Is it POSSIBLE for curly hair to be split end free or at least close 2 it!?

[rririla]

I know it sounds unreasonable, but I have been examining my hair in its curly state and it seems that it is split everywhere....I mean the back I hardly ever trim...(once every 6 months maybe)....but even the bangs that I trim often to keep neat have splits all the way to the root and just hairs that are all different lengths when I grab a small section...even when I twist a section of hair to do a clean up...(manual version of the split ender)....I feel like I will be cutting off a lot of my hair...so my question is...do I need to just consider cutting it all off because there is just no way my hair will be healthy...or is it just a FACT that no matter what I do...my hair will always be a split and broken mess b/c my hair is so curly....I don't want to chop it all off and then it continues to break down to the root....any suggestions are greatly appreciated.....TIA

 

[Nonie]

I don't think it's possible for any hair to be split-free, except perhaps a newborn's.

Just because one cannot see splits, doesn't mean they don't exist. But also if you obsess about something, it starts to haunt you.

Splitting occurs gradually with the passing of time. It's INEVITABLE, just like growing old. So if you're spending hours looking through your hair to find splits and cutting them off one by one, guess what's gonna happen... During the time you're studying hair by hair by hair, the hairs you trimmed yesterday and the day before have started experiencing LIFE and their own splitting journey. So by the time you're done, guess what...you still have split hairs everywhere.

So stop wasting time looking for "problems"; you will find them. Instead take precautions once and for all by dusting all your strands at the same time, then seal and protect the new fresh ends. You'll find you'll have less concern and more time to do fun things.

 

[rririla]

Thank you for the response Nonie....trust me...I usually don't obsess like this...but I just ordered that creaclip thingy recently and was trying to figure out how much to trim when I got it...but when I really started to examine my hair thoroughly it seemed like the broken hairs are everywhere....but u are right....as quickly as my ''obsession'' came is as quickly as it's gone...thanx 4 putting it in perspective.

 

[Nonie]

@OP, if you haven't trimmed in a long time, trim off as much as you need to for the bad ends to be gone. Might have to straighten to see better. And now make it a point to dust regularly. Like once you trim, start to make sealing your ends a commitment and wear your ends protected if your hair is long enough. And then in about two months, just snip off a teeny weeny amount from all the ends. Hopefully your ends will be in good shape as far as you can see, but consider it "prevention" and just snip off that tiny amount from all of them. In a few months, you'll not even remember that splits were ever a problem...and your hair will be behaving in ways that make you renew your marriage vows all over again. You won't be 100% rid of splits, but they will not be wrecking havoc on your hair coz you'll be keeping them to a minimum by not giving them a chance to do damage.

 

[rririla]

I have been on the boards for a year this February, and I have seen numerous suggestions and threads on the in's and out's of doing a search and destroy...but I still don't think I totally understand the method...if I sat down and took each piece and tried to cut off all the broken pieces I think it would take weeks....not to mention, I think my hair would b really uneven....but again, I am probably missing something as I said I don't fully understand this method....plus the only time I would attempt to even do a search and destroy is on straight hair...and when my hair is straight, I don't see the damage as easily because it gets very smooth and they blend with the rest of the healthy hair....I don't think I have the patience to do it on my curly hair b/c it is so big and cotton candy-ish...mayb I need a clear concise demonstration of a the search and destroy method...b/c as I see it now... it seems extremely tedious and time consuming...as a mommy of 3 and 2 job holder I'm wondering how I would get the time to sit for hours on end and look for broken hairs.

 

[curlyninjagirl]

Cosigning w/ what Nonie said.

Even if you found 1,000 split ends throughout your hair, which I'm sure you didn't, that's only like 0.01% of the hair on your head. That's how I like to look at things when I spot a wicked awful split end.

 

[rririla]

...also...is dusting the same as a search and destroy?...dumb question probably, but some people use the terms interchangeably

 

[Napp]

when i never used heat and worse twists all the time my hair had no splits. i also trimmed every 3-4 months and did a protein treatment every week. my hair was also shorter then(SL)

 

[Nonie]

Why are you going to do this to yourself? Didn't my last thread tell you anything?

First of all, there is no way to be able to look at each and every of the 100,000+ strands of hair you have on your head and still have a life.

Secondly, by the time you get to hair #127, hair #1, #2, #3 are already fraying at the end. I'm guessing you're not sealing each strand as soon as you trim right? So give it a few hours and it starts drying up and in its vulnerable exposure, splits are the norm. By the time you are on hair #5697. Hair #1 has split so far, it just tears off on its own.

