Tips for prevention of split ends

Have you been trying to grow your hair longer but keep trimming your tresses to eliminate split ends? There’s a way to put an end to split ends.This damage is most often caused by stressors like excessive heat styling and chemicals from dying, perms and chlorine.Some believe that once hair is damaged the only cure is a haircut. But that may not be exactly true. There are natural remedies that treat brittle hair, techniques that preserve healthy hair and products that protect hair from breaking.

Try the following home treatments, handle hair gently and see a visible difference.

1. Take care with hair-care

Over-washing can strip hair of important natural oils. Be gentle with hair to mend ends.

• Switch from harsh shampoos and rinse with cooler water
• Limit hair washing to no more than a few times a week
• Shampoo gently and pat dry hair with a towel instead of rubbing
• Run a wide-tooth comb over wet hair; brush gently from the bottom if tangled
• Use cloth-covered elastic, not rubber bands, on ponytails, braids and buns
  

  

2. Turn down the heat

Avoid high temperatures when drying, straightening or curling hair and alternate with cooler temperatures. Blow-dryers, curling wands and flat irons create the styles you want but can also singe ends. Try a product like Pantene’s Heat Protective Spray and let hair air-dry when possible.

Keep your hair tucked up in a hat in summer to reduce direct sun exposure.

3. Nourish your follicles

If you hair suffers from split ends, deep moisturizing weekly or monthly provides much-needed nourishment to renew hair and return sheen and buoyancy for silky smooth locks. Work conditioner up from the bottom of hair strands to mid-shaft. If you color hair, wait a few when hair is porous. Consider leave-in moisturizers like Pantene Weightless Conditioning Shake.

4. Eat well

Folic acid and biotin are nutrients that build up proteins for hair, supplement hair health and encourage growth. Foods rich in folic acid include green leafy veggies, soybeans and wheat. Biotin, which helps metabolism, is found in lentils, peas, brown rice, sunflower seeds, walnuts and soybeans.

5. Trim hair regularly

To eliminate split ends requires a trim every six to eight weeks so the split doesn't move up the hair shaft. You can even take a well-sharpened scissors and cut ends yourself!

6. Natural treatments

Edible items from the kitchen cupboard may be your best remedy for dry and brittle hair. The following foodstuffs moisturize dry and damaged hair to create silky, shiny strands.

• Olive oil and coconut oil
• Avocado
• Honey
• Papaya and yogurt
• Beer
• A mixture of heavy cream and milk.
• Chamomile tea

7. Fuse your ends. Choose the right products.

Treatments such as Pantene Pro-V Split Fix and Repair Crème or Keratin Protection fuse splits and breakage by binding the ends. Formulas include avocado, bamboo and grape seed extracts said to prevent 95% of splits. Pantene’s Anti-Breakage shampoo and conditioner will fortify hair, and its Expert line has a Split End Fuser to repair damage, fight frizz, dullness and dryness.

Treat your hair like a delicate fabric and it will look and feel silky smooth.