Noticing forked ends? Or strands that suddenly resemble a frayed rope? Consider these red flags that your hair has split ends.
As for what's happening to the hair to cause this splintering effect? Put simply, the hair's cortical cells have peeled away. These cells are a little like overlapping scales that protect the core structure of the hair so, when they become damaged, you get split ends.
We also put our hair through a lot. “Split ends are the result of wear and tear, dryness, hair colour and heat styling,” says hair colour expert and styling trend forecaster, Zoe Irwin. “The ends of your hair are also the oldest part of the hair shaft, so understandably they can get weaker over time and eventually splinter.”
So how can you get rid of split ends? Here's everything to know.
In this article:
→ There are 4 different types of split ends
→ What causes split ends?
→ How to get rid of split ends
→ How to prevent split ends
→ How to disguise split ends
There are 4 different types of split ends
Believe it or not, there are actually many different types of split ends – but these are the most common:
- ‘The Y shape’: The tip of your hair has split in two. This is an early sign of damage, normally caused by dehydration and friction.
- ‘The deep split’: You may have started with a ‘Y Shape’ but, without a trim, the split end has now travelled up the hair shaft.
- ‘The feather’: There are several frayed edges occurring on one side of your hair strand. This is a sign of more advanced damage, typically caused by chemical treatments.
- ‘The knot’: Curly hair can become tangled and hair tends to break away at the site of the knot.
What causes split ends?
Splits ends affect all hair types and are typically caused by physical and chemical damage:
- Physical damage
“The main cause of split ends is heat,” says Michele Antiga, signature colourist and stylist at London's Gielly Green Hair Salon. “Overdoing it with hot tools and over blow-drying hair can seriously damage it, especially if your hair has been sensitised by colour or bleach.” Not using a heat protectant only intensifies this damage.
Physical damage can also occur as a result of aggressive brushing or rubbing hair dry after washing. Too-tight hairstyles, secured with elastic bands, can also cause hairs to split, whether it's on the crown from a high ponytail or the ends (e.g with braids).
Something as simple as a lack of moisture in the hair, caused by intense sun exposure in the summer or blasts of central heating in winter, is also a culprit.
- Chemical damage
This is the result of colouring your hair and using relaxing or perming treatments.
How to get rid of split ends
First, the bad news: the only way to put ravaged, spindly ends out of their misery is with scissors. “You can’t repair ends that are already split," says Michele, "you can only trim them in order to prevent the split from travelling further up the hair shaft.”
But the good news is that split ends can travel up to four inches up the hair shaft, so a trim will prevent them from causing breakage and making your hair shorter.
There is also a sweet spot for the scissor-averse. Rather than wait for the damage to be done, which involves more inches being cut away, Zoe recommends DIY ‘hair dusting’ – a technique that involves tightly twisting small sections of dry hair. After fluffing up the tips, only snip away those that have split in two.
Alternatively, visit your hairstylist regularly for smaller trims every couple of weeks. This is especially true for two hair types. According to hair stylist Charlotte Mensah, Afro hair needs to be trimmed every six to eight weeks to keep the curl pattern in tact. The same is true for fine hair, which is thinner in diameter and more prone to damage.
How to prevent split ends
While nothing beats a good haircut for dusting off split ends, prevention is better than cure – and there are simple ways of minimising the damage our styling habits wreak on hair:
1.Use a sulphate-free shampoo
Healthy hair starts with the first product in your routine: your shampoo. Yes, it should cleanse your scalp and lengths. But if you're suffering with dry, damaged hair, take a break from shampoos containing sulphates, particularly sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) and sodium laureth sulphate (SLES). These create a cloud of lather but can also strip away the hair's natural protective oils, which may lead to split ends.
This is especially true of very thick, curly or Afro hair. “SLS is both a salt and a detergent,” says hairstylist Vernon Francois, who counts Lupita Nyong'o as a client. “It's too harsh for most curls as it strips away their natural oils.”
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2. Use conditioner correctly
Conditioner softens and detangles but it also helps to close the cuticle. This, says Anabel Kingsley, a trichologist and brand president of Philip Kingsley, “protects your hairs’ inner layer (the cortex) from damage and excess moisture evaporation.”
