What are Split Ends?

Posted on July 22, 2013 by i-glamour

Split ends. Ugh. Everybody has them. Nobody wants them. Splits ends are the splitting and fraying of the hair shaft. Healthy hair has a closed cuticle but through mechanical stress and heat, the hair cuticle opens. Once the hair cuticle is open, your hair weakens and eventually the cuticle may be lost altogether, resulting in dreaded splits ends and breakage.

What your hair shaft looks like up close

Daven, hairstylist, makeup artist and beauty blogger extraordinaire, has a fabulous video on the four main issues which cause hair breakage. Check it out:

The 4 Reasons Why Your Hair Breaks and What to Do

Brushing

Stop brushing so hard! Be gentle with your hair, even when detangling. As Daven suggests, curly hair is best brushed when damp. The Wet Brush is great for getting the knots and tangles out of wet or dry hair without breakage. We here at i-glamour highly recommend The Wet Brush and think it’s the gentlest detangling brush out there for all hair types.

Buy online in Australia at i-glamour.com

IntelliFlex bristles are thin, strong and very flexible.

Chemicals and Mineral Deposits

Fond of swimming? Love a dip in the ocean or pool? Unfortunately, your hair doesn’t. Chemicals and damaging mineral deposits sabotage the condition of your hair. That’s why you need to use a clarifying shampoo, such as Malibu C Un Do Goo Clarifying Shampoo or even better, a targeted swimmers treatment such as Malibu C Swimmer Hair Treatment Kit. Malibu C Swimmer Hair Treatment shields hair from chlorine and sea salt, combatting damage and breakage.

Malibu C Un Do Goo Shampoo and Swimmers Hair Treatment Kit

PPM

Particles per million for those of us thinking, “Huh?”. Hard water has a high mineral content, and although not harmful to health, it can be harmful to your hair. Major Australian cities run the gamut of PPM levels (and if you’re in Adelaide, you just hit the jackpot). Total hardness levels of calcium carbonate in PPM: Canberra: 40, Melbourne: 10–26, Sydney: 39.4–60.1, Perth: 29–226, Brisbane: 100, Adelaide: 134–148 [1]. Imagine these mineral particles being heat styled repeatedly into your hair. Hello damage. We recommend Malibu C Hard Water Hair Treatment which removes discolouration and damage caused by mineral absorption with a vitamin infused complex.

Malibu C Hard Water Hair Treatment

Pulling your hair into a ponytail when wet

We’ve all done this, especially when we have to duck out and our hair is still wet. The harmless little ponytail ain’t so harmless after all. Your hair shrinks when dry, so pulling it into a ponytail when wet is a recipe for breakage. Instead, try a loose plait or if your hair is shorter, try a jaw style clamp such as a Premium Pin Company 999 Large Butterfly Clamp.