In the end, your meticulous task will have been all for naught coz not only did you NOT get rid of all splits, but you also wasted a lot of time.

Ask people who have nice full hair like Wanakee how often they do S&D.

S&D IMO is the biggest waste of time I've ever learned of on hair forums.

 

[Nonie]

when i never used heat and worse twists all the time my hair had no splits. i also trimmed every 3-4 months and did a protein treatment every week. my hair was also shorter then(SL)

You were probably trimming more than you needed to. If you dust regularly, you only need to snip off a tiny amount. It is similar to filing nails to keep them smooth not keep them short.

 

[Napp]

You were probably trimming more than you needed to. If you dust regularly, you only need to snip off a tiny amount. It is similar to filing nails to keep them smooth not keep them short.

i trimmed very little off. 1/4 inch or less. it was mainly to keep my ends smooth and blunt. i retained nearly all of my growth that year so i want missing anything by trimming that little bit every few months.

i am a fan of regular trims/dusts what ever you want to call them

 

[rririla]

Why are you going to do this to yourself? Didn't my last thread tell you anything?

First of all, there is no way to be able to look at each and every of the 100,000+ strands of hair you have on your head and still have a life.

Secondly, by the time you get to hair #127, hair #1, #2, #3 are already fraying at the end. I'm guessing you're not sealing each strand as soon as you trim right? So give it a few hours and it starts drying up and in its vulnerable exposure, splits are the norm. By the time you are on hair #5697. Hair #1 has split so far, it just tears off on its own.

In the end, your meticulous task will have been all for naught coz not only did you NOT get rid of all splits, but you also wasted a lot of time.

Ask people who have nice full hair like Wanakee how often they do S&D.

S&D IMO is the biggest waste of time I've ever learned of on hair forums.

Lmao...I really liked ur opening statement, and I'm done...just won't worry about it anymore...and for the record I am in agreement with the whole S&D'S are a waste of time....thank u....I appreciate tuff luv!

 

[lushcoils]

Unless you look like Gollum, how is it possible to see EVERY single strand on your head to check for splits?

 

[Nonie]

...also...is dusting the same as a search and destroy?...dumb question probably, but some people use the terms interchangeably

No, dusting is cutting off a small amount from the ends.

If this stylist were to stop her fingers where the guide is and then snip off the length showing above it, I consider that A BIG CUT worthy of being called a TRIM:

This image below shows the stylist getting ready to cut an amount so small that I would consider this DUSTING:

 

[Nonie]

i trimmed very little off. 1/4 inch or less. it was mainly to keep my ends smooth and blunt. i retained nearly all of my growth that year so i want missing anything by trimming that little bit every few months.

i am a fan of regular trims/dusts what ever you want to call them

Oh I'm sorry. I guess I misunderstood you. I thought you were saying you stayed at SL when you were dusting/trimming regularly, ie thwarting your progress.

 

[Nonie]

Unless you look like Gollum, how is it possible to see EVERY single strand on your head to check for splits?

I haven't read/watched The Hobbit and so won't watch or read any of the sequels until I read it, so I had to do a search to find out who Gollum is:

Lushcoils, you's a foo-el!

 

[rririla]

No...definitely don't look like Gollum....omg....

 

[NikStarrr]

I think so. Now, SSKs? No.

 

[kblc06]

I would have to respectfully disagree with you Nonie. For myself, an individual with fine, very split prone hair (despite meticulous care), if I didn't do and S&D every now and then my hair would been a mess to detangle because those split hairs form knots and tangle with other hairs, causing SSKs and breakage. I also trim ends that look tapered and frayed or just plan old. I normally do a S& D over the course of the week that I straighten my hair, right up until wash day. Even though I may not remove every last single split, it gets rid of the majority of them and I'm able to easily detangle and manage my hair underneath the shower. I also trim 1/4-1/2" off the very ends. But for me, my splits don't normally occur at the very tips of my hair...actually its very rare. Most of them are splits that have detached themselves in the middle of the hair strand. So trimming the ends of my up to the point would not allow me to retain ANY length and there's really no purpose of doing that if there are only 100 or so strands like that. It seems like throwing the baby out with the bathwater to hack off 3-4" of hair for only a few bad split ends.

Why are you going to do this to yourself? Didn't my last thread tell you anything?


Ask people who have nice full hair like Wanakee how often they do S&D.

