing they can actually cause breakage which will result in a loss of hair length.
Your hair will grow no matter what you do to it (unless of course, you have a medical condition).
Have you ever thought to yourself, maybe this is as long as your hair grows? Well if you have I can burst that bubble for you right now. Your hair is still growing but because of breakage, you are not seeing the growth that you are getting each month.
This is the very reason why some people feel that their hair has terminal length.
Keep on top of good hair growth practices and you will eventually see that your hair will continue to grow past the length that you are used to.
Split ends are only a problem for hair growth if you allow them to be.
What Happens If Split Ends Are Not Cut Off?
If you fail to cut off the split ends and just let them continue they will begin to climb up the strand.
Split ends don’t just mean that they stay at the end of your hair, they travel. In fact, split ends can travel far up the strand of your hair if you allow them to.
If you allow that to happen you will notice that your hair will look incredibly unhealthy as there will be no uniformity in the strands. They will just split however they please as discussed earlier in the section about types of split ends.
Split hairs are weak and will most definitely break causing you a big problem in the future.
How To Prevent Split Ends When Flat Ironing
Flat ironing and blow-drying your hair are some of the trickiest things you can do. These practices when not done correctly can cause your hair to become damaged.
Split ends are one of the things that can happen when applying heat to your hair incorrectly.
To avoid this make sure that you are using a heat protectant like this one when do any type of heat treatment to your hair.
Final Thoughts On What Are Split Ends
Split ends can be a bit of a pain especially if you are on a hair growth journey but the good news is that they can be controlled if you apply some of the tactics mentioned in this article.
Trimming your hair being one of the top things to help you avoid split ends becoming too much of a problem.
Have you had trouble with split ends? Let me know in the comment section!
Related posts:
11 Benefits of trimming your hair
7 Tips to help you prevent split ends
This is why your hair is breaking!
