Splits - Can they be completely eliminated???

[Jaxhair]

Ladies (and gents if there's any out there), I'm in a quandry. I'm nearly 14 months into my hair journey and granted my first year wasn't perfect, I'm sitting here wondering - can one eliminate splits ends and splitting hairs from their head? If so, HOW??? I seem inundated with splits. Split ends, splitting hair shafts..... if I were to decide I wanted them all off my hair I'd have to cut off at least 4 inches. Some of my shed hairs seem to be splitting all the way up to the last 2 inches, yet I do a strand test and they seem strong. I have 5-6.5'' in length. Am I fighting a losing battle, or is shall I embrace Ouidad's view point and just go with the flow, like I am doing? Anyone out there believe they've conquered splits? How do I do a poll?

Split Ends
Every mane curly, straight, short, long is susceptible to split ends. Strands become dry and "empty" from a variety of assaults, including the environment, frequent heat styling, and harsh cleansers. In this condition, the cuticle remains open and feathery. These tiny raised layers are actually split ends, also called flyaways. They are weightless and lift away from the cuticle creating that halo of frizz. Contrary to popular belief, split ends are found all over the hair and CANNOT be fixed with cutting. The best treatment for split ends is to feed your hair, just like your skin. A nourished hair shaft will have enough internal weight to keep the cuticle closed so that each curl is smooth. Clearly, trimming split ends is not an option— you might as well shave your head. Split ends can appear anywhere so frequent deep conditioning is the only way to prevent them.

 

[Gracie]

Yes it can be done by keeping ends conditioned, moisturized and using protective styling.

HHG

 

[1Aleeesha]

Yeah I agree...For me its been something about all those deep conditioning treatments. I remember one time my cousin asked me "how did I get my hair like that" lol My aunt (her mom) knows all about healthy hair - her hair is also long and relaxed but for some reason her daughter (my cousin) didn't pick up the practices.

My aunt immediately responded with "because she keeps all those treatments in there" lol. I was rolling but it's true... I do swear by deep conditioning your life away. It takes less than a month of deep conditioning every other day to fix and repair any issues I've ever faced. And I do it just to prevent issues now, rotating and mixing protein and moisturizing conditioners... Some conditioners already give protein and moisture balance. Deep conditioning every other day has also been known to speed up my growth.

 

[Jaxhair]

Thanks ladies. I thought I could try.... give it a couple of years to eliminate as many splits as I possibly can and retain enough length to make me happy with easy and versatile styling. My question is, is the statement made above bullcrap or true? Dang, I'm on a quest for super healthy hair here, and I'm wondering why Ouidad reckons it's unattainable? Might ask in his/her website, lol. I'd love to know what drove him/her to make that statement.... you know, being a hair 'guru' as he/she is....

Anyway..... DCing tonight for the third day this week. Must try doing every other day, see how that helps....

 

[Pooks]

Great thread Jaxhair! Interested in how the other ladies will respond, especially APL and beyond naturals.

So far I've maintained healthier but not split-free ends by dusting every 2 months or so, and regular (at least twice weekly) DCs. I'm hoping henna will play a part too.

 

[Jaxhair]

Beautiful update in your sig Pookiwah!

I sure am interested in how other peeps deal with this. I think I might be over-analysing my hair - not all are split or splitting, and my hair is certainly healthier than it's ever been but it sure seems like a lot are split/splitting, sigh. I'm definitely upping my DC to at least 4x/week if I can, with protein and /or henna and ayurveda powders once weekly too. And I deffo need to dust/trim more regularly too...

 

[Pooks]

Beautiful update in your sig Pookiwah!

Thanks sweetie!

 

[topnotch1010]

Thanks for posting this. I will try the DC every other day. Waiting on more responses....

 

[Jaxhair]

Bumping, lol. More responses would be fab ladies.... and gents?

Where are you at as regards splits and tolerating and/or eliminating them?

 

[Nonie]

OK, I don't know if they can be fully eliminated but they most certainly can be reduced and kept at bay for a spell.

Hair like anything else endures wear and tear as time goes by, just by being around. Your ends are the oldest part of your hair so they would endure it the most. And like a piece of material that isn't hemmed, a fray that can start off small can transfer to a large part of the material if not tidied up thus causing deterioration of the material.

So it is with split ends not dusted off. So the first step is regularly dusting to prevent the split from traveling up the shaft.

But also ends are exposed. Think of a hair strand like a cylinder or a cucumber. The center part of the cucumber is fresh and unaffected by anything. But if the end is cut, it looks fresh for a little bit then starts to look old and yucky...until you cut that end off again to reveal freshness again. So exposed ends suffer drying and elements' abuse more than the main strand of the hair. They are also more vulnerable than the center of the hair which is "closed". So after dusting, some protection is necessary to keep the ends looking good for as long as possible. Remember wear and tear is inevitable but we can delay it by taking precautions.

One is sealing the ends with some products so it's not exposed to air. Two, protective styling so the ends are hidden from drying air and mechanical abuse. Of course, temperature changes (water, styling products) can cause problems too so extra TLC is imperative.

I know protective styling is a bit of a challenge for us short-haired ladies, but we could at least keep up the dusting and sealing to get us to length where we can start really practicing full protection by the way we style our hair.

 

[calmsensual1]

I noticed that the excerpt said that raised cuticles are split ends.

Perhaps a weekly ACV rinse in order to close the cuticles may help?

 

[Nonie]

I noticed that the excerpt said that raised cuticles are split ends.

Perhaps a weekly ACV rinse in order to close the cuticles may help?

