Cutting your hair is a sure-fire way to eliminate split ends, but what if you’ve been working on growing your tresses for years, and you don’t want to cut your hair? Or what if, despite having short hair, your ends are fraying, and trimming them would practically leave you with a buzz cut? Don’t worry. There is help for your hair. Here’s how to treat split ends without chopping them all off.
Carefully Comb
It can be hard to give up your hairbrush, but if you’re dealing with split ends, you should really consider switching to a wide-tooth comb for a while. Use it in the shower before rinsing out your conditioner.
You’ll be able to tame your hair without causing breakage due to friction and stretching after your shower. Split ends are easily tangled, so you need to take extra care to prevent tangles and to work gently on the tangles you have.
Protect Your Hair
UV rays and chemicals like chlorine are harsh on the hair, so make sure to wear a hat when you are outdoors and put on a swim cap if you’re going in the pool. Avoiding new damage is critical to ensuring your split ends don’t get worse.
It’s best to avoid heat styling, but if you must, always use a protectant first. And choose hair ties that are made from silky material to avoid further breakage.
Sleep Well
Tossing and turning at night leads to more breakage and tangling than you might think. It’s a good idea to examine your sleeping habits if you’re suffering from split ends.
Try using pillowcases made of satin or silk to reduce friction and keep moisture in your hair. Fabrics like cotton are absorbent and dry out your hair as you sleep. Consider braiding your hair or putting it up in a loose bun before sleeping to help keep tangles from forming and leave your hair manageable in the morning.
Get Plenty of Nutrients
Nourishing your hair from the inside out is important to restore it to health. Eat plenty of green leafy vegetables, rice, beans, legumes, nuts, and seeds.
You can also nourish your hair from the outside with masks made of avocado, coconut oil, aloe vera, olive oil, and other healthy ingredients you probably already have at home. Click here for DIY mask recipes.
Hydration, Hydration, Hydration
Ultimately, split ends come from damaged hair that has lost its integrity. Once the outer cuticle is compromised, hair becomes dry, brittle, and breaks. If you have split ends, you need to hydrate your hair, but paying attention to ingredients is essential.
Look out for ingredients like sulfates that dry your hair and silicone, which can build up and prevent moisture from entering your hair shaft. Instead, choose products with naturally hydrating ingredients, like aloe vera, cocoa butter, shea butter, and rice bran oil. And never skip conditioning your hair.
Using conditioner is an essential step to sealing in moisture and closing your cuticle to protect your hair from breaking. We recommend Terrace Garden for dry, damaged hair.
Treating split ends without chopping them all off takes time, but it is possible. Give your hair some TLC with the above steps, and you’ll be well on your way to a healthy, luxurious head of hair that leaves split ends in the past.