How To Avoid Split Ends In The Summer: 4 Tips You Need to Know

Split ends happen when the hair shaft cuticle begins to fray.  They’re often caused by damage or breakage to the hair. 

This can occur when the hair becomes too dry and doesn’t get enough moisture. If split ends remain in your hair, they will travel up your hair shaft and cause more breakage (ruining your hair goals)! 

If you’re tired of not achieving the length you desire for your hair then read below to discover how to avoid split ends in the summer.

1. Trim Your Ends With Sharp Shears

Are you rocking braids or another protective style this Summer? Many women choose to rock a protective style like box braids, passion twists, or even a curly sew in weave during the hot and humid months.

This can be the best option to keep your hair cute and protected when it’s really hot, or when you’re traveling for vacation.

Summer protective hairstyles can also help reduce the mechanical breakage that results from daily styling. But it's important to keep up with your trims even when rocking these styles.

Skipping your trims and wearing back to back protective styles can lead to damage. When silk press season arrives in the Fall, you may find that you haven't retained as much length and might have to get a big hair cut to remove the split ends that went unchecked during the summer.

Trimming your ends regularly with sharp shears (scissors) will guarantee a clean and precise cut that will prevent further breaking of your cuticles.

How often you should trim your hair depends on a number of factors including the texture of your hair, how you style it, and whether you have chemical treatments like a hair color or a relaxer.  On average, you should trim your hair every 3-6 months, or as needed.

Also, steer clear of trimming your hair while it’s wet because this can also lead to split ends.  If you want a clean even trim, it's best to do so after a deep condition and flatiron. It is easier to identify any breakage or split ends when the hair is straightened.

2. Reduce Chemical Use

The chemicals found in some hair products, treatments, relaxers, and hair colors have to penetrate deep into your hair shaft to actually work their magic. The downside of this is that over time these chemical processes weaken your cuticles and cause damage to your ends. 

You can switch to products with all-natural ingredients to improve the overall health and appearance of your hair and to promote hair growth. 

If you’re hooked on chemical treatments and can’t avoid hair color and relaxers, then it’s important that you use deep conditioning treatments monthly (or more) and that you get trims regularly.  

If you do not want to give up chemical use altogether, you can try to go for longer periods in-between touch ups.

If you maintain your hair color properly, you can keep it vibrant for as long as possible and dye it less often.

You can also stretch the time between you relaxer touch ups. The recommended time between relaxer touch-ups is usually 6-8 weeks. Some women extend this period to 12 weeks, or even longer.

But be careful. Your hair is very fragile at the line of demarcation where your natural hair and chemically relaxed hair meet.  If you stretch your relaxers, it's important to be gentle with your hair and keep your new growth soft and moisturized to avoid breakage at this line of demarcation. 

3. Deep Condition Your Hair Regularly 

Prevention is key and deep conditioning is THE prevention you need. Split ends occur when the hair is overly dry, or weak and gummy. Protein treatments help strengthen your strands, and moisturizing conditioners help soften your hair and help it to resist breakage. When your hair has the proper protein-moisture balance, your hair is less likely to split at the ends. 

No matter what, after washing your hair always use conditioner! Be sure to apply conditioner directly to the ends of your hair, and then give it a couple of minutes to soak in.

You can also steam your hair to allow the conditioner to penetrate your hair deeply and add the maximum amount of moisture to your strands. 

4. Minimize Your Use of Heat

It can be difficult to rock straight hair in the Summer because the heat and humidity causes frizz and puffy roots. You may be tempted to use heat to refresh your hair often. But you should avoid using  heat on your hair daily. No matter what they’re made from (e.g. tourmaline, ceramic, etc.) heat appliances such as blow dryers, flat-irons and heat curlers can all damage your hair if you use them too much. 

When you blow-dry or apply heat to your hair it pulls out the moisture your hair naturally has, leaving it dry, rough and brittle. Constant use can cause physical hair trauma, and the result is damaged hair and split ends.

If you prefer to rock a silk press, even in the summer months. Be sure to take steps to make your silk press last, and try to limit your use of heat to once a week or less.

Only use heat on clean, freshly washed hair. Heat styling dirty hair that is loaded with product buildup can fry your hair and cause split ends that will need to be cut. 

Your Hair Can Thrive

The Summer months can be an amazing time for your hair. The warm weather and moisture in the air can leave your hair feeling soft. With the proper care, it can be the perfect environment for your hair to grow and flourish. If you follow the steps listed above to keep split ends at bay, you can achieve your hair goals and have strong, beautiful, healthy hair.