Is cutting your hair the only way to get rid of split ends?

Despite a number of products on the market promising to fix split ends, there is only one way to deal with the problem: get the scissors out and trim your hair

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Split ends should be trimmed to stop the splits spreading. Photo : Shutterstock

Published: 12:47pm, 25 Jun 2017Updated: 5:30pm, 26 Jun 2017

Is trimming the ends of your hair the only way to get rid of split ends?

The short answer : Yes

Split ends (trichoptilosis) don’t just ruin a good hairdo; they can also damage healthy hair and worsen the condition of hair that’s already damaged. The market is flooded with products that claim to “repair” split ends, but do such hair treatments really work?

Hair expert Leonica Kei recommends avoiding products that claim to fix split ends.

Unfortunately, no, says Leonica Kei, principal trichologist at H’AIR Trichologist by Leonica K in Singapore. “These products, marketed as a cure for split ends, became popular about 10 years ago,” she explains. “Initially, hairdressers loved them, but they soon realised the side effects of these treatments. What the products did was cover or encase the split ends in a glue-like layer. The result was a barrier that prevented any kind of chemical reaction. So, colour became patchy and perms didn’t hold in those areas. It was a nightmare for hairdressers to work with.”

Kei says that split ends cannot simply be bonded or “glued” back together. “Your hair is made up of three parts – the outer layer, called the cuticle, the middle layer or core, called the cortex, and the inner layer, the medulla. The cuticle holds and binds the cortex, protecting everything that’s inside it, like pigment and moisture. Split ends occur when the cuticle is depleted, leaving the delicate cortex exposed.”