5 steps to saying GOOD-BYE to split ends and breakage.

January 26, 2015

Nothing is more devastating to our hair than split ends and breakage, especially when you are trying to grow it out.

The cuticle, the outer protective layer on the hair shaft, lies on the shaft like shingles on a roof. When the hair is healthy, the cuticle lays tightly packed on the outer layer of the hair. As we start to strip our hair of moisture, it starts to peel back the cuticle causing it to split then eventually break. The worse part about this all is that once it splits, it continues to split all the way up the shaft until you cut it off.

Here are 5 things you can do to prevent split ends:

1. Use a shampoo that’s free of harsh cleansers. You can think of “moisture” as the glue that seals your hair strand. Harsh cleansers strip hair of the moisture it needs to stay healthy. Look for shampoos that are sulfate and paraben free. 2. Use a good conditioner. Many conditioners out there are filled with waxes that coat your hair strand to make it feel soft and silky. A good moisturizer will actually penetrate your hair shaft to heal it from the inside out. Also, if your hair is really dry and/ or damaged, use a reparative mask once a week. 3. Get regular trims. One of the easiest ways to prevent split ends is to keep your ends fresh. Trimming the ends keeps them strong. If you are someone that heat styles regularly, you should be trimming your hair once every 4-6 weeks. If you are someone that rarely heat styles your hair then you can get away with trimming your hair once every 6-8 weeks. *Note*: START FRESH. Have your hair stylist examine how high your hair is splitting up the shaft. Be brave and cut off all the splitting (even if it means losing a few inches). If you cut your hair but aren’t getting off all your splits then you may as well not bother cutting your hair at all. Remember, the hair will continue to split up the shaft until it’s all cut off. 4. Use a heat protector. Heat protector is the least used and most needed product by far. If you were to hold a blow dryer to your hand for 2 minutes, you would burn your skin. What do you think is happening to your hair after 10 minutes of blow drying? Heat protectant coats the hair with a thin barrier so that the heat burns that off instead of burning your hair. When applying heat protectant, make sure to evenly coat the hair from the roots to the ends. 5. Use a split end mender. This is only a temporary fix but it’s better than nothing. It’s not meant to be used to replace your haircuts. It’s a temporary mend until you can get in to see your stylist. Split end menders will seal your cuticle till you wash it out.

If you add these 5 things into your regular hair routine, I can assure you will have healthy hair in no time. If you have any specific questions about your hair specifically, feel free to reach out to us on any of our social channels with your questions. Follow us @nvenninc for hair and beauty tips and tricks.