Split ends are one of those nuisances that we long, curly, or colored hair gals are all too familiar with. But there are ways to prevent all those frayed, damaged ends without sacrificing your heat tools or highlights.
Get Regular Haircuts/Trims
When your hair is damaged and split, it will continue to split, so it’s important that you get regular haircuts or at least get trims every few weeks. By keeping your ends healthy, it will prevent further damage and splitting and will actually help your hair grow faster.
Shampoo Every Other Day
Shampooing everyday makes your hair more dry and brittle. Natural oils are good for protecting your hair and scalp, so don’t overwash. If you have oily hair, just use a bit of dry shampoo to soak up any excess oil.
Inner Nutrition
Unhealthy, brittle hair can sometimes be caused by a vitamin deficiency. If you find your hair is not growing or it’s falling out, you may want to get blood work done to check for underlying health issues. It’s also worth trying a supplement like Biotin
to help your hair heal and grow.
Use a Wide Tooth Comb on Wet Hair
Never use a fine bristled brush to comb out wet hair. Doing so can cause damage and split ends. Always use a wide tooth comb to gently work out any tangles.
Use a Heat Protector
We all know heat tools are hard on our hair, so always be sure to use a heat protecting product on your mane prior to blow drying. We love Kenra Platinum Blow Dry Spray, $24
and Matrix Keratin Dose Pro-Keratin Renewal Leave-In Spray , $17. Both of these products help protect your hair from heat damage and leave your locks feeling silky smooth.
Oil Treatments
We can’t stress how important it is to regularly deep condition! If you have colored hair or use heat products frequently you must, must do regular oil and/or hair mask treatments. We love Fekkai Salon Tech Mask, $22
for keeping our locks healthy and split-end free. For extra repair, wear the mask or oil in your hair overnight.
Opt for “Deposit-only” Color or Gloss
If you regularly color your hair, talk to your stylist about using a deposit-only color or gloss. With regular permanent color, often a harsh ingredient like ammonia is used to strip the hair of its existing color and then deposit the new color. With deposit-only color and glosses, hair is coated instead of stripped. It’s a much more gentle process. The only downside is that you can’t lighten your existing color with deposit-only color, so talk to your stylist about doing some face framing highlights to lighten up your look without the damage of all over permanent color.
Avoid Chlorine and Salt Water
Yes, we love a good dip in the pool and ocean, but if your hair is fragile, it’s best to avoid harsh water conditions. Chlorine and salt water majorly dry out hair! Instead of dipping all the way under, pull your hair up in a high bun to avoid getting it wet. If you absolutely must go in the water, wear a water cap or immediately rinse your hair afterward to avoid parched locks.
Don’t Overstyle
Let your hair dry naturally and avoid heat tools as much as possible. If you’re not going anywhere, what’s the point of blowdrying? Only use heat tools when you absolutely have to. Also, if you love the waves your curling iron provides, add a loose braid to your hair while it’s wet and let it dry naturally. Undo and voila! You’ll have all-natural heat-free waves.
Invest in High Quality Heat Tools
High-quality heat tools made with ions and ceramic technology are much less damaging on your hair than your average drugstore heat tool. A good blowdryer will also dry your hair much faster. Less drying time=less damage. There’s a reason CHI flat irons are so popular. Invest in high-quality tools to avoid unnecessary damage to your hair. We use Rusk Speed Freak Professional Ceramic Tourmaline Hair Dryer, $64
and CHI’s ceramic flat irons, $100
.
