Are you tired
of leaving the salon with a haircut instead of a trim? Hopefully these
tips will help you learn to trim your hair yourself! Not trimming your
hair just to save length, won't work if your ends are split. The damage
will only move upward until much of the strands become damaged and you'll
end up needing a major haircut by a professional in the end.
Split
ends are formed when the cortex (the inside of the hair), splits at
the ends and continue up the shaft unless it's trimmed off. Beyond popular
belief, there is nothing that will permanently fix or repair spilt ends.
Conditioners, leave-in conditioners, oils, along with other hair treatments
will only temporarily put them back together. I never wear my hair straight,
so I don't need to have my ends totally straight. If you wear your hair
straight often, your best bet is to see a professional.
Hair
grows back, so don't be afraid of trims - your hair will thank you!
I trim 1/2 inch off every eight weeks. This may seem like a lot but
I prefer to take preventative measures and it works for me. Plus my
hair behaves so much better with frequent trims (less tangling and knots
which leads to less breakage). Even though hair may never be 100% free
of split ends, I hope this information helps you take care of your ends.
Some
causes of split ends:
*Intense
heat caused from excessive use of curling irons, blow dryers, and
pressing combs etc.
Stress
on the hair. Don't overuse the comb or brush. Switch up your hairstyles
as well. Tight ponytails can cause breakage too. Chemicals such as
relaxing, perming and permanent color can damage the cuticle and the
cortex. This weakens the hair strands and can cause damage which leads
to split ends & breakage.Rough bobby pins and barrettes.
*
Make sure you purchase bobby pins, they have rubber on the tips. If
the rubber comes off, discard them right away. They can rip some of
your hair strands out once you try to remove them.Friction from coats,
jackets and shirts and even rubbing your hair too hard with a towel.
*Lastly
hard water (chlorine) and water from the swimming pool can cause damage
if overused. I've discussed the problems and possible solutions on
the 'Summer Hair Tips' and the 'Hair Myths' page respectively.
 This is how a damaged
hair strand look under a microscope caused from heat damage and
the chemical breakdown from using relaxers. Photo courtesy of
pg.com.
Ways
to avoid spilt ends:
*Avoid
excessive heat. I sit under a dryer when I deep condition and I only
about blow dry twice a year for something different. These are the
only times heat touched my hair. Try wearing styles that don't require
heat such as rollersets, strawsets, buns etc.
*Use
a leave-in conditioner. There's two types: a liquidity type like Aussie
Hair Insurance or a creamy type like Sebastian Potion 9. Also, look
for "panthenol" (vitamin B5) as one of the main ingredients. This
is a substance used to strengthen the hair.
*Keep
your ends oiled. Some great products to use includes shea butter,
pure coconut oil, olive oil, castor oil or plain ole school grease.
If you're feeling creative, try mixing oils together and make your
own concoction. Remember, dry ends leads to split ends. " Wear protected
styles: Try "leave-it-alone" styles like updos, cornrows and twists
to help keep split ends to a minimum.
*Take
preventative measures. Once your hair has been trimmed, still take
care and pay attention to them - this is the oldest part of your hair
and they need you to look after them. :) Oil the ends, give yourself
deep conditioning treatments, and don't handle your hair rough.
*Do
not expose your hair to extreme temperatures. The hot summer sun (ultraviolet
rays) is very harmful to the hair. If you're going to be out in the
sun for a while, try putting a leave-in conditioner or a mixture of
a leave-in conditioner and sunscreen on your hair.
*Avoid
using rubber bands. Try using terry cloth holders as an alternative.
*Even
if your ends are in great shape, try "dusting" your ends every month
or so. Dusting means slightly trimming about 1/8 of the ends.
Three
easy ways to trim your own hair:
*
Twist & Snip: This process involves twisting your hair into small
or medium sized twists all over, let it air-dry completely, then snipping
the ends as needed. I hold my scissors at slight angle and proceed
to trim. This is a very effective way to judge how my hair to trim
off.
*Straightening
then trim: Blowdry then press or flat-iron your hair, then take
sections of you hair and trim the ends. What you want to do is grab
about a small section of hair, brush to the ends. Hold the last two
inches of your hair them trim the damaged hair. Repeat this process
all over your head. This technique works great when wearing straight hair.
*Trimming
each curl: This technique is a bit more tedious and should only
be used if you have visible curls (not coils since they curl 360 degrees)
and have lots of patience. Here's what I do: on soaking wet hair and
shake the excess water out to separate my curls (w/o products on my
hair). After my hair completely dries, I snip the ends of each curl.
I can only do this on a few sections of my hair that's not coily.
I am very satisfied with the results with this technique. I was able
to shape my hair to the way it naturally falls in that area of my
hair.
Other
helpful tips:
*
Invest in a pair of professional haircutting scissors. They aren't
expensive either. You can buy a decent pair at Sally's or a regular
beauty supply store between $7-$15. Using scissors that aren't sharp
will do damage and you can actually cause more splitting. Hide this
pair and only use it for your hair. This is very important.
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Here
is an example of a pair of sharp haircutting scissors. |
*Use
a double-sided mirror to help you see the back of your hair. " Trim
wet or dry? Opinions varies on this subject. Personally I'd rather
trim on dry hair so I can see my ends. When my hair is wet, any split
ends seems to be more disguised because of the wetness of the hair.
I'd leave trimming with damp hair to the professionals.
*Trim
very slowly with precision until you feel more comfortable with trimming.
*Sit
up and keep your head straight. If you don't this, you can end up
with an uneven cut once your finished.
If your hair is shorter, have someone you trust help you to trim the
back. I had my mom help me in the back when my hair was shorter and
I couldn't see back there. Since it's longer, I can see my twists
by pulling them in front of my face.
*Trim
when there are no distractions in your home. You wouldn't want any
surprises while cutting or trimming your hair!
*
How often should you trim? If I had an answer to that question I'd
be a multi-millionaire. :) You'll have to judge for yourself. Many
factors come into play. How fast does your hair grow? Does your hair
seem a bit uneven? How much heat do you use on your hair? When you
twist or braid, does your ends look really ragged? You maybe in need
of a good trim - and it will make a world of difference!Don't
forget it is much harder to detect split ends on textured hair than
on straight strands. If your hair is long enough, grab a few sections
and evaluate the ends.
*Lastly,
if you have split ends, they must get trimmed off. Remember, hair
does indeed grow back! So go on ahead and trim off those damaged ends
- your hair will thank you and it will be much easier to handle!
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