S&D IMO is the biggest waste of time I've ever learned of on hair forums.

 

[**SaSSy**]

I don't know about 100% split ends free, but I know it can be healthy when you limit damage to it. Whether it's air-drying hair loose, or too much heat styling.

 

[Nonie]

I would have to respectfully disagree with you Nonie. For myself, an individual with fine, very split prone hair (despite meticulous care), if I didn't do and S&D every now and then my hair would been a mess to detangle because those split hairs form knots and tangle with other hairs, causing SSKs and breakage. I also trim ends that look tapered and frayed or just plan old. I normally do a S& D over the course of the week that I straighten my hair, right up until wash day. Even though I may not remove every last single split, it gets rid of the majority of them and I'm able to easily detangle and manage my hair underneath the shower. I also trim 1/4-1/2" off the very ends. But for me, my splits don't normally occur at the very tips of my hair...actually its very rare. Most of them are splits that have detached themselves in the middle of the hair strand. So trimming the ends of my up to the point would not allow me to retain ANY length and there's really no purpose of doing that if there are only 100 or so strands like that. It seems like throwing the baby out with the bathwater to hack off 3-4" of hair for only a few bad split ends.

So if the split has detached itself from the middle of the hair, if you cut that off, aren't you leaving half a split? In other words, what good is half a hair?

With all due respect, if what you are using to determine a split that has torn off the strand in the middle is the twist method, I hate to be a party pooper but what you see there is not a split that has torn off but a hair that is halfway through its growth cycle hence shorter than the others. If you were to grab it and let go all others so they fall leaving the one you're holding, you'd find yourself holding a whole strand that was about to get slaughtered for nothing

When a hair splits, we're talking about a diameter that is as small as a sheet of paper (let's even take bond paper) splitting into more than one piece. To see that on mid-strand, you'd have to take each strand and slide your finger along the strand from base to ends or vice versa with a magnifying glass to see what you're describing. With all due respect, that to me would take time I personally think could be used for something more constructive like putting your hair up and away for safe keeping after dusting. And if you saw a split say at point 3 inches of your hair (the torn part you mentioned)...will you continue up the rest of the strand to make sure that's all there is? And how do you know at what level to check for this mid split? 1/4 way up? 1/5? 0.93 up the strand?

Finally, you mention you trim frayed ends. As I mentioned before, if you're waiting till your ends look frayed/tapered, you're waiting too long. A tapered end = POST SPLIT END. The split end was left too long till part of it tore off. If you had dusted early enough, the split would not have tore your end off so that you need to cut.

Another reason I find S&D just a waste of time is because if it was that effective, why then do many who do it still find they have to trim? Could it be they missed about 99,959 of the strands that were truly split? And of those who only S&D, there are many who do indeed have long hair, but I am yet to see them with ends as full and thick as those of people who regularly dust.

 

[Nonie]

Here's an image of what I believe kblc06 was talking about: a hair that has split away from the whole along the length:

If I understood correctly, she said she trims off the parts of the hair sticking out. But IMO, all you're leaving behind is that skinny end, which when viewed microscopically is technically the same as cutting off one or more of the arms of this and leaving the long middle:

What would be left would be a weakling w/o a prayer. It'd just be damaged goods not worth holding onto. So rather than just prune the hair as if cutting those arms will guarantee a thicker bush, I say cut off the damaged goods.

When you dust, what you hope is to get to the hair before the fraying has gone as far as the black-and-white photo so that you can cut this off and prevent random tearing up the strand (see black and white photo)

...and leave a blunt end: that is a complete and whole like this Asian hair:

...which will be stronger and more durable, able to withstand styling better, hold moisture better, respond to products better, and therefore allow you to care for it so you can hold onto it and see length.

 

[kblc06]

No I trim the hair that's above the start of the split, where the red line is (actually I use trim above that line, where the hair shaft looks thick and healthy). It would defeat the purpose of the S&Ding if I only trimmed off the frayed parts. In order to do a proper S& D, you have to dust your ends above the damage line. I think there may be some confusion on the actual purpose of a search & destroy and how it can improve the overall health of your hair. I just wanted to provide some clarification. Now, if I were to section my hair and cut almost every split that I could find to the healthy part of the hair shaft, you could imagine how the overall health would improve and how breakage would be limited via cutting off the bad ends. If you have good depth perception, it is helpful to use a mirror under a good light source so that you can see the hairs in hard to reach areas. I divide my hair into 8-10 sections and go through each one using my eyes and a mirror to cut the SSKs and split ends. As I move to the front and center of my head, I just use my computer light to check my ends and trim the damage. I do this over the course of a week so that for the most part, at least 90% of my hair is split and SSK knot free and usually stays that for at least 4-5 months (I still dust ~every 10-12 weeks though)

