Hearing your hair stylist say the dreaded three words “hair ends split” is the same as taking your car in for an oil change and the mechanic comes out to give you a list of other things your car needs. Especially, for people that are on a natural hair growth journey and you have a specific length you’re trying to get to. You immediately know that means the stylist is pulling out the scissors and will be getting rid of a month’s worth of work! Split ends are counterproductive to growth and the health of your hair. Split ends can lead to hair breakage. Now that we’ve gotten that out the way. Let’s get into how you can get rid of them.
First let’s discuss how you end up with split ends….that way you can try to avoid them in the future. Although, they’ll happen from time to time. It’s life, sorry. I am talking to myself too. You end up with split ends by damaging the cuticle which eventually wears away. The way to reduce the occurrence and learn how to stop hair breakage naturally is to figure out what is causing it to happen.
There are many factors that can kick off split ends. Below is a list of the most common causes and will help you on your natural hair care journey
- Chemical treatments, such as perming, relaxing or coloring your hair
- Mechanical, such as drying your hair roughly or allowing your hair to rub against abrasive fabrics
- Excessive heat from blow dryers and heat styling tools
Reduce mechanical damage
That’s why so many naturals sing praises to protective styles. Protective styles help reduce the daily physical manipulation to your hair. Also, protective styles are convenient and make it easier to get ready in the morning. Also, the ends of your hair, which is the oldest part of your hair, are protected and not rubbing against fabric it doesn’t agree with.
Be mindful of how you dry your hair. If you’re one of those people that run the towel through your hair to help remove excess water. Stop doing that. Using a super absorbent fabric and gently squeezing your hair is better since you’re not causing friction between your hair and the fabric by rubbing it back and forth across your hair.
Reduce heat exposure
As many naturals know it is best to air dry your hair, as much as possible. If you are going to dry your hair with heat try to remove as much excess water by using an absorbent fabric. Less heat passes = less exposure to heat. Always use a heat protectant on your hair prior to heat styling. It’s like wearing a jacket in the winter. You’re still going to feel the cold but it isn’t as harsh to your skin when you have layers over your skin.
If you are wearing a silk press, try to use bobby pins at night or bantu knots to help maintain your curls. You should try to avoid daily heat use on your hair. For people who regularly use heat styling using heat improperly or too frequently can be one of the most common hair breakage causes.
Make sure you are protecting your hair at night
If you are using anything other than satin or silk to tie up your hair at night, STOP! Stop immediately. This is one of the essentials for anyone on their natural hair care journey! Silk or satin fabrics are recommended. We recommend our bamboo wig cap it is the best wig cap since it functions like a fitted bonnet and adds moisture retaining barrier between your pillow case and hair. Satin is durable, affordable fabric that is temperature regulating and helps retain your hair’s natural shine. This satin wig cap is versatile and can be used as a protective barrier under wigs and hats.
The only way to completely remedy your hair when ends split is to trim them. You can use hair products to reduce the splitting and temporarily mend your hair. Make sure you are trimming your hair regularly to keep it at its healthiest state. As a person who doesn’t like to see scissors next to my hair. It does help. Sometimes you have to remove the dead weight to get a lot in return.