Picking Your Split Ends Can Damage Your Hair

by Melissa L. White
Licensed Hair Stylist
Certified Hair Extension Artist

Many of us can't help but pick at the split ends of our hair, or at least pick through our hair to check for them! And, once you start watching for split ends, it can be hard to keep your hands from picking at them. But, like many other habits we find ourselves locked into, this behavior can lead to dreaded consequences.



Checking for split ends
Photo Credit: leimo.co.uk

The damage to your hair will come when you tear away at the split ends. Pulling them apart actually makes the problem much worse. Instead of having small splits, you may end up with long lengths of hair that has been thinned by pulling the split apart. This thinned out hair shaft is more apt to tangle. It may also break off entirely, leaving you with shorter hair that is more prone to even more splits. Remember, any type of "break" is not "clean" or blunt, like a cut with scissors. Some people acquire hair so damaged that a single hair shaft may have multiple splits on it.

If your hair is healthy, you shouldn't be too troubled by them. But, if you use heat appliances such as blow dryers and curling irons on high heat settings, you may see many more. If your hair is dry or brittle due to bleaching, coloring and/or hair treatments like perms, you may also be more prone to split ends. Even exposure to the sun can be very damaging to hair.

What can you do to prevent split ends? If you spend a lot of time outside, you might look for a quality shampoo containing sunblock. Use of good, quality hair products is essential so that your hair doesn't become excessively dry. Your hair stylist can recommend the correct products for your hair type and condition of your hair. It's worth the money to invest in good products. Brushing your hair with a quality brush is also a way to help avoid split ends. And, use heat appliances on the lowest settings possible to achieve your desired styling.

But what do you do if you see you're developing splits? Hair specialists advise to cut split ends rather than to pick at them and pull them apart. Seeing your stylist for small trims will usually keep split ends at bay, and would be more helpful to you than less frequent visits that take more off. Your stylist can help determine the ideal frequency for trims to prevent split ends after a couple of visits with you to determine how frequently they're popping up and how big the splits are.

One trick that is extremely effective is to take a small section of hair and twist it around and around to the ends. You'll see that your split ends will boldly stick out, allowing you to trim just what's necessary to remove the split. Removing the split with a very sharp pair of scissors will allow the hair to continue to grow without risk that the split will get longer and longer, leaving your hair at risk for breakage and more splits.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR -

Melissa White is an experienced, licensed hair extension artist and stylist whose passion is to bring out the natural beauty in everyone by enhancing their own individual features with the use of exquisite hair extensions. Melissa has over 10 years of extensive training with the industries top hair extension companies in the newest techniques. Melissa is also a certified Brazilian Blowout stylist. Originally from Boston, Melissa has been in San Antonio for the past 8 years. She believes that everyone should be able to access and afford the hair of their dreams . . . thus the creation of Extensions of Yourself, San Antonio's first salon which specializes exclusively in quality hair extensions.

Questions From My Hair Extension Clients

by Melissa White

I receive a lot of phone calls from women new to my San Antonio salon, Extensions of Yourself, and I realize that there is still a lot that women do not know about hair extensions. And often, what they've heard from friends or a family member is not fact.  It can cause a lot of confusion.

I've become even more committed to sharing the facts with my readers.  I want to provide the very best information not only as it relates to hair extensions, but so that others can achieve healthy hair. I will be picking a question to answer each month. It may be something someone asked when they first called me, one they asked when they were having services with me at my salon, or one that someone sent to me in an e-mail. Topics may be on hair color, highlights, nutrition, damaged hair, thinning hair, use of clips and accessories, hair products and extensions of course! If you have a question you would like answered, please contact me.

I hope you'll enjoy my upcoming articles, and my new monthly question and answer article.

Melissa White is owner and hair extension artist at Extensions of Yourself, the first San Antonio based hair salon specializing exclusively in quality hair extensions.

Caring For Your Hair Can Achieve Better Looking Hair Extensions

by Melissa L. White
Licensed Hair Stylist

Everyone knows that proper skin care is essential for maintaining youthful skin. We've learned over the years of the importance in proper cleansing, and the use of quality products that nourish and maintain healthy skin, and most women place great importance on keeping their face fresh and youthful. Many women, however, do not realize the importance of proper hair care, and that your scalp ages just like the rest of your body!

As the scalp ages, it loses tone and elasticity just like your face! Cell production steadily declines and your hair weakens. I learned a lot about hair in cosmetology school. We were all taught that the hair follicle is made up of the hair bulb, the sheath and the hair shaft. The hair shaft is made up of the medulla, cortex and cuticle. Blood vessels supply the follicle with much of its nutrients. Hair strands for most women grow about a half inch per month. At any given time, approximately 10-15% of your hair has reached a "resting" phase, after which the hair falls out and is replaced with new hair. The average person sheds 50-100 hairs each day. In usual circumstances, the cycle continually repeats itself. However, when stress, disease, hormones, nutritional deficiencies, medications or even aging itself occurs, the cycle can be disrupted.  When I worked for a plastic surgeon and became certified in Laser Hair Removal. I really learned a lot more about hair because we were trying to eliminate it! 

Without getting too technical and boring, there are three phases healthy hair continuously go through. Simply put, the first phase (anagen phase) is where the matrix cells in the root divide rapidly, forms the cells of the hair sheath, shaft and cuticle, and actively produces keratin - the "essential" of healthy hair. The hair grows about a half inch every month, and stays in this active phase between 2-6 years, depending upon your genetics. Your hair then goes into a short transition stage called catagen phase which signals the end of the active growth stage. It can last 2-3 weeks before going into the third and final stage (telogen phase), which is the resting phase. This lasts a few months for scalp hair, longer for body hair. It is the phase where you shed your hair, as it has completed it's entire growth cycle.

Because your hair has such a long first phase, and because of all the harsh treatments we tend to subject our hair to when styling it, it is essential that it receives proper nourishment. When hair does not, you may notice thinning, dryness, dandruff, acne and other scalp conditions. As stylist at Extensions of Yourself, a San Antonio Salon which specializes in hair extensions, I routinely work with women who have thinning or damaged hair, or who have medical conditions which subject them to loss of hair or thinning hair. While many women choose hair extensions simply because they want fuller hair, longer hair, or a better hair style,  I frequently use extensions as a way of instantly transforming thinning or damaged hair, and helping women feel better about themselves.

You don't need "perfect" hair to start with, as you can work toward improving your own hair as you wear your hair extensions. I consult with each of my client's about the health of their hair and the types of products they can begin using to improve their own natural hair. Each client has their own specific needs, but there are a wide range of quality products I use to help achieve healthy hair. Healthy, well-nourished hair only compliments beautiful hair extensions even more!

Melissa White is owner of Extensions of Yourself, a San Antonio based salon specializing in hair extensions. As hair extension artist, Melissa sees women of all ages for quality hair extensions.