I had an AHA! Moment related to my hair ends.
It seems like no matter how tightly I braid my hair, groups of tendrils of hair, or several strings separate from the braid. I didn't know this was going on.
I just assumed my detangling process was lacking. But what was lacking was my knowledge of how my hair behaves. I believe that I was "creating" shed hairs by breaking off theses stray hairs.
They in turn would wrap around my hair mid shaft and at the end of my hair causing more tangles, splits, knots and breakage. With keeping my hair in 8 braids and looking at them daily because I oil them, I have noticed this 'new' hair behavior. This time around the hair is strong enough not to break, coupled with the facts that I "see them" and I'm handling my hair even more gently. Last, but not least, my hair ends are moving toward being free of tangles, split ends and knots. My hair end regimen seems to be paying off.
Here's a photo of what I mean. By the way, these braids are only 8 days old.
Positives: No knots, splits or tangles on the ends!
There is the main braid, then 2 to 3 separate groups of tendrils that have strayed and escaped the braid. This little bit of hair, in of itself is not so much. But multiply this 8x's, for each braid, for 52 weeks and that's a lot of hair lost needlessly: