Split ends are a common problem that stops many of us from reaching our hair goals of healthy, shiny, soft and luscious hair. This Split Ends Hair Guide is designed to help you overcome this problem.

“How do I prevent split ends?”, “What is the best split ends treatment?” and “How do I get rid of split ends?” are three of the most often asked questions of hairdressers.

This Split Ends Hair Guide aims to answer ALL your questions about splitting hairs including: What are split ends, what causes split ends, how to prevent split ends in hair, what is the best shampoo for damaged hair and split ends, what is the best conditioner for split ends, what is the best split end treatment and how to get rid of split ends.

So if you want the answers to any of these above questions about split ends then keep reading or save this article to your Pinterest account for future reference. Your friends will thank you if you share it on your Facebook account.

Split Ends Hair Guide

Split Ends Prevention

What Are Split Ends?

In layman’s terms split ends occur when one hair strand becomes damaged and literally splits or divides into more than one bit. This often happens at the ends of our hair but can also happen anywhere along the length of the hair.

What Causes Split Ends?

Split ends can be caused by a number of factors including friction, dryness, heat damage and chemical damage.

Luckily there are a number of simple steps that can be taken to prevent, and if necessary treat split ends.

How To Prevent Split Ends In Hair

1. Dry Your Hair Gently
An important factor in split ends prevention is to avoid vigorously rubbing your hair with a towel to dry it. Be gentle! Squeeze the excess water out of your hair gently with your hands. Ideally allow your hair to air dry after washing it.
 
If you use a towel to dry your hair, wrap it lightly around your hair and gently squeeze it to draw the excess water out. 
2. Use A Wide Tooth Comb On Wet Hair
Hair is more fragile when wet. Don’t brush wet hair, use a wide tooth comb instead.

I keep a wide tooth comb in my shower recess and use it while I still have conditioner in my hair. This helps remove any tangles from my hair whilst minimising the amount of hair breakage and damage.
Split Ends Hair Guide
Use a wide tooth comb with conditioner in the shower
3. Comb & Brush Your Hair Gently

Start from the ends of your hair and work your way up. Gently de-tangle any knots with your fingers.

The best quality brushes for using on your hair, as recommended by hair dressers, are Mason Pearson brushes.

4. Minimise Your Brushing/Combing
Do not over brush your hair. Once your brush/comb glides through your hair with no obstructions, stop. You don’t need to brush or comb any more.

5. Avoid Rough Styling
Don’t regularly tease/back comb your hair as this can cause breakage.

Best Shampoo and Conditioner For Split Ends

6. Use a Good Quality Shampoo & Conditioner
Dehydrated hair is more prone to breakage and damage. It is important to use a good quality shampoo and conditioner that will nourish and ideally strengthen your hair without applying any chemical nasties to it.

My holy grail best shampoo and conditioner for split ends is bhave Rescue Intense Repair Shampoo and bhave Rescue Intense Repair Conditioner. These products nourish, strengthen and repair hair. They are infused with Replicine Functional Keratin and Argan Oil to reduce hair breakage. Like all bhave products they are free from any chemical nasties including parabens and sulphates, as well as sodium chloride.

Best shampoo for split ends. Best conditioner for split ends.
bhave Rescue Intense Repair Shampoo & bhave Rescue Intense Repair Conditioner

Best Hair Mask For Split Ends

7. Apply a Deep Conditioning Hair Mask

The best hair mask for split ends is the bhave Deep Intense Conditioning Masque. I use this hair mask at least once a fortnight to provide intense moisture to my hair to help keep it healthy, moisturised and damage free. This product is particularly good for those of us with coloured, heat stressed or damaged hair.

Best hair mask for split ends.
bhave Deep Intense Conditioning Masque

Best Hair Treatment For Split Ends

8. Apply a Deep Conditioning Hair Treatment 

The best hair treatment for split ends is the bhave Leave-In Creme which contains macadamia nut, jojoba and certified organic argan oil. It provides hair with an extra conditioning boost and protection, and thus makes it less susceptible to breakage. 

Best hair treatment for split ends.
bhave Leave-In Creme

 More Split Ends Hair Prevention Techniques

9. Protect Your Hair From Heat

Heat weakens your hair shaft thus making it prone to breakage. Styling your hair using heat tools, such as straighteners, curling wands and curling irons are common causes of split ends and hair damage. Try to avoid or at least minimise these methods of hair styling.

If you are unwilling to give up these hair styling methods then make sure you use a heat protectant on your hair such as GHD Heat Protect Spray. My personal favourite heat protectant which I’ve using for over three years isKMS Free Shape Hot Flex Spray.  Please note the packaging of this product has changed since I took this photo.

