Best hair treatment for split ends and breakage

If you want to win the battle against damaged hair, then you need to know how to prevent split ends. And while many of us simply resort to snipping our split cuticles, there are plenty of tips for repairing and preventing split ends.

1. Brush through your hair before showering.
This will minimize tangles and prevent breakage (which can lead to split ends) that can occur when you brush your hair post-shower. Apply shampoo towards the crown of your head and lather it gently downward, keeping hair straight (without bunching it up) by making a zigzag motion with your fingers down the length of your hair.

2. Use plenty of conditioner while showering and use a leave-in after, if need be.
Not only will your hair feel super-smooth to the touch, the lubrication will also help prevent split end causing breakage.

3. Try not to brush your hair while it's wet.
Yes, this is a hard thing to avoid, but if you do the aforementioned two steps, (and avoid scrunching your hair up in a towel), you should be able to easily comb through it.

4. Lay off the heat styling tools.
Anything that uses heat to treat your hair (blow dryers, straighteners, curling irons, etc.) is damaging. Try experimenting with different hairstyles that don't call for a sleek look. Style it with a little mousse to add texture and maybe even — gasp — let it air dry.

5. When getting your hair trimmed, cut about 1 ½-inches above your split ends.
Split ends will continue to split if left unattended, so this will help prevent more damage.

6. Use a split end treatment to prevent splitting.
Our readers have done the work here for you by testing out these hair care products that remedy split ends. Whether in serum, conditioner, silkener or shampoo form, our readers rave these products will give your strands all the hair therapy they need to become healthier.

Image via Imaxtree

SEE NEXT PAGE: Best Split End Treatment No. 13: Macadamia Professional Deep Repair Masque, $36

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Ever exposed to the elements, hair undergoes a unique amount of stress. Whether from habits like coloring and heat-styling to environmental factors such as sun exposure, the damage done to strands can cumulatively take a toll. One unwelcome consequence is breakage—that is, when the hair snaps off at a weakened point, leaving behind both flyaways and strands that fall haphazardly at varied lengths.

Just about everything can weaken hair. Chemical treatments and color processes break disulfide bonds in order to install lasting changes, such as hair-fiber shape. In addition, research has found that external aggressors, including air pollution and UV exposure, have been linked to broken disulfide bonds. Meanwhile, heat, humidity, and even water from a shower can temporarily break hydrogen bonds. The result of that molecular-level disruption is overall weakness, with damage accumulating over time.

However, it doesn’t stop at bonds. Another consequence of distress is that the cuticle—the outer layer of the hair fiber, likened to shingles on a roof—can become frayed. In time, that protective exterior “tends to shed,” says hairstylist Felicia Leatherwood, who counts Issa Rae and Wunmi Mosaku among her clients. When the cuticle has been compromised in such a way, the hair has trouble retaining moisture as well.

As a result, the hallmarks of weak hair include dryness and a brittle feel, as well as more frequent frizz, says colorist Jenna Perry, whose fashion-world clientele includes Bella Hadid and Karlie Kloss. All of that can lead to hair that’s easily tangled, she notes. 

Fortunately, hair strengtheners abound, and many now offer the highly effective ingredients once reserved for skin care. Leatherwood is particularly fond of aloe vera and glycerin, as well as oil treatments with jojoba, olive, and coconut oils. Perry, meanwhile, is a proponent of peptide treatments—peptides being short strings of amino acids that can form proteins—as well as bonding masks, a category of products that relink or repair those broken bonds.

It’s worth noting that consistency is as important as the remedy itself. “At-home treatments work only if you actually do them regularly and stick to a schedule,” says Leatherwood. “Usually, you have to stick with it from 30 to 90 days to see the results come to fruition.” After all, if forgoing color appointments and blowouts are not in the cards, then this regular maintenance is essential for keeping hair healthy, hydrated, and strong in the long one. The good news? These potent formulas, below, make it particularly easy.

All products featured on Vanity Fair are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

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