The ends of your hair is the oldest and weakest part of the hair shaft. Therefore in Afro-textured curly hair, it’s normally the driest part because the natural oils (sebum) produced from the scalp have a hard time reaching the ends, due to all the kinks and bends from the curls.
3 reasons why you should pay more attention to your ends:
1. You want to see Growth
– Length retention is key to growing long hair. Although hair grows from the scalp, your ends play an important part in seeing the growth that your hair is producing.
Before suggesting that your hair is growing slow, take a look at the health of your ends.
2. You want to maintain Healthy Hair
– Split ends are your worst enemy when trying to grow healthy hair. Jagged uneven ends will eventually stomp your healthy hair journey unless you take notice and do something about them.
“Split ends occur when the protective outer layer of the hair cuticle wears away because of external stressors, such as heat styling and salon chemical services,” explains Amy Abramite, creative director and stylist at Chicago’s Maxine Salon. “Once the internal structure of the hair is exposed, it becomes weakened, dehydrated and damaged, causing split ends.”
Source: http://www.stylelist.com/read/how-to-fix-split-ends-without-cutting-them/
Some causes for the occurrence of split ends include:
• Not detangling properly
• Using too much heat (curling irons, blow dryers, flat irons, etc.)
• Washing too much
• Using too much styling products (gels, creams, and sprays with alcohol)
• Over processing hair with chemical treatments (relaxers and hair dyes)
• Damage from the environment (rubbing on clothes and other fabrics, the weather, etc)
• Do not have regular maintenance and trims
• Using damaging styling tools (harsh hair brushes and combs)
3. You want your hairstyle to look Fierce
– If you wondered why your hairstyle goes limp and loses life as time pass, well the main cause will probably be raggedy ends. The more we mess with our hair the more chances for split ends and breakage to occur causing uneven hair that throws off that style.
Trimming on a regular basis is the best way to keep your style looking fresh and fierce. Going to a professional is best when trimming your hair, but if you decide to tackle the job yourself, make sure you use sharp professional shears. Regular scissors can cause more split ends and fray hair due to dull blades.
***Note: Professionals recommend you get a trim every 6 – 8 weeks.
