Preventing Split Ends?

I straigtened my hair for the first time in 6 weeks, I had lot's of growth but also a lot of split ends. I had to get about 2-3 inches cut off! I am transitioning so I did not mind getting rid of the relaxed ends. However, for the future, I want to avoid cutting off so much length. Any suggestions?

just based from experience, dont straighten as much, protect those ends!
make sure you get a nice cut. I didnt trim my hair evenly and all those curls snagged and snapped off of each other.
dont forget to to wear a satin scarf or/and bonnet
and if you straighten your hair again, use the right heat setting and heat protecting products.

fyi im currently rockin my natural hair straight.

Thanks for replying HoneynBrown!! What is a good way to protect my ends??? I've applied moisturizer and jojoba oil to my ends daily, I use a satin scarf and sleep on a satin pillowcase.

hey cocoeuro,
Try using unrefined shea butter on your ends as often as your hair needs it. Olive oil and especially avocado oil are good also. Just using moisturizers alone wont always prevent split ends, you sometimes need to add something heavy like shea or certain oils that take longer to penetrate the hair, that way all the moisture from your leave-in/moisturizer is sealed in. So all you do is apply a water based leave-in/moisturizer if you wish then lock in that moisture with shea butter or a heavy oil. Shea butter is my fave since its both moisturizing and a really great sealant, sometimes i use shea butter alone thats how awesome it is.

What products are you using, and what is your routine?

I had a problem with split ends earlier this year and they were BAD. I cut off about 1-1.5 inches all around. Since then I have been moisturizing and sealing my ends, protecting them from rough clothing, and handling them with more care. So far that has been working for me. I would suggest evaluating your routine and lifestyle in an attempt to identify what behaviors may be causing the split ends.

I had a problem with split ends about 2 hours ago and then just like that-I cut them all off; all 2 inches. Then I did the double strand twists so that my husband will be none the wiser-at least for now [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

i used to have a problem with split ends until realized to seal the ends with EVCO. that has made BIG difference!!!! this is the first time in my adult life that my ends are really healthy!!! thus, leading more to HIH disease!!! the cylce never ends...

From what i noticed, on my hair, different oils work differently depending on the weather.
for example i stopped using shea butter during the summer because it was too heavy for my ends and not helping it so i switched to grapeseed oil which is light and always do the trick for me.

All you can really do is not brush your ends (by brush i mean the hard, plastic bristles), keep them moisturized and sealed (what i use is water or hair lotion for moisture and seal with a tad bit of oil if i'm using the hair lotion and definately seal when using water) and satin scarf keeps your ends from snagging and snapping. the sound of my hair snagging and snapping is extrusiatingly annoying for me.

Ooooo and watch out for HIH! or atleast dont be as bad as me!

is it enough to seal the ends on day 2-5 hair?? or should i add moisture and then seal? i don't want to add too much moisture and then my hair breaks off.

[size=12]Sky,

I will try using Shea Butter! The air here in Germany is very dry and the water is also very hard! We have to use special salt in the dishwasher to keep the pipes from bursting! I may need to use bottle water to wash my hair [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Currly Nikki,

I was doing the curly girl method, co-wash, no cones. I was using Suave or V0-5 conditioners to co-wash, Matrix Biloage to deep condition, Lustrasilk Olive Oil Moisturzier, & Olive Oil....After seeing how much my hair was bad shape, I decided to include cones back into my regimine...This week was the first time I washed my hair after my trim/cut...I shampooed with Kera Care's hydrating shampoo, deep conditioned with Mizani Moisturfuze, and used Hello Hydration as a leave in, sealed with jojoba oil, did a twist-n-curl, setting it with pantene's curl gel.


What is HIH?

HIH stands for "Hand in Hair" disease. You know, when you constantly play in your hair? lol! lately, I HIR disease (Hand in Root) because I pretty much wear my hair in two-strand twists. I love how my roots feel/look!! I am forever feeling the roots. Madness!

dajewel wrote:is it enough to seal the ends on day 2-5 hair?? or should i add moisture and then seal? i don't want to add too much moisture and then my hair breaks off.

Hey dajewel,
In my opinion, you should moisturize your hair when it feels and looks like it needs to be moisturized. If you do it everyday you can over do it which would in the end cause breakage, but then again you want to prevent that from occurring. Just like our skin, we know when we need to moisturize we moisturize when dry and to prevent dryness so i feel like we should do the same for our hair.

hmm, i will continue seal with EXCO. i usually do it most days, as i see fit. Thanks for the advice!!

EVCO has really helped me protect my ends. I also add just a bit of shea butter to my ends everynight.

I had problems with split ends..I moisturize,seal..everything everyone is saying....still had them...then I start deep conditioning every three days and did a moisturzing deep treatment right after..then moisturize and then seal....and I have not had any split ends...I also henna as well. Also I use coconut oil at night wrap and wash out in morning...Coconut is good for making your hair stronger...also I was deep conditioing with the Ultra Black Hair Care Deep Condish by Cathy Howse then I switch to just raw egg and 2 tablespoon of coconut oil..and I saw a BIG difference right after...I mix room temp egg and coconut oil together apply to my hair and let it dry..(about 30 mins) then rinse out...codish wash/ then moisturize/seal. I do this every 3 days.