To get the most from your conditioner “pour a small quantity into the palm of your hand, rub your hands together and smooth the conditioner over your hair, paying particular attention to the older, more weathered ends,” she says. “Rinse immediately. A well-formulated conditioner should work right away, so there is no need to leave it in for longer than a few seconds. If you have particularly knotty hair, gently comb the conditioner through in the shower before rinsing using a wide tooth comb.”
3. Be gentle with wet hair
Hair is fragile when it comes into contact with water. “Hair can absorb up to 30% of its own weight in water,” explains hairstylist Adam Reed. This causes the strands to swell and weaken.
It also puts pressure on the protein bonds that hold the hair together, causing strands to stretch and potentially snap off. So be sure to work a detangling product through your hair immediately post-shower.
4. Air-dry your hair
Rough drying involves using heat, which can dry out strands and lead to splitting. So if you really want to protect the hair, Steve Robinson, art director at the Electric Hair Group, recommends air drying until strands are 50-80% dry and then using a hairdryer to create shape and smooth the cuticles.
"Make sure you apply a good moisturising cream," he says. “It’s also really important to understand how to blow-dry properly. You should never touch the nozzle to the hair directly – instead position it just above the hair and brush.”
5. Use a detangling brush or wide-tooth comb
Steve says it’s always good to start with a wide-tooth comb, adding that it's also important to start at the bottom of the hair and work your way up, otherwise you’re just dragging the knots into one place.
“There is no harm in splitting your hair into sections and taking your time,” he says. “The hair is most flexible and vulnerable when wet, so you don’t need to add pressure to it and brush vigorously.”
6. Dial down the temperature of styling tools and use a heat protectant spray
"Any hair tool over 180 degrees will de-keratinise the hair," says Steve. "Healthy hair contains keratin, which dissipates when it is heated over 200 degrees. Once this process happens, it’s impossible to replace the keratin."
Steve also says it’s a huge myth that the hotter your straighteners or curling wand, the better and longer lasting your blow-dry or curl.
"Hair reaches optimum mould-ability at 180 degrees – so anything more means you’re just over heating and damaging the hair," he adds.
All Ghd stylers, including the Platinum +, for example, will only heat to 180 degrees to spare your strands, while the Dyson Airstrait Straightener uses warm air rather than scorching plates to both dry and style your hair, minimising damage.
That said, it's still important to use a heat protectant spray, which creates a barrier against the heat from your styling tool and your hair.
7. Don't pick at your split ends
Picking at your spots only makes them worse, and the same is true of picking at split ends. Peeling back and snapping off a split end only disturbs the hair cuticle even more, leading to another split end and so on.
“The point where the hair stops splitting is where the weak hair ends and strong hair begins," says Steve, "so this will give you an indication of how much to have cut off."
8. Invest in bond-building products
Bond-building treatments are huge in hair right now as they pose a triple threat against damaged strands: they chemically repair hair strands that have been ravaged by bleach and heat; they prevent future breakage and they boost resilience.
The OG of bond-building treatments is the Olaplex No.3 Hair Perfector, which is powered by a patented active molecule to help repair bonds inside the hair. But other brands are also harnessing high-tech formulas that go beyond the simple nourishment of a hair mask.
L'Oreal Paris Elvive Bond Repair Rescue Pre-Shampoo deploys a citric acid complex and has been dubbed the high street's answer to Olaplex. The K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask uses a patented peptide to encourage amino acids in stressed strands to reconnect. While Living Proof's Triple Bond Complex builds three types of bonds — hydrogen, ionic and covalent — to make even bleached ends look freshly cut.
9. Use a microfibre towel
Hair ‘plopping’ was never just a flash-in-the-pan trend. While it has gained steam in the curl community, it's actually a really good way to avoid aggressively roughing up your hair cuticles whatever your hair type.
As far as how it works, dab your hair with a microfibre towel (try Kitsch's Eco Friendly Microfibre Towel) then wrap it on your head to dry. Not only does the material absorb moisture fast but it is also more gentle than your standard terry towel, which will help to stave off split ends in the long run.
Don't have a microfibre towel to hand? Pat a soft cotton t-shirt against the roots and ends of your hair - it will work just as well.
10. Invest in a keratin treatment
Keratin is a type of protein in the hair that smooths down cuticles – the protective outer layer of your hair, which make your strands soft to the touch and easy to style. For this reason, in-salon keratin treatments are an excellent option, says Steve.
