How to Minimize Split Ends Without Chopping All Your Hair Off
There’s arguably no place on the internet to feel more admiration for a stranger than on HairTok. Thousands of people use the app daily to show off their tresses full of length, body, and shine—It can make anyone take one look and say, “I want that.”
While it can seem as simple as foregoing haircuts, arriving at long and silky hair has historically meant going to the salon for regular trims and hair-softening treatments. The problem with that? People constantly choose the former cut-free tactic because they don’t want to give up length. Sure, you’ll technically have longer hair if you don’t cut it—but if you don’t cut your hair at all, you run the risk of having brittle and stiff texture, plus split ends that become worse over time.
It can definitely feel like a “why me” moment—your length is damned if you cut your hair, and your hair health is damned if you don’t cut your hair. There are ways to overcome this impasse, though, and remedy split ends without chopping tons of centimeters off your hair. Here are a few of our favorite tricks for repairing the hair while saving length.
1. Cut Layers: We like to start with the bad news first: we are truly so sorry to break it to you, but there are some cases where heatless hairstyles and masks aren’t enough. If you have significantly damaged hair, consider asking your stylist for layers—this will help you maintain length throughout your hair while still cutting off a significant amount of damage. The butterfly cut is especially great for this, and as a bonus, it also adds tons of flippy texture.
2. Dust the Edges: Don’t let past cut-happy hair stylists traumatize you—you can totally get a trim that won’t alter your length too much. Try visiting the salon in between major haircuts for a “dusting,” which essentially just cuts the split ends off.
3. Protein, Protein, Protein: If you dabble in a 10-step skincare routine, it’s time to show your locks the same love and devotion. Your hair uses proteins to seal itself and its frayed ends back up—this pre-shampoo protein treatment by Olaplex is excellent because you can put it into your hair, wear a treatment bun as you do chores, and then wash it out for stronger strands. If you want something that’ll also stimulate hair growth (because why not?), then try Agent Nateur’s Hair (Silk) Peptides Serum—it’s full of protein-building peptides and comes in a gorgeous oil serum that adds shine to your ‘do.
4. Sleep on Silk: Silk is one of the few fabrics that won’t cause cuticle-lifting and end-splitting friction on your hair. Consider replacing your pillowcase with a silk one like this, or wear a silk bonnet to sleep. And while you’re at it, why not make all your hair accessories silk? Opt for silk scrunchies like this chic Emi Jay periwinkle one.
5. Minimize Heat: It’s almost too obvious that heat = split ends, but we had to throw this one in. To avoid heat styling your hair every day, consider using a clarifying shampoo once a week to extend the time between washes (fewer wash days means less blow-drying!). Oh, and there are so many heatless hair hacks you can use (hello, overnight curl set, and overnight hair wavers) if you want a styled look without the damage.