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How to avoid split ends?


Split ends are a very common abnormality in the shape of the hair, mainly in women with long hair. So how does a split end form, what causes it, and how can you avoid them in the future? We tell you everything!

Many women have to deal with split ends. Before we explain how to avoid them, let's try to understand where they come from!


How to avoid split ends?

What is a split end?

Split ends are the result of repeated external stress on the hair. The tip of the hair splits lengthwise, forming a fork with two or more branches.
It is the most common macroscopic response to trauma.


This abnormality in the shape of the hair is found mainly in long hair that tends to be dry and damaged. Women are more affected than men, since men tend to have oilier hair.

To understand what mechanism leads to split ends, let's take a quick refresher on the structure of a hair.
A hair is made up of 3 concentric layers: the first, the most resistant, is called the cuticle and it covers the cortex, the middle layer.

Finally, the innermost layer is the medulla. When the cuticle tears under strong tension, the hair is no longer held together as a single component and the tear spreads to the inner layers.

Split end of a hair shaft

What are the causes?

Brushing too hard

When you brush hard, the tension from the brush or comb passing through, as well as from the ends twisting around each other, causes split ends and breakage. Daily brushing has been shown to be one of the most damaging factors for hair. The degree of damage was directly proportional to the force applied to the hair during brushing and combing.

Using a detangling product will reduce friction between the hairs, and therefore the damage to the cuticles that would end up causing split ends and brittle ends. In fact, one experiment showed that the number of damaged hairs dropped to less than a tenth when a hair conditioner was applied and brushing force was reduced.

Many very interesting studies have been carried out to understand the impact of strong tension on hair during brushing, to compare brushing with combing, and so on. Find them on the website researchgate.net.

Heat

Hair is made up mostly of a protein: keratin. It is very sensitive to high heat, especially the heat produced by a flat iron or curling iron. These tools can reach very high temperatures (up to 210°C). Fragile, damaged hair is vulnerable to it, especially if these tools are used repeatedly. On average, it takes at least a week for the hair to regain its vitality after heat damage, even if you use a steamer.

Chemical hair products

Hair products generally contain chemical substances that are as bad for the environment as they are for your hair.

These chemical treatments cause the cuticle to rupture. As a result, hair dries out and becomes brittle, and split ends appear.

Daily use of shampoo promotes wear on the cuticle layers. Most shampoos contain silicones and/or quaterniums, which damage hair because of their film-forming effect. In addition, research has shown that excessive use of anti-dandruff shampoos containing 2% ketoconazole (an antifungal substance that fights the growth of fungi on the skin or scalp) can cause split ends.

As for perms, their harmful effects are widely known. In particular, the use of hydrogen peroxide in the oxidation step (opening the scales to set curls or color, depending on the type of perm) increases surface damage, that is, damage to the cuticle. Most perms and bleaches are carried out at an alkaline pH (pH > 7, i.e. basic), unlike the pH of hair, which is acidic, which causes the hair to swell. If suitable neutralizers are not used, the hair swells too much and can be irreversibly damaged.

Conditioners are usually used to control and prevent this damage. They contain a cationic polymer emulsion (cationic surfactants, fatty alcohol and silicones), which gives a positive electrical charge. So the negative charge of hair is easily attracted to the cationic polymers, which deposit on the hair. As a result, a greater amount of polymers can be adsorbed onto the hair fibers, especially when they are damaged. Indeed, damaged hair fibers are even more negatively charged.

As for chemical straightening, a study of 90 women showed that 17% of those who had been straightened more than once later had split ends.

The belief that hair with split ends grows more slowly is false. It's actually an optical illusion: your hair grows the same way, but your split ends break off, which makes your lengths shorter. That's why it matters to have strong, healthy hair!

Despite what some brands try to promise, it is not possible to repair split ends because hair fibers are made of dead cells. The products you'll find for this purpose will simply “glue” your split ends back together. Protein-derived substances in conditioners can temporarily repair split ends. Proteins attracted to keratin hold the cortex fragments together until the next shampoo.

Hair grows an average of 1 cm per month, though this figure can range from 0.6 cm to 3.36 cm. Only a trip to your hairdresser several times a year to trim your ends will let you keep healthy hair.

In addition to trimming your ends regularly, you can adopt a few better habits:

The right habits to adopt

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is known for its beautifying action on skin and hair. But how does it really work?

Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant. It is found naturally in the form of tocopherols and tocotrienols.

This vitamin inhibits the excessive development of free radicals (unstable chemical molecules produced in small quantities by the body, which damage our cell components) and thus supports the strengthening of our bones, our hair and our nails.

Vitamin E has antioxidant properties and helps repair damaged hair follicles, improve hair growth and slow down the aging of the hair. You can find this vitamin as a dietary supplement or as a cosmetic active ingredient to add to your homemade beauty products. As you can see, vitamin E is an effective and sustainable solution (and natural, so we approve!).

Attention and gentleness

In the future, make sure to cut back on heated styling tools and to protect your hair from heat. Favor combing with a wide-tooth comb after gently squeezing the water out of your hair with a towel.

Wet hair tangles more easily, and using a brush could break the tangled ends.

Water-based and/or oil-based care

Split ends are a sign of dry, damaged lengths. But depending on your hair type, the solution will be different. If your hair calls for a water-based approach, reach for water-based or hydrosol-based care.

To find out what your lengths need, take our hair diagnostic and get a routine tailored to your hair type.

On the other hand, if your hair calls for an oil-based approach, vegetable oil baths are one option, for example.

We've written an article dedicated to the difference between water-based and oil-based care for hair, click here to read it.

To conclude

Split ends are very common and aren't the end of the world! Once you understand how they appear, you can do something about them. The right care and easy habits will help you get rid of them in the long run.

Sources:

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