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by Iris George
We hate to break it to you but there’s no magical treatment for split ends. Once the ends of your hair become damaged or frayed? Your only choice to get rid of them is to cut them off. But don’t freak out! Continue reading and learn about our tips on how to prevent split ends.
Have you ever looked down at the tips of your hair to see little splitting ends? Split ends, scientifically known as “trichoptilosis”, are the result of a brittle cuticle breaking the hair strand into two or more branches. A split doesn’t have to be up the middle, either – your dead ends can break off in a variety of ways. Whether you’re looking at a tree-like split or a thin fraying at the end of the strand, splitting hair is a struggle we all face.
Understanding what causes split ends is the first step in preventing them. So, let's consider this: which part of the hair is the most exposed? Which part of the hair is the most vulnerable? It's the ends, of course! Your hair grows from the root, which means the ends of your hair have been through it all. Think about it: how many times have you straightened, curled, or styled your hair? Too many to count, we’re guessing.
Daily wear and tear over time will degrade your hair. Period. Added to that, stress from chemical treatments, heat styling or using the wrong hair products weakens the cuticle. Without proper protection, the inner layer rips and forms that annoying tress pest we all love to hate: the split end.
There’s no easy way to say this but nothing can magically fuse your splitting hair back together. The only way to get rid of split ends is to simply cut them off. Even if you’re trying to grow your locks to luscious lengths. Why? Because if the dead-end hair isn’t cut regularly, the split will continue to creep up the hair shaft.
While hair smoothing products like oils, serums, or gels help hydrate and minimize the appearance of split hair and tame unruly frizz, the only cure is trimming every 12 weeks or as soon as you begin to see hair splitting. In fact, many hairdressers recommend cutting much more regularly, every 6 to 10 weeks. Especially if you color or heat style your hair.
You trimmed your hair. Now what? It’s time to give those tresses some regular TLC because the best split end treatment is ALWAYS prevention. Thankfully, there are a bunch of easy ways to deal with the pesky universal hair problem. Let’s check them out.
Remember dead-end hair starts slowly and damage builds up over time. So be gentle when you wash, brush, detangle, style, and touch your hair. Especially if you’re blessed with curls as it tends to be easier for those voluminous strands to knot (check out our recommendations for brushes to tame your luscious locks here!)
The more careful you are with your hair, the easier it is to give split ends the slip. We recommend using a detangling brush in the shower while conditioning to prevent split ends from forming. Apply a generous amount of conditioner then brush gently through your wet hair.
Another tip? A leave-in conditioner is your BFF for daily detangling. With a maxi pro-nourish complex, it hydrates dull, dry strands as moringa seed shields against pollution and UV damage. 85% of consumers reported less breakage*.
*Results based on a consumer trial using 21 subjects.
Hydrating your hair is super-important for preventing split ends! To quench your hair’s thirst from the inside out, make sure you’re drinking plenty of water. Hydrated hair is more resilient against environmental damage and moisture is the first line of defense against split ends in your hair.
It all starts with finding the right shampoo and conditioner. So keep a look out for nourishing ingredients like avocado, argan oil and coconut oil (found in the Coco & Eve range, naturally) that will restore and hydrate hair fibers.
If you’re serious about ditching the damage and split ends, it’s time to break up with your regular cotton or terry cloth towel. Why? Because the texture of these towels, especially paired with aggressive rubbing action, roughs up the hair shaft and can cause snagging, breakage and your other worst nightmare – frizz.
You don’t need to air-dry though, as microfiber towels eliminate this problem. Super smooth, ultra-absorbent and oh-so-gentle on strands, a microfiber hair towel will also dramatically reduce your drying time. What’s not to love?
To no one’s surprise, avoiding heat styling is always the best option for healthy hair – though this isn’t always practical. The heat from hot tools breaks down your hair's structure with sizzling high temperatures that allow it to be reshaped into your desired style. Your wish is its command. But a genie always has a catch.
If you use heat regularly, you will likely see an increase in damage and frazzled, frayed ends. However, a layer of protection can go a long, long way! While heat protectant won’t prevent split ends entirely, it helps soften the blow – dramatically reducing the amount your cuticle raises under heat pressure. To keep your locks lustrous, apply it to clean hair before wielding your go-to style tool.
Most of us are religious about our daily skincare routine – why should hair be any different? Salon-worthy hair doesn’t require a trip to a pricey salon, either. All it takes is a solid haircare routine to prevent split ends.
The key is to find a gentle shampoo and conditioner that works for your hair type and doesn’t rid your hair of its natural oils. Alongside washing, nourish your hair with a deep conditioning and repairing mask once or twice a week. And tackle damage and breakage caused by coloring or chemical treatments with a bond-building treatment.
What products can help prevent split ends? Our Coco & Eve Hair Repair Bundle has you covered! It contains the ultimate duo to prevent and repair damage: our dreamy Sweet Repair Mask and our new Bond Building Pre-Shampoo Treatment. Packed with a powerblend of biomimetic ceramides and hair repair actives, the mask delivers a 56% decrease in split ends formation after combing*! While our 3D bond-building microemulsion repairs all three structural hair bonds, while strengthening existing bonds against breakage. 86% of users noticed less hair breakage and split ends after use**.
*Based on instrumental testing done with biomimetic ceramides
** Based on a clinical test conducted on damaged hair due to hair coloring
While preventing split ends is the ultimate goal, sometimes you need a quick fix to disguise those frayed ends. Here are a few temporary solutions to help you hide split ends while you work on improving your hair health:
While many factors contribute, the main cause of split ends is damage to the hair shaft, often from dryness, heat styling, chemical processing, or rough handling.
Unfortunately, once a hair strand splits, it cannot be repaired. However, you can prevent further splitting by taking good care of your hair and using products that help smooth and seal the hair cuticle.
No, it's not a good idea to pull your split ends. It seems like a quick fix, but it actually damages your hair further by ripping the hair shaft apart, leading to more split ends and breakage.
Using high-quality hair care products formulated to moisturize and strengthen your hair is essential. In addition, minimizing heat styling, handling wet hair gently, and getting regular trims can all help reduce the occurrence of split ends.
While split ends don't directly stop hair growth at the root, they can contribute to breakage higher up the hair shaft, making it seem like your hair isn't growing as quickly as it should. Regular trims to remove split ends can help prevent this breakage and maintain healthy hair growth.
Split ends can be frustrating, but with this handy battle plan, prevention needn’t be such a struggle. Keep your hair healthy with these simple tricks and split ends will ruin far fewer good hair days!
Looking for more daily beauty routine tips? Check out our Instagram to stay up to date on the latest trends!
Edited by: Pip Jarvis and Iris
