When it comes to hair and keeping it in mint condition, it’s crucial to focus on the ends a lot more than on the rest of our locks. The ends are the oldest parts of our hair, which makes them the most fragile as well. Anything we do to our hair, whether it’s using hot tools or various chemicals, will all show on our poor ends and make every single day a bad hair day.
Luckily, we don’t have to settle for lackluster locks, not when there are plenty of things we can do at home to protect our hair ends and ensure they stay as healthy as possible.
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Tips on Maintaining Healthy Hair Ends
#1 Use a Wide-Tooth Comb to Detangle
More often than not, using a regular brush to detangle hair won’t work that well, as the bristles may be too close together. The closer they are, the more likely it is for them to get caught into small tangles. All of that then leads to breakage and hair ends that look matted and unkempt.
Therefore, to prevent any damage, it’s best to opt for a wide-tooth comb, especially if we are dealing with kinky hair. Using such a comb may take more time than using a regular brush. Still, it will detangle better without causing breakage.
For best results, we should detangle our hair when it’s wet and always start at the ends. Once they’re completely detangled, we can go through the rest of our locks with the comb, making sure we’re not pulling on our hair at all.
#2 Go in for Regular Trims
We know that getting regular trims is a painful subject for most women, especially those who are working hard to grow out their hair. However, we have found that regular trims are one of the best ways to keep our manes in top-notch condition.
By getting rid of the oldest parts of our hair, i.e., the ends, the strands will look healthier overall. More importantly, we won’t run the risk of further damage. If we don’t cut away the frayed ends, they can quickly go up the hair shaft, mangling the healthy parts. In the end, we’d have to cut all of our hair off to get to the freshest follicles!
#3 Don’t Forget to Use Masks
Hair masks are often intimidating, as most women believe they take way too much time to work. Nevertheless, unlike conditioners, hair masks work hard on maintaining our locks in the long run. Best of all, they can prevent hair breakage and split ends.
Now, depending on the type of our hair, as well as how oily it can get, it’s best to use deep conditioning treatments such as masks once a week. Furthermore, it’s good to focus on the ends whenever possible and use heat to not only speed up the process but enhance the results as well.
#4 Protect the Hair From Heat
When it comes to protecting hair ends, our worst enemy is heat.
Think about it — the ends are the parts of our hair that have been through the most. They have been brushed, processed, and manipulated in various ways for the LONGEST time. So if we add heat to the equation, they could split or get excessively damaged. Our ends are just too fragile to endure high temperatures.
But of course, this goes for the rest of our hair as well, especially if it’s extremely dry. Thus, it’s best to stay on the safe side and always use a heat protectant. No matter if we’re just blow-drying or curling each piece of our hair with the smallest curler we could find, spraying some protectant beforehand will help keep it healthy.
We should also pay attention to how we’re washing our hair. Just like our skin, our locks cannot withstand the heat, not even in the shower. Hence, we ought to use lukewarm or warm water on our hair and always end with a cool rinse.
#5 Don’t Wash the Hair Too Often
Washing our hair more than three times a week, plus using the wrong shampoo and skipping on the conditioner, is a surefire way to damage our strands. Our hair needs moisture to survive, but we cannot just rely on artificial substances; we have to let our natural oils do their job!
It’s best to avoid washing our hair often so that it stays hydrated for longer. If it gets oily fast, we can always look into some specialized shampoo for oily hair or opt for hairstyles that don’t require squeaky clean locks (buns, ponytails, etc.). In fact, we can always make do with some dry shampoo if need be!
#6 Seal the Ends
If we have naturally kinky hair, it’s likely that no matter how much sebum we produce, the oils won’t be able to reach our ends. Because of that, they’re often dehydrated and require extra maintenance.
Luckily, there is a way to save our ends, and it all comes down to sealing them when they’re wet:
- Once you’re out of the shower, squeeze the ends to get rid of the water.
- Take a bit of some thicker oil or butter (we recommend shea butter or Jamaican castor oil).
- Apply a generous amount on the ends, saturating each strand well.
- Twist or braid your hair for best results and leave it to dry.
#7 Wrap the Hair at Night
Our locks can rub against the pillowcase at night, which could create destructive friction that could damage our hair. Thus, it’s a good idea to wrap our hair in a silk or satin scarf to give it some much-needed break.
The benefit of this is twofold. First, in the morning, our hair won’t be tangled as much as it would be if we were to keep it loose at night. Second, our locks won’t dry out or get damaged while we are sleeping because we’ve kept them in a sort of protective hairdo. Accidentally pulling out hair strands while in bed can happen, after all!
And the best part? Wearing scarves during the day is also possible. We can make a fashion statement while giving our hair a break and protecting it from the elements. What’s more, a scarf can also help us get out of the habit of washing our hair every single day. No one will be able to tell our hair is oily when we hide it underneath a colorful scarf!
Final Thoughts
Protecting our hair ends is a must since the most fragile parts of our mane can easily make us look unkempt and disheveled. Fortunately, all of these tips comprise a foolproof formula for keeping the ends in top-notch shape. Give them a go and see the results for yourself — your hair should stay ravishing for many months to come!