I beg to disagree with the statement that raised cuticle scales are flyaways or split ends. The cuticle is not visible without a microscope and neither are the scales and while raised cuticle scales can lead to split ends by easily being snagged and torn away, I don't think in themselves they are split ends. Otherwise, everyone that gets her hair relaxed gets split ends in the process when the cuticle is raised to allow relaxer in.

The photograph below shows what a new hair looks like under the electron microscope. It shows the regular layers of cuticle scales overlying the cortex in long, smooth curves.

The next photograph shows (on a much smaller scale) an area further down the same hair. Here the scales have started to become chipped and broken in places. This is quite normal: it results from ordinary combing, which rubs the hair down its length, producing friction as it goes. The gentle friction of hairs rubbing against each other also produces some damage.

Below you see how split ends form:

[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]The continuing destruction of the cortex of a hair: the long parallel bundles of keratin have been exposed and can be seen clearly[/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]The cortex has ruptured and cannot be repaired, so that the only course of action is to cut off the hair

The use of good-quality scissors is a vital part of hair care[/FONT]

In the photographs above some more serious harm can be seen. Large areas of the cuticle have split away, showing the cortex underneath. This is how the classic 'split end' starts, with a crack beginning to run back up the hair shaft. [Bold mine]

If the problem is really severe, the cortex bursts right out of the hair.

In normal hair, this sort of damage is only noticeable near the tips of untrimmed long hair, which may look lustreless and pale with some split ends. The length of time for which hair can grow without the damage becoming visible depends on the natural quality of the hair, how frequently it is damaged, and how much on-going protection has been given to it by conditioning.

The reason why conditioning is so important in slowing down natural weathering lies in the ability of the cortex to retain moisture. Dry, out-of-condition hair lacks moisture, and the correct moisture content (hydration) of hair has to be restored for the hair to regain its condition and its 'healthy' look. Without enough moisture the number of hydrogen bonds may be reduced. Conditioning allows re-establishment of the hydrogen bonds and improves the moisture content of the hair by improving the weatherproofing of the cuticle. This determines the amount of static charge on the hair and the resistance of hair to mechanical stresses like brushing and combing.

http://www.pg.com/science/haircare/hair_twh_68.htm

 

[Jaxhair]

Wonderful info Nonie and CalmS, thanks! See, if you'd not have chimed in I would have been none the wiser and relented to life with split ends, sigh. So it seems its all about conditioning, dusting and protective styling whiles handling the hair very carefully - no snagging. I sure am on a mission!

Off to study that link Nonie - thanks again!!!

 

[mrembo]

When i went natural i noticed my hair seemed to get more splits and what helped me was deep conditioning and sealing my ends, i use castor oil. I also had to start lightly dusting my ends on a regular basis and this has helped greatly. Good luck

OT: Loving your profile pic, you and hubby look great and i love your complexion

 

[Jaxhair]

Thanks girl. I now am dusting regularly - searching and destroying..... and deep conditioning 3-4 times a week. Planning a proper trim in June/July time with my one trusted hairdresser. Hopefully my S&Ds and that will eliminate most of the splits and even out my hair some. Then I'll carry on DIYing and hope for the best.

Nice to hear from you girl! Thanks for the OT

 

[Dove56]

I deep condition once a week get regular trims. My ends now are not as strong because the bleached highlights I had a couple of years ago are now on the ends plus they've been dyed over and tex-laxed. Once they are gone my ends won't split.

 

[Aggie]

Yeah I agree...For me its been something about all those deep conditioning treatments. I remember one time my cousin asked me "how did I get my hair like that" lol My aunt (her mom) knows all about healthy hair - her hair is also long and relaxed but for some reason her daughter (my cousin) didn't pick up the practices.

My aunt immediately responded with "because she keeps all those treatments in there" lol. I was rolling but it's true... I do swear by deep conditioning your life away. It takes less than a month of deep conditioning every other day to fix and repair any issues I've ever faced. And I do it just to prevent issues now, rotating and mixing protein and moisturizing conditioners... Some conditioners already give protein and moisture balance. Deep conditioning every other day has also been known to speed up my growth.

Thanks for posting this. I will try the DC every other day. Waiting on more responses....

When i went natural i noticed my hair seemed to get more splits and what helped me was deep conditioning and sealing my ends, i use castor oil. I also had to start lightly dusting my ends on a regular basis and this has helped greatly. Good luck

OT: Loving your profile pic, you and hubby look great and i love your complexion

Thanks girl. I now am dusting regularly - searching and destroying..... and deep conditioning 3-4 times a week. Planning a proper trim in June/July time with my one trusted hairdresser. Hopefully my S&Ds and that will eliminate most of the splits and even out my hair some. Then I'll carry on DIYing and hope for the best.

Nice to hear from you girl! Thanks for the OT

Well I think most ladies here on the board pretty much know where I stand when it comes to deep conitioning. It's my thing, whether through ayurveda hair care, other natural products and commercial products - I use them all. I am moving more toward natural organic haircare but I still DC DC DC. There has been a great improvement in my hair since I started DCing on a regular basis. I still have some rough ends from the no-lye relaxer I used to use a year and a half ago and soon, they will all be off of my head and I can't wait for that day to come.

 

[Ericka]

I also deep condition once a week. I got bleached highlights last year sometime in February so they haven't fully grown out yet. That was the worst thing I EVER done to my hair and now I won't know when they fully grow out because I dyed my hair black. I guess one way I'll know when the bleached hair is gone is when my splits are to a minimum. Can't wait for those days again.

I deep condition once a week get regular trims. My ends now are not as strong because the bleached highlights I had a couple of years ago are now on the ends plus they've been dyed over and tex-laxed. Once they are gone my ends won't split.

 

[mj11051]

Wow thanks ladies, I've been battling splits end forever, however I'm going to put this good information use. Thanks everyone.



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