Do split-ends cause breakage and/or less retention?

[AdelineHaveMercy]

I never did a blunt cut, I cut off my hair periodically after my last relaxer (Nov 2010) until all of it was gone (last cut Feb 2012). As a result I have a number of split ends. My hair is in 3 definitive chunks of length, with the last 1/3rd at BSL, the middle 1/3rd at APL and the front 1/3rd a mix lol but the shortest is a bit longer than my chin.

I want to hold onto whatever growth I get but not at the expense of losing hair. I have a lot of shedding (and there is too much hair to check each strand for the bulb so I can't rule out breakage) sooo my question is do split ends harm retention of the hair or cause breakage?? I would like to know before I resort to cutting off a good 1-1.5 inches of progress :\

 

[NappyNelle]

Yes they can! Those damaged strands can (and usually) break off and intertwine with other damaged or healthy strands around them to form knots. Trimming at regular intervals allows the bulk of your hair to maintain its optimal health, prevent knots and tangles, and provides a smoother surface for combing. I have fine hair, so I have to trim my ends about 4x a year; if you have thicker, more resilient strands, then trimming less frequently may work for you.

If your last cut/trim was in February, I would trim again. Are you having any other issues besides the shedding?

ETA: Here are some really good threads about trimming and split ends.

Those Who Go Over A Year Without Trimming Please Take Part

What exactly do split ends look like?

frequent dusting of ends may help to acquire healthy length quicker...

Anyone maintain LENGTH and THICKNESS without regular trims???

TRIMS!?!? Do we need them?

 

[AdelineHaveMercy]

NappyNelle: Thank you for the input Basically no, my hair is the smoothest and silkiest it has ever been so I think I'm going to wash my hair this weekend and do the cut. I have been watching videos online about how to self-cut. The split ends are hooorrible though. I also got my protein conditioner so I'm excited to try that as well. Basically I was using nothing but Tresemme Naturals since April so I think my hair is begging for protein. Not intentionally I just thought I could go without and I was so busy

Edit, thank you for the links! I will have quite some bedtime reading to do

 

[NappyNelle]

No problem Adeline! I'm glad your hair has been so silky smooth; I'm sure a touch of protein and the trim will fix those ends for you.