It has to be said, as women, we do tend to abuse our hair a bit. From heated styling tools to backcombing, we probably wouldn’t put our skin through half the stuff we expect our hair to put up with on a daily basis. But, just as skin suffers if you don’t take care of it, your hair will too. That’s when breakage and split ends rear their ugly head. If there is one question I get asked every day, it’s ‘how do I avoid split ends?’. So here’s my top 10 tips to keep split ends at bay.
- Learn to work with second day hair.
Washing your hair every day strips your hair of natural oils that, instead of making your hair greasy, actually help to keep your hair healthy and nourished. Washing your hair every other day allows your body to repair hair with its natural oils, leaving your hair silky, smooth and protected. Sulphate free shampoos are the best, as they don’t remove too many of those natural oils when you do wash your hair. I recommend Pureology Strength Cure Shampoo.
- Brush wisely.
For daily brushing, choose a cushioned paddle brush with flexible bristles. Always brush from root to end, tackling any knotting by holding the hair away from the scalp to avoid any tension that could cause breakage. Try Tangle Teezer Elite. Oh, and I don’t have to tell you to never brush wet hair, only comb or use your trusted Tangle Teezer.
- Shampoo only your scalp.
Let your hair sit normally once wet and simply lather your shampoo onto your scalp, then let the ends of your hair experience the second hand suds as you rinse the shampoo through your hair. This will avoid stripping any natural oils from the ends, causing them to become dry and brittle.
- Condition your ends.
This one is a no brainer; always use conditioner! Be sure to apply conditioner directly to the ends of your hair and then give it a couple of minutes to work it’s magic. When you rinse your hair, leave a small bit of residue. Make sure to avoid the root areas though, otherwise you’ll struggle to work with your hair.
- Let’s talk towel drying.
Do not scrub and rub a towel all over your head like a maniac, as this can cause damage. Instead, wrap a towel around your hair and simply squeeze different areas to draw the moisture out.
- Wide tooth combs with wet hair.
Invest in a wide toothed comb for use in your shower to lightly glide through your hair and loosely manage your locks without causing as much breakage.
- Blow-drying.
When blow-drying, do your best to avoid placing direct heat on the ends of your hair until absolutely necessary. Most people only think to use a heat protector when using straighteners or tongs, but your hair dryer produces a hefty amount of heat. Make sure you apply a heat protector to your hair before you start. I go for .
- Straightening.
When straightening your hair, always use a brush or comb to guide your hair through, to avoid straightening a strand in a creased or bent position, which can lead to breakage. And don’t repeat the same section over and over. Oh and remember my words about heat protection people.
- Curling.
Instead of beginning the curl at the ends of your hair and winding all the way up, begin at your roots and guide hair through the curling iron as you twist up. This way, your ends will only take in as much heat as needed to hold the style.
- A trip to your hair stylist.
To maintain hair condition, it’s vital to keep your visits to your stylist as regular as possible, every 6-8 weeks. This way they can remove any breakage and make sure your healthy hair has the best chance possible. Don’t avoid us, we can help!
Using too many products, most of the time, is a disaster. The most important thing to know is what kind of hair texture you have, and what you want your hair to look like as a result. Take the time to consider a few key questions. Do you want frizz control? Do you want volume? Do you want shine? Is your scalp very dry? Is your hair damaged? You really have to get to know your own hair and figure out its qualities and what it needs. And then you just need one to two products. I tend to say if you feel like you need more than two hair products to actually do something with your hair, chances are you’re using the wrong products.
1. Time to book that haircut. It’s essential after enjoying the summer sun that you book into the salon to give your hair a new lease of life and remove those damaged ends. Even if you’ve been really protective of your hair, I always recommend to my clients that they have a good trim in order to keep their hair looking and feeling healthy. If you’re seeing lots of split ends, ask your stylist for a cut with minimal layers and a strong baseline to eradicate that shattered end feel and build as much weight into the hair as possible.
