HOW TO PREVENT AND MINIMISE SPLIT ENDS

Split ends are often a sign your hair needs a little bit of extra TLC to make sure it’s looking its best. If you’re worried about split ends, we can put your mind at ease with our handy guide on getting rid of split ends - and preventing them from recurring.

What are split ends?

Split ends are points in the oldest part of the hair shaft, at the very bottom of each hair strand. They happen when the ends of your hair become dry and brittle, and the hair fibre ‘splinters’, leaving the hair frayed, before potentially breaking off altogether.

What do split ends look like?

Normally, split ends form a Y-shape or have a forked appearance, with the hair strand splitting into two distinct sections near the end of the strand. Split ends can also make your hair feel rough and uneven when you run your fingers along the length of the strand.

Sometimes split ends can make the ends of your hair look and feel thinner and appear more translucent compared to the healthier, thicker portions of your hair.

In some cases, you might notice a small white dot at the end of a split end. This is where the hair has become so damaged that it has broken off, leaving a tiny, lighter-coloured patch behind as a sign of the damage.

Uneven lengths are another sign of split ends - when you examine your hair, you may notice that some strands are longer than others due to split ends breaking off at various points.

What causes split ends?

• Excessive heat: Frequently using hot styling tools like hair straighteners, curling irons and blow dryers can dehydrate hair and weaken its structure, as well as stripping away the natural moisture from your hair.
• Chemical treatments: Hair treatments such as colouring, bleaching, perming, and relaxing can weaken the hair shaft and lead to split ends.
• Overwashing: Washing your hair too frequently, especially with harsh shampoos, can strip away its natural oils, leaving it dry and more prone to damage.
• Rough brushing: Brushing or combing your hair too vigorously, particularly when it's wet, can cause hair breakage. Similarly, tying hair ties too tightly or using metal clips can also damage the ends of your hair.
• Environmental factors: Exposure to environmental stressors like wind, sun damage and pollution can damage the hair cuticle, making it more prone to splitting.
• Skipping trims: If you don’t get a regular trim, split ends can travel up the hair shaft, making them more difficult to manage and leading to further damage.
• Poor diet: If your diet’s lacking proteins, vitamins, and minerals, this can affect your hair’s health.
• Genetics and ageing: Some people may have naturally weaker hair that is more prone to splitting due to their genetic makeup - and as hair ages, it can become more porous and prone to damage.

Can I mend split ends?

Unfortunately you can’t fix split ends once they appear - there’s no way of encouraging the two parts of the split to reattach to each other. The only way you can ‘fix’ split ends is to ask your stylist for a trim, and they can cut off the damaged hair.

How to prevent split ends

Take extra care when brushing your hair

Hair is fragile, so treat it delicately to avoid unnecessary breakage and keep your hair looking healthy. We recommend brushing from the ends and working up to gently detangle, rather than ripping the brush from the root to the end. If your brush does meet resistance, simply stop brushing and move the brush further down the strand.

Apply heat protection when styling

Split ends are often caused by heat damage. One of the best ways to protect your hair from heat damage is to apply a heat protector before using any heated styling tools. Spritz our Frizz Ease Heat Defeat Protecting Spray onto towel-dried hair after washing and before styling to help seal your strands and protect them from heat damage.

Apply hydrating products to smooth split ends

Although you can’t fix split ends, you can easily disguise them. Our Frizz Ease Secret Agent Touch-Up Crème helps to conceal frazzled ends until your next haircut, leaving you with a sleek, polished style and no flyaways. This super-handy product is perfect for on-the-go touch-ups and is the ultimate secret weapon for minimising the appearance of split ends.

Use a repairing shampoo and conditioner

Giving your hair as much hydration as possible is a must for hiding frayed ends as well as preventing damage. Our Miraculous Recovery Shampoo and Miraculous Recovery Conditioner do exactly that from the first use by providing intense nourishment while reducing 75% of surface damage. If you have fine hair, our Rehab + Revive Shampoo and Conditioner transforms extremely dry, damaged hair, adding shine and strength back in.

Use a hair mask every week

Deep conditioning your hair, especially your ends, is essential to prevent and conceal split ends. Our Detox & Repair Masque was created to soothe dry, damaged and stressed hair, leaving it soft, shiny and replenished. Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil and Avocado Oil moisturise and pamper your strands, reducing the damage caused by product build up and environmental influences.

Protect your hair while you sleep

Our Overnight Miracles range is designed to weightless nourish your lengths and smooth split ends - if you have thick hair, our Repair & Renew Hair Lotion is a deeply-moisturising bedtime treat that nourishes thicker hair while you sleep. Our Repair & Renew Hair Mist is better for finer hair, as it’s lighter and nourishes hair weightlessly.

How to hide split ends

Concealing split ends is a short-term solution - we’d always recommend you go for a trim to get the issue sorted, as split ends cause damage further up the strand the longer they’re untreated. However, if you don’t have time for a trim and you’re looking for a quick fix before you can get to the hairdresser, here are a few ways to minimise the appearance of split ends.

• Hydrating styling creams can act like a ‘glue’ to smooth and hide split ends. Run a small blob of our Weightless Wonder Featherlight Smoothing Crème through the mid-lengths and ends of clean, damp hair, focusing on the sections with the most damage.
• A few drops of hair oil can be used on dry hair to nourish your ends and hide damage. Rub a pump of our Miraculous Recovery Repairing Tropical Oil onto the palms of hands to warm it up, then gently massage it along your lengths and ends.
• If your split ends are causing certain strands to misbehave, you can use hairspray to get flyaways back in line. Mist your hairbrush with our Moisture Barrier Intense Hold Hairspray then gently ‘sweep’ damaged hair back - the hairspray will keep it in place.

Do split ends stop hair growth?

While split ends don’t stop hair from growing at the root, if left untreated, the ends can break off - leaving some hair strands shorter than the rest of your hair. This can result in the ends of your hair looking thinner, and you may have to have more hair cut off on your next trim to restore your tresses back to full health.