KMS Free Shape Hot Flex Spray
KMS Free Shape Hot Flex Spray


Another method I’ve used to minimise the amount of time I use my hair straightener is to undergo the bhave Smoothe Treatment. I’ve previously blogged about this treatment here. The bhave Smoothe Treatment lasts for up to 4 months and  has dramatically decreased the amount of time I spend straightening my hair and thus the amount of time I’m exposing my hair to damaging heat.

If you are buying a new heat styling tool always try to choose one which allows for a wide range of temperature control such as the Cloud Nine The Original Iron – Hair Straightener which allows the temperature to be varied between 100 to 200 degrees Celsius. This allows you to keep the heat setting as low as possible whilst still effectively straightening your hair. Now the bargain hunter in me needs to share with you that I noticed this hair  straightener is currently reduced in price. Click on the above link to shop this special. 
 
10. Minimise The Use of Your Hair Dryer

Ideally allow your hair to air dry. If you must use your hair dryer to speed up the drying process, use it on the low setting, preferably set to cool. To further minimise damage to your hair don’t hold your hairdryer too close to your hair.

11. Use Hair Friendly Accessories

Tight elastics with metal bits can damage your hair especially if left in your hair for long periods or overnight. Ribbons are gentler on your hair.

How To Get Rid Of Split Ends

12. Trim Your Hair Regularly
Trimming your hair gets rid of split ends by cutting them off. Having regular hair trims every 6-8 weeks is recommended to minimise the amount of hair your hairdresser needs to trim off your hair’s length to eliminate any split ends. The longer the duration between hair trims, the bigger your split ends will potentially be, necessitating more length to be trimmed from your hair.

13. Hair, Skin & Nails Vitamins
You can strengthen your hair by taking specific hair, skin & nails vitamins. Click here to read a guide to the best hair, skin and nails vitamins.

Best Split End Repair Product

14. Treat and Mend Your Split Ends
Now let’s be honest, all the above preventative measures sound straightforward enough BUT let’s also be realistic. Some of us, and I include myself in this category, are not prepared to fully give up our use of heat styling tools such as hair straighteners, curlers and hair dryers, which all increase our risk of developing hair damage and split ends. I’ve minimised my use of heat tools but haven’t eliminated them completely. 

Traditionally the only way to get rid of unsightly split ends used to be a trip to the salon for a trim as mentioned above. However with daily heat styling, split ends can form quickly making frequent enough hair trims impractical and costly. Luckily there is now another split ends treatment option.

The best split end repair product is bhave Fresh Ends.

bhave Fresh Ends is a relatively new product with revolutionary Raw Natural Keratin Technology which has the ability to penetrate the hair shaft and rebuild hair damage from the inside out while slow releasing ceratonia peptides, keratin and certified organic argan oil smoothes, seals and controls misbehaving split ends.

This product is definitely one of the best split end repair products I have come across. It  improves the strength and elasticity of hair, and smoothes and continually repairs split ends damage without product build up. If you continue to regularly heat style your hair, even if you use a heat protectant like I do, I’d strongly recommend adding bhave Fresh Ends to your hair care routine. It’s simple, effective and a little of this product goes a long way!

bhave Fresh Ends
bhave Fresh Ends

 

Are split ends a problem for your hair?
* Note: I have been using bhave products for numerous years now, well before the photographed bhave products 
were kindly gifted to me. All opinions are my own. This post contains some affiliate links. Full disclosure policy here.
| 23 Comments

23 comments on “Split Ends Hair Guide”

  2. Oh, great pointers here. I’ve never had a huge problem with split ends, though I’ve also not really had long hair for a VERY long time. My hair’s a bit light and fly-awayish though so I need to think a little more about using some products on it. #teamlovinlife

    Reply

  6. It’s been a long time since I had the problem of split ends. My daughter and her girls with longer hair have had them I am sure. Great guide. And I have often had a comb like that for wet hair. My short hair needs little care other than a regular wash and I do dry it with some mousse to give it volume.

    Denyse #teamIBOT

    Reply

  13. I’m heading back to your vitamins guide. I have long, thick & curly hair, never use a hairdryer (can’t be faffed), only comb when I condition, use excellent shampoo & conditioner & leave-in, yet the ends catch into each other constantly& tangle into what eventually becomes a dreadlock. I have it cut every 2nd visit (so once every 2 months) & now my hairdresser is doing some thinning from underneath as well which seems to be helping. The Queensland humidity though is not my friend.

    Reply

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