Split ends are a sign that your hair has been weakened from chemicals and exposure to heat, wind, and sun, Blaisure adds. Trimming is the best way to keep ends from fraying and causing further damage.
Surprisingly, if you left your hair to grow without going for a trim, the ends will suffer from damage and breakage. However, if you do not have damaged hair or split ends, then cutting it too often will prevent your hair growing longer, as you'll simply be trimming healthy sections of hair.
Basically, if you don't have a trim, your split ends will run riot and likely split further up the shaft eventually snapping and making your hair short, which stops it from growing long. This way, your hair can continue to grow healthily from your roots, but the ends won't fray and snap shorter.
Using products that are designed to nourish the scalp and hair can definitely speed up this process, but on average you'd be looking at six months to a year to fully see a difference in your hair's condition.
Does damaged hair grow back healthy? The only way to get healthy hair is to allow your hair to grow without further damage. If you'd damaged your hair by over-styling, too much heat or over coloring with harsh chemicals, the good news is - your hair will grow back healthy.
Damaged Hair
Collins agrees, suggesting a trim every eight weeks if your hair is chemically damaged, especially fine, or frayed at the ends. More frequent haircuts can help prevent over-drying and breakage.
If you're a fan of sleek, straight hair, wet cutting will give you the precise look you're going for. However, if you prefer to wear your hair natural, dry cutting will give your stylist the ability to work with your natural texture and cut your locks in a way that enhances them.
"By not cutting your hair, you are actually risking the length rather than letting it grow," says Bivona. It seems counterintuitive, but by frequently trimming your hair, you'll prevent breakage by removing the dead, fragile ends.
When you see a split end, then move on to to the next step. Trim no more than 1/4" from the ends of your hair. Anything more is no longer dusting and considered a haircut! If you're dusting your hair while it's styled in two-strand twists, cut no more than 1/4" from the end of each twist.
For the most part, hair damage is permanent because hair is actually a collection of dead cells, making them beyond repair. The only real cure is time, a pair of shears, and taking steps to prevent new damage.
When it comes to fixing split ends, you can't ever fully repair the damage that's been done and get back to untouched, virgin hair, but you can temporarily mend the strand. The only real cure for split ends is trimming them off.
Fortunately, in the vast majority of cases, you can eventually grow the damaged hair out as long as the follicle itself has been preserved. The most common causes of damage are below. Damaged hair can still grow eventually, but routine damage can result in negative consequences for your hair.
Take an inch-wide section of hair between two fingers and gently pull them down the hair, right to the ends. Concentrate on the texture: does it feel smooth all the way down? If you feel an uneven surface, with kinks and sections that snap off under tension, these are damaged hair warning signs.
If you've got damaged hair (thanks, hot tools!), genetic structural abnormalities (they typically cause hair to break off at a certain length) or certain hair types, your hair might also grow more slowly.
A professional hair stylist will be able to diagnose your hair's condition in more detail, but in general, damaged hair breaks easily when pulled and has visible split ends (due to fragile bonds), while dry hair is often accompanied by white flakes of skin and a coarse, rough texture.
Things like aggressive brushing and combing, sleeping on wet hair or rough fabrics that create friction, constantly pulling your strands into styles that are too tight, and heat styling are all some of the main reasons why hair breaks.
Split ends are damaged hair, and the causes of your hair loss can also be causing the split ends. It may also be time to reevaluate your hair care routine and consider making changes to your lifestyle to combat split ends and eventual hair loss and hair thinning.
Here's what happens if you don't cut your split ends when it's due: The splits work their way up, damaging more than just the ends, causing breakage, frizz, and scraggly strands that refuse to blend with the rest of your hair.
While split ends can make it challenging to grow out our hair because they cause hair to break at the ends—and ignoring them only gives them license to travel further up the hair shaft causing more loss of length—they can't technically stop hair growth.
If your hair falls on the fine side, a strict routine for trimming ends is crucial. Split ends can make tresses look thin and frail. "When they split they continue to unravel up the hair shaft, and it will split much more rapidly if you don't cut those ends off," celebrity hairstylist and the star of L.A.