Banish split ends forever

SPLIT ends occur when the tips of your hairs break in two, leaving your mane looking damaged. Above all, long hair is beset by this problem.

Hair expert Jens Dagne has five tips on how to avoid them:

1 Don’t rub

Rubbing your hair dry with a towel can cause a surprising amount of damage. “Water should be carefully squeezed out - working from the roots to the tips,” advises the senior hairstylist.

2 Blow dry better

“Try to let your hair naturally air dry more often,” says Dagne. “If you really need to blow dry it, do so from the roots down.” That way, the condition of the ends should be less affected by the hot air.

Dagne recommends blow-drying your hair at body temperature, and using a heat protection spray.

He also suggests trying an ionic hair dryer – one that emits only negative ions, causing water to evaporate faster.

3 Comb carefully

Additional damage to the hair must be avoided. That’s why Dagne cautions against sharp-edged haircare tools, such as wire brushes or combs made of synthetic materials.

“Natural horn or wooden combs are the most appropriate, as are brushes made of natural and wooden materials.”

4 Cut frequently

If you want healthy long hair, you need to be patient. You should not simply let it grow, but take regular trips to the hairdressers to get it trimmed.

“Because average hair growth is between 0.5 and 1.5 centimetres per month, you should have a quarter or half a centimetre maximum cut off every six to eight weeks,” advises Dagne.

“It’s not about the amount of hair being removed. It’s about getting regular cuts.”

5 Apply treatments

Long hair requires maintenance to stop the ends from drying out.

Dagne recommends daily use of hydrating sprays and serums for the tips – free from silicone – as well the use of specialised long hair shampoo, which protects the ends of the hair.

Hair masks can also be a good addition to a haircare routine, especially for particularly sensitive and breakage-prone locks. – dpa