If you have dry, brittle hair that can be hard to manage, you may have split ends.
Split ends occur when the ends of your hair begin to divide along the shaft. An excess of split ends is typically an indication of unhealthy hair that needs some care.
If you wish your hair were luscious, healthy, and free of split ends, there are several effective ways to repair your hair and prevent split ends from taking over.
Here are some things you can do to fix your split ends.
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Get Regular Haircuts
The best way to manage your ends and make sure they stay healthy is to schedule a haircut every six to eight weeks. When your hairdresser cuts your split ends, they’re also removing the potential for having the split travel up your hair shaft, further damaging your hair.
Cutting your split ends doesn’t mean you have to cut off a significant amount of hair. Just a dusting is enough to keep your hair healthy.
However, if you’re still hesitant to lose any amount of length, there are still other things you can do
Brush Carefully
Anytime you have to brush your hair, do so gently. Start at the ends and work your way up to minimize the damage done to your ends. If you start at the top, the tangles will make their way down to your ends, where you may be forced to untangle some tricky knots at the expense of your fragile ends.
We all want to brush our hair as soon as we get out of the shower, but the tug of a regular brush can stress out our strands. Try to let your hair air dry for a while before taking a wide-tooth comb to it. This will minimize damage done to your strands.
Additionally, it’s best to avoid towel drying your hair. The friction from rubbing the towel against your hair and having your hair strands rub against each other when wet can cause damage.
Use an Organic Shampoo
Switching to an organic shampoo can be beneficial in more ways than one. Not only can an organic shampoo reduce split ends, it can help with scalp maladies such as dandruff and hair loss.
To fix split ends, choose a shampoo that has cabbage rose or argan oil to nourish and moisturize your hair. Argan oil also has vitamin E that can smooth frayed hair shafts and omega acids that can strengthen the shaft, thus preventing further damage.
Try a Leave-In Conditioner
Using a conditioner in the shower (and using a wide-tooth comb to distribute product!) can help nourish split ends and make your hair easier to comb through, lessening the damage done to your ends as you brush. However, conditioner washes out in the shower, making it a more temporary solution than a leave-in conditioner.
A leave-in conditioner can nourish and protect your hair all day while adding protection against heated tools. You can even get a leave-in conditioner that has been formulated specifically to repair split ends.
Apply Product To Your Ends
On days when your split ends are noticeably bad or hard to manage, smooth some product over your ends to strengthen them and make them look more presentable. It’s a temporary fix, but it’ll add the extra protection you need.
Always remember to use heat protectant spray when planning on using heat styling tools. Apply it from roots to ends, but focus on your ends. This can prevent further damage.
Use a Weekly Hair Mask
If your hair is feeling brittle, it may be lacking moisture. A hair mask is what you need!
Leaving a hair mask in your hair once a week for 20 to 30 minutes is enough to add a dose of nourishment your hair needs to feel healthy. This is because the natural oils can add keratin back into your strands and smooth their appearance.
Whether you buy a mask or make one out of common household ingredients like eggs or olive oil, your hair will become stronger and healthier.
Avoid Heated Styling Tools
It’s no secret that too much heat can lead to hair breakage. Repeatedly using heat styling tools or exposing your hair to heat that is 450 degrees Fahrenheit can damage or burn your hair.
Instead, try air drying your hair instead of blow drying or using curlers that style your hair as it dries. Even wrapping your hair in socks and spritzing it with water can give you beautiful bouncy curls without using a curling iron!
Skip Damaging Hair Treatments
Dye, bleach, relaxer, and perms will all damage your hair from root to tip. They alter your hair strands and make them more prone to breakage. It’s best to avoid them.
If you feel these treatments are necessary, try to get them done sparingly and only where needed. For example, a root touch-up instead of redyeing your whole head can be an effective alternative.
Change Your Diet
Eating a healthy diet full of biotin, vitamins, and healthy fats can stimulate hair growth. It can also make your strands shinier, stronger, and more durable.
Try introducing fish, olive oil, and eggs into your diet to reap these benefits. Even taking a biotin or folic acid supplement can help with hair and nail growth.
Use Light Therapy Tools
If you’ve taken care of your split ends, but want to hair to grow back quicker and fuller, try out a few tools to stimulate hair growth. These light therapy tools can stimulate circulation and encourage your hair to grow with low-dose laser therapy, all from the comfort of your own home!
Additionally, these light therapy tools can help with a receding hairline, hair loss, and alopecia.
Taming Your Split Ends
Split ends can be a thing of the past when you try out a few of these tips! Once you manage your split ends, you can focus on growing your hair out to your desired length without it looking stringy!
Now that you know how to fix split ends, you should learn how to improve hair growth.