Put simply, it replaces keratin molecules where the keratin is missing to pack out the hair shaft. Once locked in with heat, it will last for a good few months. "This is just a temporary solution and regular trims at the salon are still essential," he notes.
11. Sleep on a silk pillowcase
Unlike cotton, a silk pillowcase won't rough up the hair's cuticles. This lack of friction is credited with preventing split ends. Slip and Mayfair Silk pillowcases are made from pure Mulberry silk and come in a variety of cool colours and patterns.
12. Take a collagen supplement
Collagen isn't just a boost for skin – it can help with split ends, too. “With age, your hair loses its elasticity, leading to hair breakage,” says Michele. “Collagen will improve the strength and hydration of your hair. You will notice a difference after 4-6 weeks of taking it and optimal results in 12 weeks.”
But not all ingestible collagen supplements are created equal. Marine collagen (generally sourced from the skin and scales of fish as a natural by-product of the seafood industry) is recommended over bovine collagen as it can be broken down into smaller peptides, making digestion easier.
Vida Glow Pro Collagen+ daily sachets are Fiona, our associate beauty director's personal favourite; also good is Vital Proteins Marine Collagen, which can be added to hot or cold drinks.
13. Opt for an acidic semi-permanent hair colour
“Naturally heathy hair has an acidic pH," says Michele. "So it follows that an acidic semi-permanent hair colour without ammonia will help to bring it to its optimal pH. What's more, hair with split ends usually looks dull and lifeless so adding colour to white-looking split ends will make them much less visible.”
14. Use a leave-in conditioner
When hair needs extra backup, opt for a leave-in conditioner. Like the Swiss army knife of hair care, leave-in conditioners tackle tangles, protect against heat damage, seal the hair cuticle and add a double dose of hydration to frazzled ends.
If that isn't enough to convince you, the gorgeous scent emitted every time you touch your hair will be.
15. Rehydrate Afro hair
Dehydration is a major cause of split ends, especially in Afro and textured hair. This is because it takes longer for natural oils to travel from the scalp to the ends of tightly curled hair.
Leave-in curl creams and once-weekly masks laced with shea butter and marula oil can help to stave off damage.
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Curly girls assemble, this is your ultimate hair guide.
16. Use a hair oil on brittle strands
One of the reasons dry hair is prone to splitting is because of a lack of moisture. Enter hair oils packed with fatty acids and antioxidants. These golden elixirs will replenish the lipid layer on the hair’s surface to prevent breakage.
17. Avoid tight ponytails or braids secured with elastics
If you're wearing your hair up, secure it with a claw grip or soft scrunchie rather than an elastic band. Not only is there less tension on the hair because it's looser, but there will be less breakage, too.
18. Wear hair sunscreen
UV rays from the sun don't just break down collagen in the skin. They break down pigment molecules and also erode the keratin in the hair's cuticle, says celebrity colourist Nicola Clarke – a claim that is backed up by numerous studies.
Enter hair sunscreens that deposit an invisible layer of UVA/UVB filters over the hair, alongside hydrating ingredients to combat the drying effect of pool water and salt in seawater.
How to disguise split ends
Hair care products with the word ‘sealing’ in the description are designed to temporarily ‘glue’ together splayed ends so look freshly cut – until you next wash your hair, anyway. While they're no replacement for a trim, they can temporarily stop the split from travelling further up the hair strand.
“These serums wrap around your split ends and keep them at bay so they're not visible,” says Michele. “This is only a cosmetic fix as the split end remains under the product, but they can be a great option to make your hair appear healthier.”
Good options include Philip Kingsley's Bond Builder Split End Remedy, which has been described as ‘shrink-wrap’ for hair by making it look silky smooth from root to tip. The Virtue Split End Serum is rich in the protein Alpha Keratin 60ku, which is identical to the keratin in your own hair and bonds directly to areas of damage. Or try the Oribe Split End Seal Cream, which boasts an instant improvement to the look of frayed ends and a 65% reduction in breakage after just one use.
A hair oil or hydrating styling cream applied to the tips works just as well, too.
For more from Fiona Embleton, GLAMOUR's Associate Beauty Director, follow her on @fiembleton.
