Split Ends: What causes them? Part 1

Well, since I am fighting a losing battle with split ends, I decided to do a little research. We all know that before we can FIX a problem we have to first identify the problem and what is causing it.

Since my last trim, I have been depressed so I have kept my hair in a protective bun 90% of the time. I did wear a puff twice. ONLY twice. I sleep in a satin cap and on a satin pillow case. What could be causing my hair trauma?!

Readind online, I have found the following reasons to be the most common causes of split ends:

Excessive use of hot styling tools (irons, hot curlers, blow dryers, hot combs).
Overuse of chemical treatments (relaxers, perms, hair color).
Use of inferior styling tools that rip or snag hair (cheap synthetic brushes or combs, brush rollers, etc.,).
Environmental damage from heat, cold, wind and other climate issues.
Lack of routine maintenance such as regular trimming.
Improper detangling techniques.
Overwashing.
Use of inferior hair care products.
Excessive use of styling products such as gels, waxes and sprays.
Trimming with inferior scissors.

(the above courtesy of hairboutique.com)

After reading this, I have narrowed down the cause of my damage to either:

Too much washing/manipulating my hair. Maybe the daily conditioner washes are just a bit much.

Improper detangling. Perhaps I am doing it wrong.

Use of styling tools. Could my beloved Denman be doing more harm than good?


What am I going to do about it?
Well for startes I am going to get my hair straightened tomorrow. I plan to wear my hair straight 98% of the time. This will eliminate the need of the Denman and detangling as well as daily conditioner washes. My only concern is how to prevent reversion while working out.

Stay tuned for updates.

New Experiment: Do regular trims make hair grow faster?

I have been a little distraught for the past couple of days. I decided to straighten my hair and see what I was working with. Well I was very dissappointed. My ends were HORRIBLE. I ended up cutting an inch at home, then going to Super Cuts the next day and getting a professional trim. Because I wear my hair curly 90% of the time, I really did not think I had to worry about split ends. Boy was I wrong. I vowed that I would not clip my ends until I reached my first goal of APL. Well unfortuntely, I would not continue on with those plans.

After getting my ends trimmed and being very unhappy with my hair, I have decided to trim once every 6 to 8 weeks going forward. I refuse to continue allowing split ends to rob me of my hard earned progress. So...I will check back in after 8 weeks, which will be the second week of September. I will take a before pic(can't promise that I will post it now...it depresses me) and an after. After 3 or 4 trims I will revisit. Do regular trims aide in healthy hair growth? What do you think?