5 Ways to Fight Back Against Split Ends

Do you regularly experience split ends? Also known as trichoptilosis, it's an all-too-common condition among women with long hair. With split ends, the shafts of your hair will break and separate into two or more sections. Split ends essentially involve your hair unraveling at the ends. It begins with the shafts breaking away at the ends, and if left unchecked, it will work its way up towards your roots. To fight back against split ends, consider the five following tips.

#1) Be Gentle When Washing and Drying

You can fight back against split ends by taking a gentle approach to washing and drying your hair. If you apply too much pressure to your hair -- or if you're otherwise too aggressive when washing and drying it -- you may inadvertently break the shafts, which can lead to split ends. As long as you're gentle, though, this shouldn't be a concern.

#2) Condition the Ends

Conditioning the ends of your hair can better protect you from split ends. Contrary to common belief, conditioning isn't designed to hydrate your hair; it's designed to reduce friction. It will moisturize your hair so that your hair is less susceptible to friction. And by creating smoother hair with less friction, it can protect you from split ends.

#3) Avoid Extreme Heat

Keep your hair away from extreme heat. Curling irons, for instance, can reach temperatures of up to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. When exposed to the extreme heat of a curling iron, the moisture in your hair will instantly be released, causing it to dry out. Dryness, of course, is an underlying risk factor for split ends. If your hair is excessively dry, it may separate into multiple sections at the ends. You can still expose your hair to eat; just dial down the temperature to protect it from split ends.

#4) Choose a Soft-Bristle Brush

Choosing the right brush can minimize your risk of split ends. If your brush has hard and stiff bristles, it may damage your hair. Damage such as this is particularly common with thin hair. Regardless, you can preserve your hair and protect it from split ends by choosing a brush with soft bristles.

#5) Keep Your Hair Trimmed

Another way to fight back against split ends is to get your hair trimmed on a regular basis. Split ends typically don't occur immediately. It may take weeks or months for the ends of your hair to separate and break away. By getting your hair trimmed regularly, you won't have to worry about split ends. Trimming will remove any damaged or split ends so that your hair has healthy and complete ends.