Split ends are a visual sign of dehydrated hair. When we see the frizzy, unmanageable effects of these broken strands, it’s time to take action.
In this article, we explore the ways our hair got this way, how to get rid of split ends for good, and how a protective shower filter from AquaBliss can help prevent split ends and benefit your entire body.
What Are Split Ends?
Split ends are a common problem that most of us have dealt with in the past. They are easy to spot by their frizzy appearance and become more noticeable as they develop.
When hair strands become dehydrated, they can fracture at the ends, causing strands to split in two. Leaving hair unmanageable, easily tangled, and prone to even more damage, these neglected strands are a wake-up call for our hair care routine.
What Causes Split Ends?
Hair dehydration and breakage have many potential causes, and several come from our daily habits, living and water conditions.
Dehydration and damage can evolve from:
- Rough hair treatment: Hair is generally quite strong, but daily abuse from rough brushing, vigorous towel drying, and repeated styling can wear it down over time.
- Water minerals and cleaning agents: Carrying natural minerals and added chemicals for sanitation, the water from your shower can actually cause dehydration in skin and hair. Stripping away natural oils and leaving deposits along your hair shaft, unfiltered water can turn your hair care routine into hair care problems.
- Exposure to harsh chemicals: In addition to the chemicals found in tap water, exposure to chemicals via swimming, work, or harsh hair treatments can quickly dehydrate hair and lead to split ends.
- Not conditioning hair: Conditioner is a must-have product, even when your hair is healthy and thick. If your hair tends to be greasy, cutting out conditioner altogether is still not a good idea.
- Heat treatments: Blow dryers, flat irons, and curlers are popular for daily styling. But these heated appliances really dehydrate hair, especially when used without heat protectant serums or conditioning products.
How To Prevent Split Ends?
Prevention is better than cure, as the old saying goes. With split ends, it is definitely the case. While we explore some fixes for current split ends later in this blog, get started with prevention with some of the following tips.
1. Brush Your Hair with Care
Roughly brushing tangles in hair can lead to breakage, stretching, and a very uncomfortable experience. By brushing your hair in sections from bottom to top, you can reduce the pulling action that often damages hair. Holding hair tight section by section stops pulling from the scalp, which leads to thinning.
2. Maintain Hair Cleanliness
When you wash your hair regularly, you also condition it to add moisture. By keeping your hair clean and hydrated, it is easier to brush, style and can handle more friction without breakage.
3. Avoid Picking at Split Ends
When you notice split ends, it can be too tempting to pick them up and play with them. They can beckon like unpopped bubble wrap, yet picking at them only leads to further splitting.
4. Limit the Use of Heat Tools
Flat irons and curlers are super convenient, but they do damage hair with regular use. Easing up on the styling tools even a few days a week can dramatically improve the health of your hair.
If wearing your hair au naturel is a little intimidating right now, explore some heatless styling options for healthier alternatives.
5. Use Satin Pillowcases
Towel drying is not the only way to cause friction damage to healthy hair. Believe it or not, our pillowcases do it too. There is a reason why we wake up with tangled hair. It rubs against our pillowcase all night.
Choosing the slick surface of a satin pillowcase reduces hair damage and feels luxurious, too! If you can’t give up your favorite Egyptian cotton sheets yet, consider wearing a silky hair bonnet instead.
6. Keep Hair Hydrated
Dehydration makes hair strands prone to breakage, so keeping them moisturized is vital. Consistently using conditioner, applying oil or masks to your hair, and ensuring your shower water is free from harsh minerals can keep hair feeling silky and looking smooth.
7. Add Time Between Hair Treatments
Bleaching, perms, and chemical relaxers can quickly damage delicate hair strands. These hair appointments are important to a lot of people and a big part of their personal style.
We aren’t suggesting you change your “do” altogether, but leaving an extra week or two between appointments can really help in the long run.
Can Showerhead Filters Prevent Split Ends?
Even when you do everything right for your hair, your water can still be a problem. Really? Is plain old water a problem for hair? Unfortunately, yes. The water in our showers is not as pure as we might hope.
Water is filled with natural mineral deposits and added chemicals for sanitation. While some are naturally occurring and others are good for transporting water through pipes, these minerals and chemicals can strip hair and skin of moisture every time you shower.
The good news is these unwelcome deposits and disinfectants can easily be reduced with the installation of an AquaBliss shower filter.
How Chlorine and Chloramine Cause Split Ends
There are many chemicals found in shower water, but chlorine and chloramine are particularly dehydrating for your hair.
These particular chemicals can counteract the work your conditioner is doing and cause split ends and frizzy hair, even when your hair care routine is good.
