Split ends or Trichoptilosis is a hair condition where a strand of hair is split into two or more fragments.
You should know that split ends are fairly common and one of the beauty certainties of life. Your ends can split due to a number of reasons like heat styling, dryness or even due to age.
Bear in mind that the ends are the oldest part of your hair strands, hence, you need to take special care of them if you don’t want splits to work their way up your entire shaft, thereby damaging much more than just the ends.
They are structural damage to the hair strands, so once you have them, the only way to ‘fix’ them is to cut them by trimming off the split end and preventing the split from spreading up the strand. However, this can be painful to hear or do especially if you’re trying to grow your hair longer.
Chijioke Anaele, General Manager, Recare Ltd, reveals that in severe cases where the hair strand splits into multiple ends, it gives a very ragged unhealthy looking mop of hair. She added that split ends can also be a genetic condition.
So, let’s take a look at the causes of split ends, how to detect it as well as the prevention and treatment according to Romiluti.
Causes of split ends
- Use of strong and high chemical concentrated shampoos,
- Frequent hair colouring,
- Combing the hair too vigorously can also damage the hair.
- When too much thermal or chemical stress is put on the hair, it reacts by becoming too coarse, loses sheen or develops split ends.
- The appliances used in heating the hair, either by straightening, curling, perming, blow drying the hair, end up sucking the natural moisture out of the hair follicles, leaving the hair dry and brittle.
How to detect split ends
The hair should be checked regularly in order to detect split ends.
- You should be able to recognize split ends. Split ends are usually found at the tips of the hair.
- It is advisable to be in the habit of closely looking at your hair once a week. In so doing, you can really notice the split ends early before they spread up the length of the strand.
- It is also important to talk with your hair stylist, to examine your hair for different types of split ends, which can either be multiple splits, baby splits, long or deep splits, feather splits or double Y splits.
Prevention
- Always protect your hair before swimming in a pool.
- Reduce hair over-processing (application of dye, relaxers and so on).
- Avoid the use of tight hair accessories. Use hair-friendly accessories.
- Protect your hair from too much heat and extreme sun rays
Treatment
- Use the right type of shampoo and conditioner.
- Use a deep conditioning hair mask and deep condition regularly.
- Apply hair serum and protective oils on the ends of the hair.
- Brush the hair properly to avoid tearing the hair.
- Eat balanced diets. Eat plenty of protein foods, vitamin and Biotin-rich foods
- Avoid the application of products that are highly chemically concentrated on the hair
- Avoid heat styling the hair very frequently
- Use protective sprays or lotion when you do.
