It
seems the Ancient Greeks and Romans had a name for everything. Trichoptilosis from the Greekτριχο- tricho- "hair" and the New Latin ptilosis "arrangement of
feathers in definite areas" from the Greek πτίλον ptilon
"feather," are what we modern people call split ends--that splitting of the hair shaft due to stress that
makes us hold up the bottom of our hair, cross our eyes to look at the ends and
nearly scream at what we see. Those ragged ends make our hair look like a
frayed piece of rope.
Now
that summer is drawing to a close (and it was the hottest one on record since
records started being kept in 1895!) your hair may be showing those beach days,
shopping trips in the hot-enough-to-fry-eggs-on-the-sidewalk city or the fact
nobody takes good care of their hair on vacation.
Since
it is time to kiss those lazy days goodbye and get back to work or school, it
is also time to do something about those flyaway ends.
Here's what you need to
know about split ends:
Split
ends can be caused by either chemical, mechanical or thermal causes. Chemical causes
are from using too many hair products like those for perms or coloring that
weaken the hair shaft, making split ends a real possibility. Mechanical causes
include means yanking your hair out with the wrong brush or comb or brushing
your hair way too often. Thermal causes include use of curling or flat irons or
even letting the blistering sun suck the very life out of your hair. Certain
medical conditions like Menke's diseases,
occipital horn syndrome or Trichorrhexis nodosa, a genetic condition
known as "bamboo hair" can also contribute. Anything that dries up
your hair makes you a prime candidate for the dreaded split ends.
What to do?
- Call Believe now (remember, we are closed August 29-September 4th) and schedule a trim, the only true "cure" for split ends. Our expert stylists will evaluate your hair and cut off the least amount of hair possible to get rid of the unsightly damage. Be sure to schedule such a trim every 8 weeks and then we really will only have to cut off the very ends of your hair, not affecting the length at all.
- On average, hair grows at a rate of about one-half inch per month, and typically the hair should be trimmed every 8 weeks. This means, between cuts, the hair should have grown about an inch. If your hair is already as long as you like that means you have an inch to spare, and that inch is the part of the hair that has been the most damaged. It's not much of a sacrifice to get rid of it. If you are trying to grow your hair longer, this means you can lose the least healthy half-inch of hair with each trim and still gain 3 inches each year. That might be slower progress than you'd like, but the hair you end up with will be healthy hair.
- Apart from staying up with getting those ends cut off, always use a moisturizing shampoo like Aestelance MC (Moisture Cream) and a rinse-out conditioner like White Tea Restorative, just two of the wonderful products we sell at Believe. Concentrate on getting the product on your split ends.
- But be sure to protect your hair's natural moisture. It's unnecessary to wash hair every day, and doing so not only wears down the hair, but also strips away the oils from your scalp that naturally moisturize your hair. Instead, try washing your hair just once every two or three days.
- Also take care you aren't inadvertently breaking your own hair. In the shower, rather than pile your hair on top of your head and scrubbing hard, just massage shampoo into your scalp. When you rinse the suds, the rest of your hair will get clean, too. Speaking of rinsing, always use cool water to seal your hair's outer layer.
- Pat dry (don't rub) and detangle hair gently with a wide-tooth comb. Air-dry your hair whenever possible. Remember that hair dryer is working against moisture retention. (And once your hair is dry, a wide brush with a pad underneath the bristles is the gentlest way to remove tangles.) If you must blow dry, straighten, or curl your hair, use a lower heat setting and apply a heat protection spray like Agadir Oil before styling to give your hair some defense against the heat. If you use a ceramic flatiron, use it on only the bottom inch of your hair. As a final camouflage, apply a shine serum like Aestelance Lustre and glide it over split ends.
- Sleep on satin. It's possible to damage split end-prone hair even when you move around in your sleep. So a satin pillowcase can help your hair move with you instead of stretching or breaking (and you'll feel like a movie sex goddess from the 1920's.)
- If you color, perm, or chemically relax your hair, waiting as long as you can between treatments can help keep it looking smooth and healthy. Schedule your perms and color with us at Believe and we'll keep track of when your next appointment should be for optimum damage avoidance.
- Take care at the gym. Wash your hair (or at least thoroughly rinse) after swimming, especially in chlorinated pools. Also since the salt in your own body sweat can be hard on your hair, it's also a good idea to shower after a workout.
- If you'll be spending time catching the last rays of the summer sun, a wide-brimmed hat is the best way to keep harmful rays off your hair and face. Or at least use a leave-in conditioner like Tri-Organics Chromastic Leave-In that we sell at Believe and work it in with your hands to coat the ends of your hair particularly.
- If all else fails, we can recommend a leave-in split end mender like Latte Styling Milk which uses keratin to coat the hair strand and hold the split ends together.
But
really trimming is the key and all the rest is prevention so call Believe soon for your appointment. The sooner you take
care of split ends, the sooner you can avoid breakage further up the hair
shaft. When it comes to split ends, it truly is a case of hair today, gone tomorrow.