Benefits of Using a Showerhead Filter
Preventing dehydration and split ends are not the only benefits of filtering your shower water. The same chemicals and mineral deposits that damage your hair can lead to itching skin, dandruff problems, and even exacerbate respiratory issues.
Filtering your water ensures only clean, pure water reaches your hair and body. You’ll be surprised how much further your shampoo goes too!
How To Remove Split Ends?
An AquaBliss shower filter can help your hair condition in the future, but if you have split ends already, they will need some extra help. If your hair is long enough, the fastest way to deal with it is an old-fashioned haircut, just above the area it begins.
If your hair is shorter or splitting has traveled up the hair shaft, some repair treatments may help to tame them while your hair grows.
Best Split Ends Repair Treatments
- Candle Burning. A traditional solution but not for the faint of heart. Hair stylists can carefully take a candle flame to the very edges of split hair. While it may seem daunting and smell quite funky, the heat from the flame seals the hair and prevents split ends from forming.
- Hair Dusting. Trimming hair to get rid of split ends affects your length and style, but hair dusting uses cutting differently. Hair dusting involves the careful snipping of split ends by your stylist after a blow dry. Split ends won’t lay flat after styling, creating a frizzy and unmanageable look. When they stick out like this, it does allow for the careful and time consuming trimming of individual split hairs.
- Hide With A Serum. The unruly nature of split hairs is what makes them noticeable. Using a hair serum offers a double benefit. It moisturizes hair while helping split ends to lay flat and blend into your daily style.
- Regularly Hydrate Your Hair. Your hair needs hydration regularly, especially when you have split ends. Use conditioner every time you wash your hair and consider using fast, leave-in conditioning sprays for days between washing.
- Turn To Deep Conditioners. For deeper hydration and a good dose of self-care, turn to moisture-rich hair masks to quickly restore strength and shine. Simply leave these thick, luxurious masks on your hair for several minutes before rinsing and you can feel the difference immediately.
Natural Remedies For Split Ends
People suffered from unmanageable split ends long before cosmetic brands existed. Their secrets are still available to us.
Some traditional and all-natural rescues for dealing with dry hair and split ends include:
- Egg Yolk. A little slimy but full of protein and fats, applying egg yolks to your hair as a simple mask can boost its hydration and shine.
- Honey. A natural moisturizer used for thousands of years to treat skin and hair, honey can be mixed into a homemade mask, or applied in a mixture of honey and water before rinsing.
- Beer. Beer rinsing is a popular and time-honored hair treatment for boosting moisture, shine, and promoting growth. While people who use this treatment swear by its benefits, many would consider it a waste of good beer.
- Papaya. The papaya fruit is a powerhouse for the health of skin and hair. Filled with vitamins, enzymes, and even antifungal and antibacterial properties, applying papaya to dry hair is a popular tropical remedy for split ends.
- Aloe Vera. Beyond moisturizing dry hair, natural aloe vera can calm an itchy scalp and soothe your skin. Available to buy at drug and cosmetic stores, you can also keep aloe vera plants around your home for some real plant-to-hair natural remedy.
Are some people more prone to split ends?
Everyone gets split ends from time to time, but some people are more prone to the problem.
A symptom of dehydrated hair, there are several reasons some of us constantly battle with split ends, including:
- Climate: If you live in harsh climates with a lot of heat, sun, or excess wind and cold, you can see more issues with dry skin and split ends.
- Hair type: Naturally thin, dry, or brittle hair is more prone to damage from split ends. If your hair is easily dehydrated, moisturizing hair care should be part of your regular maintenance.
- Health conditions: Many illnesses, chronic health conditions, and nutrient deficiencies can cause changes in hair, leading to split ends. If you face health challenges, protect your hair with a moisture-rich routine and a high-quality shower filter.
- Genetics: Natural oil production, hair thinning from aging, and our natural rate of hair growth can all be affected by genetic factors outside of our control. These genetic inconveniences may make us prone to split ends, but we can still effectively treat them and prevent them from doing more damage over time.
Final Thoughts
A common problem and the reason for many bad hair days, split ends are the result of dehydrated hair. When a hair strand becomes brittle at the ends, it physically splits in two, creating frizzy, unmanageable hair, leading to breakage.
Styling products, the climate we live in, and even our shower water, can all make us more prone to split ends. By moisturizing hair, avoiding excessive heat, filtering shower water with AquaBliss, and treating split ends with natural remedies, we can stop split ends from getting worse and prevent them in the future.
Make simple changes to your hair care routine and use pure, filtered water in the shower to quickly bring shine and volume back to your hair.
