Split-Ends: Hair Growth Enemy No. 1
- Each strand of hair is basically a long protein strand surrounded by a special layer of dried cells called the "cuticle." The cuticle protects the internal protein structure, gives hair its color and largely determines hair's volume or "bounce." A split end (lit. trichoptilosis) occurs when heat, dehydration, chemicals or physical wear destroy the hair's cuticle layer, exposing the interior layers to the elements. As a direction result of this loss of cuticle, hair takes on a tangled, frizzy texture and loses its natural luster. When the cuticle loss occurs on the ends of hair, the core protein strand will split into two (hence "split ends").Once destroyed, cuticle cannot be replaced; the split ends must be snipped down. Your mission, therefore, is two-pronged: reduce the behavior and conditions that destroy cuticle and remove split ends before the damage spreads further up the strand.
Turn Down The Heat
- If you use a hair dryer, avoid the high heat settings. Even if the dryer is on "Low" or "Medium," keep it at least 4 inches from your hair when in use. Hair straighteners and curling irons are equally destructive to hair cuticle, so avoid them if possible.
Buy A More Expensive Shampoo (Or Just Shampoo Less)
- Shampoo (as opposed to conditioner) is designed to "clean" the grease and dirt out of your hair. But, if you use it too much, it can drain the essential oils and moisture from hair, causing the cuticle to flake off. For example, imagine if you washed your face with generic bar soap and water every day without using moisturizer; your skin would quickly become dry, scaly and itchy. The same goes for hair.Granted, you've probably never heard of most of the "premium" ingredients in expensive shampoos but they actually are gentler on your hair cuticle. If you can't afford these high-end products, simply shampoo every other day. If really do need to shampoo every day (e.g., active athletes, pungent work place, etc.), be sure to add a gentle cleanser for rinsing the shampoo and have lots of conditioner on hand for the tips of your hair.
Condition The Tips
- Most conditioners work by coating your hair with a thin layer of silicon, giving it a glossy look while preserving the color of the cuticle underneath. The problem is that, once dry, the silicon only comes off if you use a harsh, cuticle-damaging sulfate shampoo. After months or years of applying leave-in conditioners, your thoroughly-coated hair will start acting very strangely (e.g., clumping, weird reflection, etc.). By conditioning the tips only, you are shielding the most damage-prone part of the hair from the elements with a silicon barrier.
Find A Gentle Comb
- First, never comb wet hair; water is naturally adhesive and fairly dense, requiring more force to pull a comb through. As for the comb itself, make sure that the teeth are wide and far apart. Also, don't use a comb where the teeth/bristles are attached rigidly to the base; a flexible base allows the teeth to give a little, sparing your hair from damaging stress.
Wear It Up
- At or slightly above shoulder length, most split ends come from physical contact like rubbing against clothes, head rests, idle hands and being whipped around by the wind. If you plan on growing your hair exceptionally long, consider a transitional style like a bun or similar up-do to keep split ends from slowing your progress.
Get Trims Every Six To Eight Weeks
- By cutting off split ends while they're still small, you are increasing "net" hair growth.
The longer a split end goes uncut, the further up the strand it can go, ruining centimeters of length in the process.
It sounds crazy but consider this: you let your hair growth unchecked for 12 months and it grows a total of six inches. When you go to the stylist to have it done for a big event, he must cut off 2 inches of damaged, frizzy, lusterless hair. If you got it trimmed every two months, you'd lose only 1 inch total to split ends.
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