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Today we are talking about why do you need to take care of your split ends.
Happy reading and do let us know in the comments if you have any questions about something that we haven't yet covered in this post. 😊
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Do you find your hair looking dull and lifeless when it once used to look luscious and bouncy? Can you fell the moisture slowly seeping of your tresses? Well, then chances are that you are starting to get split ends. Not only do split ends rob your hair of their shine, but they also hinder your hair growth. Before talking about the importance of trimming split ends, let's find out what causes split ends in the first place. Here's what you need to know!
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What are split ends? What causes them?
Before we get into what causes them, let's answer a more important question-what are split ends? Strands of your hair begin to develop split ends when the hair cuticle (outer protective sheath) gets damaged and begins to wear off. This leads to the delicate inner layer of your hair getting exposed and weakened or dehydrated, which in turn causes split ends.
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| You can see from the picture what split ends look like. |
Unfortunately, there are a ton of factors that could be contributing to your split ends. While you could blame some of it on the harsh environment that you subject you hair to every time you step out of the house, you also need to take a long, hard look at how you yourself are treating (or rather, mistreating) your hair. So, here are a few of the most common factors that lead to split ends...
- Detangling your hair aggressively when it is dry
- Detangling your hair when it is wet
- Sun damage caused by stepping out in the sun without covering your hair
- Using heat styling tools like straightening irons, curling wands and blow dryers excessively
- Not trimming your hair regularly
- Washing your hair daily
- Undergoing chemical treatments like hair color, relaxers and perms
- Using too many styling products like gels, mousses, waxes, hair sprays, etc.
- Sleeping on rough or cheap quality pillowcases.
- Unhealthy diet and not getting enough proteins, minerals and vitamins
Instead of wondering how to cut off split ends, start with baby steps: trimming your split ends.
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Why so you need to trim split ends?
Besides making your hair look dull, damaged and lifeless there are a ton of reasons why letting your split ends persist and leaving them untreated is a bad idea. Here are some things you need to be aware of:
- Split ends don't go away on their own: Split ends don't just magically fuse back together when you start conditioning or taking care of your hair. In fact, the longer you put off trimming them, the more each end splits into 2 or 3 ''feathers.'' This, in turn, seriously hinders your hair growth.
- Uneven pigmentation: The color of split ends is usually a bit lighter than your natural hair color. This can make your hair color look discolored and uneven
- Robs your hair of it's shine: Split ends rob your hair of it's lively glow and make it look brittle, dull and lifeless. No amount of conditioning, hair masks and spa treatments can restore the shine back in your hair unless you trim off the split ends.
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Ways to prevent split ends.
Yes, split ends can wreak havoc on the health and appearance of your hair. But, lucky for you, there are a ton of things that you can do to prevent them from forming in the first place. Here are a few tips and tricks that you can try out:
- Trim your hair regularly: Your hair goes through some wear and tear every time you wash and comb it - this causes split ends. So, how often should you trim your hair? It's best that you get your hair trimmed every 2-3 months.
- Oil your hair before you wash it: We all know that oiling your hair can nourish and moisturize it from within. But another way this helps your hair is by forming a protective sheath around it to reduce the damage caused when combing, we all know that it's recommended to comb before you take a shower because it prevents getting knots.
- Reduce use of heat styling tools: Regularly using heat styling tools like blow dryers, flat irons and curling wands robs your hair of it's moisture and leaves it dry, brittle and susceptible to split ends. So, avoid using them as much as you can, and when you do use them, make sure you apply a heat protection to your hair first.
- Don't wash your hair every day and avoid using hot water: Doing either or both of these things can strip your hair of it's natural oils and dehydrate and weaken it.
- Dry your hair gently: Vigorously rubbing your wet hair with a towel can cause intense damage and split ends. Instead, wrap your hair in a microfiber towel until it has absorbed all the excess water and let it air dry the rest of the way.
- Apply a leave-in conditioner: Leave-in conditioners make your hair more manageable and easier to detangle, thus reducing the risk of split ends. So, apply a leave-in conditioner (or a bit of natural oil) after you step out of the shower.
- Use a wide-toothed comb: Use a wide-toothed comb and work your way up from the ends towards your scalp to prevent further knotting, breakage and split ends.
- Wear a hat/scarf while stepping out: Leaving your hair exposed to the hot sun or cold winds can make it brittle and more prone to split ends. So, make sure you put on a hat or wrap a scarf around your head to protect your hair while making a cool fashion statement.
- Deep condition regularly: It's important that you deep condition your hair every 2 weeks to restore moisture into your hair and nourish it from within.
- Use soft hair ties: Rubber hair ties or ones that have a metal clasp in the middle tend to break your hair and ultimately lead to split ends. So, use soft hair ties that are gentle on your hair.
- Oil your hair before swimming: Swimming regularly in harsh chlorine-infused water can cause untold damage to your hair. So, apply a protective layer of hair oil all over your hair and put on a swim cap before you jump into the pool.
- Eat balanced diet and drink lots of water: Eating a balanced diet full of proteins, vitamins and minerals and keeping your body well hydrated is essential for maintaining the health of your hair.
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My little secret is that I use almost everyday a small dollop of oil on my blonde ends. I usually sleep with my hair up, that prevents my hair from getting tangled of in my way when I sleep. Evenings I usually lather my hair with oil and will braid myself a loose fishtail braid and go to bed. It doesn't have to be fishtail braid, every braid will do, even a lose bun will help you with getting less tangles. You don't need perfect hairstyle when you are sleeping, so don't worry if your braid doesn't look line 100% what you would like to. And as a bonus, you will have fun waves for the next couple of days! 😊
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| Life is short. You might as well live it with really great hair. Karolin ❤ |