Here's an image of what I believe kblc06 was talking about: a hair that has split away from the whole along the length:

If I understood correctly, she said she trims off the parts of the hair sticking out. But IMO, all you're leaving behind is that skinny end, which when viewed microscopically is technically the same as cutting off one or more of the arms of this and leaving the long middle:

What would be left would be a weakling w/o a prayer. It'd just be damaged goods not worth holding onto. So rather than just prune the hair as if cutting those arms will guarantee a thicker bush, I say cut off the damaged goods.

When you dust, what you hope is to get to the hair before the fraying has gone as far as the black-and-white photo so that you can cut this off and prevent random tearing up the strand (see black and white photo)

...and leave a blunt end: that is a complete and whole like this Asian hair:

...which will be stronger and more durable, able to withstand styling better, hold moisture better, respond to products better, and therefore allow you to care for it so you can hold onto it and see length.

 

[Nonie]

No I trim the hair that's above the start of the split, where the red line is (actually I use trim above that line, where the hair shaft looks thick and healthy). It would defeat the purpose of the S&Ding if I only trimmed off the frayed parts. In order to do a proper S& D, you have to dust your ends above the damage line.

OK, that is good.

My next question is how long does it take you to examine all your strands, and exactly how do you do it?

 

[curlyninjagirl]

I tried to S&D a couple times. It takes daaaaaaaaaaayssssss. Maybe about fifteen hours total.

 

[Ms Lala]

Sometimes when I'm in the bathroom, doing "other things" I'll check my ends and go ahead and clip them like a S&D. I just cut the ends that are split. This works well if my hair is in big twists. I'll just undo one twist and look through that section for splits.

 

[tmhuggiebear]

I've been wondering this too as I recently noticed that my hair is covered in split ends. I've started with a search and destroy mission and never finished on pressed hair. I then wore it in its curly state for a little and realized that I still had alot of splits. Rather than doing a search and destroy I decided to go to the salon to get my hair straightened and styled thinking it would get rid of my split end drama. Unfortunately, I still suffer from splits even after getting that trim at the salon. I don't know if I see splits all the time because I am obsessing now or it really is a problem. I just hate seeing all of them. I now find myself examining my ends everyday to check for splits which I know is bad.

 

[kblc06]

OK, that is good.

My next question is how long does it take you to examine all your strands, and exactly how do you do it?

I outlined my method in the above post. Honestly, when I'm just lounging around in front of the computer, I take time to go through my hair and snip off any split ends or frayed ends. I normally spend a couple of hours each day over the course of a week or I may spend several hours over the weekend to do a S&D. After searching through the hair, prior to washing out my press, I go through my hair one final time in (because by then, most of the damaged ends have been removed), I part my hair into about 6-8 sections, snip of less than 1/4" at the ends. I then take my hair into two, low even ponytails, level them even with each other over my shoulder and trim about 1/4" off the ends, making sure I stretch my hair and take off the same amount from both ponytails. Afterwards, I wash and DC my hair.

Doing intensive quarterly S&Ds helps prevent damage from accumulating throughout my hair. Otherwise, I'd have to do a 4" chop each year, and I would never get anywhere with my hair....at least lengthwise. This was actually the reason my hair length remained stagnant between APL and BSB for 2 years. Again this is what works for my hair- I get split ends even when protective styling such as the braids that I have now. Any time of manipulation, particularly when my hair is dry leads to split ends. I found that I retained better when I do regular S&Ds and trimmed less, but mind you I tend to be very scissor happy in the first place. Here are pictures of my ends and and progress from my last update:

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/ha...ts-1-year-progress-pics-hair-porn-inside.html

 

[ms-gg]

Split ends, I don't get those. I seen maybe one in the past year. However (this is a big however), I suffer from midshaft splits, or splits along the bends and twists on my hair strands. But I think I have solved this problem (I hope).

Is is possible to have no hair damage at all? No...."split end" free....hmmm...not 100%, but 99% free.....

 

[mzteaze]

I have curly hair which I have maintained for the last two years without a major rash of split ends. However, I try to focus my product on my ends and regularly dust my ends. Be sure to pay attention to hair friction with hats, clothing and other items. Being aware of those things seem to work for me.