How To Trim Split Ends And Tips To Prevent Them

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Many of us have experienced split hair or split ends of hair many a time. Being a complete nuisance, split ends tend to make the hair dry and brittle. As an additional side effect, the overall growth of the hair stops too. Even appearance-wise, the hair starts to look dull and lacks lustre.

Let us find out more about this concern related to hair, and figure out the causes, remedies and prevention.

What Causes Split Ends?

The major causes of split ends could vary from person to person, depending on their regular habits, lifestyle and environmental factors. Following are some of the common causes:

• Improper hair care: Frequent washes, usage of harsh chemical-based products, heat producing hair styling methods, vigorous brushing, wrong detangling methods like combing wet hair, etc. These reasons could cause split-ends.
• Lack of nutrition: If your diet does not provide the required nutrients such as protein, minerals or vitamins that are needed for the health of the hair, you may end up with lack of nutrition affecting the hair quality. This could make the hair dry and it may develop split ends.
• Not following regular maintenance of hair: Deep conditioning and trimming of hair are ways to properly maintain the hair. Any lapse in this could lead to split ends.

Reasons Why You Should Trim Split Ends

It is important to get rid of the bothersome split ends by regularly trimming them off. Trimming helps improve the overall look as well as feel of the hair, since the unhealthy split ends of the hair tend to break hair and trimming leads to less breakage. This results in better looking, shinier and thicker hair.

How To Trim Split Ends At Home

While it is irritating to have split ends in your hair, it is also easy to get rid of them yourself by trimming them. All that you may require is a good pair of scissors, which can help neatly trim the unwanted split ends. Let us find out about the most common at-home methods for trimming:

Hair twisting method: As the name suggests, this method involves twisting of the hair. The hair should be dry, so that the split ends are easily visible.

1. To start with, take approximately one-inch section of your hair into your hands; brush it properly in case it is entangled. Depending on the overall thickness of your hair, the section could be smaller if your hair is very thick, and bigger if your hair is thin.
2. Start with one side of the head, to avoid getting confused!
3. Twist the section of hair tightly, so that the split ends are visible. Keep twisting to make sure that the section is tightened properly and the strands of split ends pop out.
4. Trim off these popped out split ends, while moving from the top to the bottom of the section.
5. For smaller hair, you may want to use a mirror.
6. If required, you may twist the same section again, but in the opposite direction this time.
7. Move on to collect the next section of hair, next to the one you just trimmed, and repeat the process. Follow the same process for individual sections through your entire hair.
8. Use a hair clip to hold back the sections of hair that you trim, in order to avoid any confusion.

Hair sliding method: This requires your hair to be straight and dry. In case you have naturally straight hair, you can simply start off after brushing it properly to remove entanglements. If your hair is wavy or curly, you may have to first straighten it by blow-drying it, or using a hair-straightener. Just remember to apply a heat-protectant to avoid any new split ends!

1. Take a section of your hair in your hands, thinner section if your hair is thick, and thicker section if your hair is thin.
2. Let this section slide through your three middle fingers in such a way, that your hair is visible on top of the middle finger.
3. On a closer look, you would notice split ends popping out of this visible section of hair.
4. Trim off the split ends while sliding your fingers down this section of hair. The scissors should be perpendicular to the section of hair, so that it is convenient to clip the split ends.
5. Continue sliding your fingers down the strand of hair, while you keep trimming the split ends as you go.
6. You may have to only clip around 0.12-0.13 inches of hair.
7. Repeat this process while pulling together individual sections of hair, till you cover your entire head.
8. Remember to keep tying the trimmed sections of your hair, while you are busy trimming the untrimmed ones.

Trimming ends of hair: This method requires the hair to be damp, and not wet. You need to brush your hair gently with a metal comb or a brush that has natural bristles, in order to detangle it.

1. After you have thoroughly brushed your hair, take a section of it in your hands, using a small comb.
2. Slip this section in between your index and middle fingers, while starting from the top of your head, and slowly sliding to the bottom of the strand. You would need to tightly hold the strand at approximately 1 inch from its end-point.
3. Bring the strand in front of you, to make perpendicular cuts of approximately 1-2 cm at the end. You could start with cutting off a bit of hair, and cut further if needed.
4. Move to the next section, and repeat the process.
5. If required, seek the help of someone else to trim the hair on the back of your head.
6. Use hair-clips to hold the trimmed sections.

Tips To Prevent Split Ends From Reoccurring

It is easy to manage split ends, and it is equally easier to prevent them. Follow some of the tips that help with the prevention of split ends and avoid their reoccurrence:

1. Use natural products: Avoid usage of chemicals which can harm your hair by affecting its quality and texture. Instead, opt for natural ingredients such as coconut oil, coconut milk, almond oil, castor oil, argan oil, tea tree oil, onion juice, curd, beer, or hair masks made with avocado, banana, honey, eggs, apple cider vinegar, etc.

2. Condition your hair regularly and effectively: Make it a habit to use a conditioner each time after you shampoo your hair. Conditioning helps moisturize the hair, making it less vulnerable to breakage or split ends.

3. Avoid overuse of heat-producing tools: Frequent blow-drying or curling iron on hair can cause extreme damage to the hair. Avoid using it on an everyday basis.

4. Use a wide-tooth comb to detangle: It is important to keep your hair detangled, and a wide-tooth comb does the job very well! Especially in case your hair is wet, using a wide-tooth comb can easily remove the entanglement, without harming or breaking the hair.

5. Go for a nutritious diet: It is imperative to eat well, if you want healthy hair. Include proteins, vitamins and minerals in your diet, for healthy and strong hair.

6. Drink lots of water: Water helps keep your body cool and having it in good quantity every day is required to maintain the quality of hair.

7. Go for softer hair-bands or hair-ties: Avoid extremely tight hair bands or ties on your hair. It can lead to breakage and may cause split ends.

8. Trim your hair regularly: A regular trimming session of split ends every 7-12 weeks can help get rid of them in the long run. If you do not trim split ends regularly, you run the risk of having more split ends. And you wouldn't want that!

Any of the trimming methods can be performed easily at home. However, if you do not have the required tools or the time to do it yourself, you could visit a salon to get rid of the split ends in no time. For a good-looking hair, split ends are a strict no-no!