~Nappturall~

sKy wrote:hey cocoeuro,
Try using unrefined shea butter on your ends as often as your hair needs it. Olive oil and especially avocado oil are good also. Just using moisturizers alone wont always prevent split ends, you sometimes need to add something heavy like shea or certain oils that take longer to penetrate the hair, that way all the moisture from your leave-in/moisturizer is sealed in. So all you do is apply a water based leave-in/moisturizer if you wish then lock in that moisture with shea butter or a heavy oil. Shea butter is my fave since its both moisturizing and a really great sealant, sometimes i use shea butter alone thats how awesome it is.

even this is giving me stellar results!!!

I find that I also get more splits when my hair is more tangled and I have more knots. Washing in braids or in sections helps to prevent this, since all of my hair isn't loose at once.

Nappturall wrote:I had problems with split ends..I moisturize,seal..everything everyone is saying....still had them...~

I've been in tis boat for about a year--I moisturize, seal and everything. When I wash my hair often it gets worst from what I observe.

When my hair was relaxed & I used heat often, I rarely had split ends.

Now that I'm natural they are everywhere: holes in the strands, strands with 2-3 splits (like a tree branch), and strands split down the middl with little strands holding it togehter (looks like a ladder.)

I have no idea what to do, other than roller set and keep my ends straight--b/c nothing else has worked thus far [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Jonezy wrote:

Nappturall wrote:I had problems with split ends..I moisturize,seal..everything everyone is saying....still had them...~

I've been in tis boat for about a year--I moisturize, seal and everything. When I wash my hair often it gets worst from what I observe.

When my hair was relaxed & I used heat often, I rarely had split ends.

Now that I'm natural they are everywhere: holes in the strands, strands with 2-3 splits (like a tree branch), and strands split down the middl with little strands holding it togehter (looks like a ladder.)

I have no idea what to do, other than roller set and keep my ends straight--b/c nothing else has worked thus far [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Wow moni and Jonezy thats crazy..what products are you using? Also, i agree with jonezy, when the hair is straight it can help prevent breakage, knots and split ends. My sister is natural, she blows her hair out 1x or 2x a month and she doesnt have these problems. She blows her hair out then a braid out, or she'll just wear it straight and not wash till the next time she blows it out. I guess you have to do what works for you, try different products or if it means wearing your hair straight do it. Heat can be very helpful when done carefully. There is a youtuber called longhairdontcare2011, her hair is straight most of the time because of the issues you guys are having and her hair is extremely thick and at waist length i think. She has beautiful hair and her tips and tutorials are awesome! check her out if you haven't already..

@sky-- thanks for the youtuber info, i'm going to check her videos out!

Jonezy wrote:

Nappturall wrote:I had problems with split ends..I moisturize,seal..everything everyone is saying....still had them...~

I've been in tis boat for about a year--I moisturize, seal and everything. When I wash my hair often it gets worst from what I observe.

When my hair was relaxed & I used heat often, I rarely had split ends.

Now that I'm natural they are everywhere: holes in the strands, strands with 2-3 splits (like a tree branch), and strands split down the middl with little strands holding it togehter (looks like a ladder.)

I have no idea what to do, other than roller set and keep my ends straight--b/c nothing else has worked thus far [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

....try to do a raw egg treatment with coconut oil every 3 days for a month and see if you see a difference...I know you will after 1 0r 2 treatment..I know it may sound nasty[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] ....but it works.

~Nappturall~

Jonezy,

I'm afraid that we might be split ends twins, because your description of your split ends fit me to a tee. Initially, I long term transitioned with two strand twist extensions for about a year. I chopped off the final two to three inches of perm and finally started playing around with my texture of hair.

The only thing that I can think of that might have contributed to my split ends was going long periods without properly deep conditioning and, especially, rinsing out the salt from my workouts. I work out 5 to 6 days a week with a regimen of high impact, cardio activities- which means I sweat a lot. I'm thinking that only washing once every two weeks during transitioning probably set me up for some massive split ends.

I've been a full on curly girl since August and I have gone from washing once a week to once every two to three days. This change in routine comes with it's own set of problems. Now I struggle to get enough moisture in my hair. My sister, who has a full head of elbow length natural hair told me that I am washing my hair too frequently, and that it was drying my hair out. She suggested a lot more moisture, which I have been following. I did notice that during a week and a half period where I was unable to exercise that my hair looked really great, since I wasn't washing it and was adding moisture in the morning ( a few sprays with a generic infusion 23) and each night before bed (with hawaiian silky mixed with a little shea butter or jojoba or aloe mixed with shea butter).

Now that I've restarted my exercise regimen, I am once again confused about how to care for my hair. Any suggestions?

I want to make sure I avoid split ends, but my hair isn't long enough for me to see it all and I'm afraid to go somewhere to get it cut. I don't know if I should find a barber or a stylist or try to get someone (ie. my hubby) to do it even though he would be nervous. How do you check a thick teeny weenie afro?

dajewel wrote:HIH stands for "Hand in Hair" disease. You know, when you constantly play in your hair? lol! lately, I HIR disease (Hand in Root) because I pretty much wear my hair in two-strand twists. I love how my roots feel/look!! I am forever feeling the roots. Madness!

I thought I was the only one that did this?! I love [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] feeling my roots. Especially when my hair is in twist. I will just sit there and feel and message the scalp feeling the roots.