I Have Split Ends

Click to enlarge

No matter how healthy your hair or your hair habits, split ends are a reality of most people with relaxed and natural hair. It has been several months since I've done a "Search and destroy" for split ends. So when I washed my hair this past weekend, I decided it was a good time to trim my split ends. 

Waist Length! (And a Hair Cut)

Blow dried, before hair cut

If you follow me on Facebook, then you may already know that I reached waist length after my relaxer yesterday. But I was waist length for less than 5 minutes because I promptly got a 3" haircut.

Previously, on Kibibi Hair...

Here are three of the most popular posts from this time last year...

1. Splitting with Split Ends

2. Hair S.O.S. - "I did my relaxer and now my hair is breaking!"

3. Steam + Hair = Healthier Hair

Somebody, Hide The Scissors

Before

I washed my hair last Friday and after I blow dried it, I decided to trim a little off the ends. So much for my trim schedule LOL. I took about 1/2" off so its not a major trim by any stretch of the imagination.

It was a quick decision, so I was not as methodical as I could have been about cutting. I just combed the hair to the front, held it between my fingers and snipped off about 1/2". Then I repeated the process on the other side.

My Hair: One Year Ago

Blow dried hair. January, 2010

The longest my hair has ever been is a few inches below waist length.  Unfortunately, it was that long for a very short time.  I didn't like how my ends looked.  So my husband gave me a trim which put me back to waist length.

Come to think of it, I completely forgot that he cut a couple inches at the beginning of last year.  Which brings the total number of inches I cut last year to at least 9".

When I started my hair journey, I was very resistant to even lightly trim my ends.  Now I can't seem to stop cutting LOL.  I may need to add "No more cutting for the rest of the year" to my list of 2011 Goals.  I certainly need to stop cutting in order to reach my length goal of waist length, by December 31, 2011.

Sometimes we have to look back at how far we have come in order to move forward.

How was your hair one year ago?


  

Relaxer and Hair Cut Pictures

If you follow me on my Facebook Page, then you already know that I cut another 2" when I did my relaxer yesterday.  I'm very excited about getting my blunt ends back, and don't plan to trim at all next year.  That's the only way I will make my goal of waist length hair by December, 2011.  Here are some  before and after pictures.  My ends were not "terrible" by any means but I wanted to finish the year with blunt ends. 

Blow dried hair - BEFORE cut

Blow dried hair - AFTER cut

Flat ironed hair

Splitting with Split Ends

 Hi friends!

I'd venture to say that split ends are a reality for anyone who uses heat, combs daily, or has chemically processed hair (relaxed or colored).  You might even have split ends when you don't do any of the above.  My sister is natural and doesn't use heat, yet her split ends have split ends of their own lol (I'm sure she won't mind me putting her ends on blast).

When it comes to "repairing" split ends, don't fall for product marketing.  No product can permanently repair a split end.  Think of your hair like corn in a husk: once it starts to unravel, there's no going back.  So the best thing to do with split ends is to trim them off.  There is some debate about whether split ends will travel up the entire hair shaft, and split the entire strand of hair.  Personally, I think some split ends can travel up the hair but not all will.  Also, the hair can split along the length of the strand (see picture below).  Either way, in the interest of aesthetics, it is best to trim off split ends.

Shedded strand with splits along the length of the hair.
(click on the picture to enlarge)

To remove my split ends, I do a search and destroy method.  Which means that I comb through my hair and only trim off the split ends and leave the healthy ends.  This way I am able to remove the damaged ends without losing overall length.  I don't have a set schedule but I usually do search and destroy on wash day, but will trim any split ends I find during the week. 

 Split ends I trimmed off this week.