Have you ever looked at your hair and found those annoying splits at the ends? You may feel like you’re doing everything right but then wonder why it’s happening so often. How can you get rid of split ends that keep popping up?
Many people search for ways to get rid of split ends faster, however, the only way to remove them is by cutting your hair before it becomes worse. There are no products that will magically fix split ends and make them healthy again.
The last thing you want to do is leave split ends untreated. If you do, it can travel up the hair shaft which will result in damage to the entire strand.
What Causes Split Ends?
Split ends can develop slowly over time due to certain factors that can damage and weaken the ends of your hair. Here are some causes:
- Daily manipulation (styling, detangling, etc.)
- Excessive use of heat tools
- Friction from cotton pillowcases and towels
- Environmental factors (humidity, the sun, etc.)
- Not keeping your hair trimmed
Even if you manage to avoid the above you may still struggle with split ends. However, there are ways you can prevent them from happening often.
How to Prevent Split Ends
Deep Condition Regularly
Deep conditioning regularly will help to reduce the number of split ends you get and increase elasticity. Split ends can be caused by dry, brittle hair, so it’s important to keep it moisturized and strengthened.
Although deep conditioning can take extra time on your wash day, this is a step you don’t want to skip. Deep conditioning is essential if you want healthy hair, increased moisture retention, and improved manageability.
When you deep condition, I recommend
Related Post: 10 of the Best Deep Conditioners for High Porosity Hair
Avoid Using Harmful Ingredients
Before purchasing any product, it’s important to check the ingredients they’re formulated with.
Unfortunately, some brands use ingredients that can be damaging to our hair. Here are some harmful ones to avoid:
- Mineral Oil
- Parabens
- Sulfates
- Silicones
Ever since I started paying attention to the labels and choosing better options, my hair has flourished! You won’t have to worry about getting rid of split ends often if you treat your hair right and only feed it with nourishing, healthy products.
Be Gentle With Your Hair
Manipulating your hair daily can cause wear and tear on the cuticle and will result in split ends. Since the ends of your hair are the most fragile, you want to be gentle whether you’re trying to wash, detangle, or style it.
I know detangling is frustrating at times — it’s one step I don’t look forward to! However, it has to be done and you want to make sure you do it gently. Start with your ends and work your way up to the roots to remove any tangles or shed hair.
You also want to make sure you’re using a good hair tool to properly detangle. My favorite one to use is the Felicia Leatherwood Detangling Brush. It does a great job at removing knots without snagging your strands or being too harsh.
Related Post: Make Detangling Easy and Get Your Life Back!
Get Regular Trims
How often you get a professional trim depends on your hair. You want to pay attention to the following signs to determine when it’s time for one:
- Excessive breakage + shedding
- See-through, rough ends
- An increase in tangles + knots
- Less definition and elasticity
In between your trims, one method you can do is called dusting. Dusting refers to cutting a small amount off the ends of your hair without it being noticeable or losing your length. Although this can be time-consuming, it will benefit the health of your curls and prevent split ends from occurring often.
Check out this video to see an example of how to dust your ends! Remember, this doesn’t replace getting a professional trim. It’s a way to keep your ends looking healthy and reduce the chance of splits traveling up and causing more damage to your strands.
Protective Styles
Protective hairstyles keep your ends tucked and protected from damaging factors and can also help reduce split ends. Here are some examples:
- Box braids
- Bantu knots
- Two-strand twists
- Updo styles
- Faux locs
These styles are a great way to limit the chance of split ends since they prevent the ends of your hair from becoming dry and brittle. It also reduces how often you’re manipulating your hair, sometimes we need to leave it alone!
While your hair is in a protective style, you still need to take care of your hair and scalp by moisturizing and sealing it with oil. This isn’t the time to slack off your healthy hair care practices!
Hot Oil Treatments
Hot oil treatments will help combat dry, brittle hair. Using a blend of moisturizing and sealing oils can create the perfect treatment for dry ends.
Moisturizing oils such as Avocado and Olive Oil can penetrate the hair shaft while sealing oils such as Jamaican Black Castor Oil are used to lock in moisture.
Here are more options to use when doing a treatment:
- Rosemary Oil
- Peppermint Oil
- Almond Oil
- Coconut Oil
- Jojoba Oil
Before you use essential oils, make sure you dilute them with a carrier oil to minimize the chance of irritation.
Incorporating these healthy hair care practices into your regimen will help you maintain the health of your hair and reduce split ends.
Don’t be afraid to get your hair cut! I understand once you have those inches you don’t want to lose them, but it should always be health over length.
8 Comments
great post boo! any time I see something about “fixing” split ends – my eyes roll all the way back. the brand cannot be trusted. to pro-long split ends coming I always always seal my ends after moisturizing. & most of the time I like to seal my ends with oil when deep conditioning as well 🙂
Thank you sis! Lol I do the same thing now, but I know some people don’t know any better. Yes making sure your ends are moisturized is important! I need to start focusing on my ends more often. Thanks for reading and commenting boo!
Great tips! I get split ends wayyyy too often. As such I try to get “invisible trims” every 6-8 weeks. I cut off an eighth of an inch so that I’m preventing split ends from occurring. Proactiveness is crucial!
Thank you, love! Awe really? Surprisingly I haven’t dealt with many split ends, but I know everyone’s hair is different. This year since I’m focusing on the health of my hair, I’m definitely going to schedule more trims (maybe 3-4 months or whenever its needed).
Great Post! I cut my daughter’s split ends within 2 to 3 weeks a day after wash day. I use a leave in conditioner and usually braid her hair the next day but trim the dead ends first. Another method I use when I do a style when I twist her hair, I clip the noticable ends, you know the ends are mom’s used to wrap around the barret to keep it from coming off? I use a detangler brush and a wide tooth comb to detangle her hair.
Thank you for reading sis! And that sounds perfect! I haven’t done my own trim on my hair, I usually just dust any ends that look crazy! It’s good to get a good trim consistently so I’m glad you take good care of your daughter’s hair!
I experienced a ton of split ends and I can definitely agree with you on this post.
My journey to less split ends will be a journey but I’ve noticed with regular hot oil treatments, protective styling, and trims with sharp scissors are best for my hair.
I’m glad you found something that will lessen the number of split ends you get! I honestly need to do a protective style more often, it’s nice to take a break from messing with your hair.