How to Prevent Split Ends and Keep Long Hair Shiny and Moisturized

You can prevent split ends and keep long hair shiny and moisturized.

While long, shiny hair is often considered beautiful, it can also be rather difficult and time consuming to maintain such lengthy hair. There are several easy steps you can take to moisturize your locks and treat them gently. This is the best way to prevent split ends and keep long hair shiny and moisturized.

Things You'll Need

• Moisturizing shampoo and conditioner
• Heat protectant spray
• Wide tooth comb
• Leave-in conditioner
• Shine spray or serum

Instructions

1. Wash your hair with a gentle, moisturizing shampoo. Concentrate the product at the roots and upper one-third of your hair, as scrubbing the ends can lead to breakage.

2. Condition the hair with a rich, protein-fortified conditioner and rinse it out with cool water to seal the cuticle. This helps to increase shine and provide your hair with the nutrients it needs to remain strong.

3. Apply a leave-in conditioner to the bottom one-third of your hair after you wash and condition it. This added layer of moisture helps to prevent your locks from becoming dry, which can make them more prone to damage.

4. Detangle with a wide tooth, sturdy comb when hair is wet. Your hair is weakest when it is wet, and even gentle brushing can lead to breakage. When detangling wet hair, start from the bottom of your strands and work your way up, treating long hair like delicate lace.

5. Let your hair air dry as much as possible. Limiting the use of heat when styling is one of the best ways to prevent split ends. If heat styling is necessary, use a heat protectant spray liberally before using a blow-dryer, flat iron, curling iron or any other heat styling tool. This helps to protect delicate ends from heat damage, preventing breakage - and keeping long hair shiny.

6. Spray in a shine-enhancing spray after styling. This adds a glossy look to your hair, and can help to camouflage any damage.

7. Limit or avoid chemical processing, including color and bleaching. The strong chemicals used to lighten, darken, straighten or permed hair can be extremely damaging to locks. Directly after undergoing any hair treatment, have the damaged ends of your hair trimmed. This prevents any split ends that occurred during the process from splitting up the rest of your hair shaft, making it possible for you to keep your hair long and shiny.

8. Get a deep conditioning treatment at the salon after every chemical process. This helps to replace the moisture that the chemicals, bleach or coloring zapped from your hair.

9. Apply a moisturizing hair masque once a week. After shampooing, work the product into your hair, focusing on the ends. Cover your head with a shower cap or plastic wrap and let the product sit for 20 to 30 minutes before rinsing it out with cool water. Covering your head traps the heat from your scalp, making it easier for the moisturizers in the hair masque to penetrate the hair shaft.

10. Get regular trims every four to six weeks. While this may seem counterintuitive for maintaining long locks, regular trims prevent split ends from moving up the hair shaft, damaging the rest of your hair. The longer you go between trims, the more likely it will be that you will have to have a significant amount of hair cut off, which can make it difficult to grow out or maintain long hair.

References

• WebMD: 8 Ways You're Damaging Your Hair
• Daily Glow: Caring for Long Hair
• Oprah; How to Prevent Split Ends; Valerie Monroe; February 2009