Split ends cannot be “fixed”, only cut off. But with a little care you can put an end to them. There are three types of damage that can cause split ends: mechanical, chemical or environmental. Luckily, all of these can be minimised or even eliminated.

What causes split ends?

Heat is the biggest culprit for mechanical damage from rubbing, pulling and tearing of hair when shampooing and drying, ranking second only to mechanical threats. Chemical damage comes from hair coloring, relaxers, and relaxers. Don’t do the last two at home!

Says Blake Reed Evans, a stylist at Shear Art Salon and Spa in Tampa, FL, “Every time you color or lighten your hair, you lose 10-20% of its protein. (That’s why she uses Redken Chromatics hair color, which strengthens hair twice as much as color.) Environmental damage, says Evans, comes from exposure to summer sun, sand, and salt water, which calls for special preventative measures.

How to prevent split ends

Follow these 5 steps to TLC and make split ends a thing of the past:

1. Turn down the heat

Jessee Skittrall, an American Board Certified Colorist (ABCH) and owner of Absolut Hair Salon in Everett, WA, says heat styling is all about math: “Water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit, chicken cooks to 350 and the plates can reach 450 degrees.

Turn the heat down starting at 210 and never going higher than 330 degrees Fahrenheit, which Evans says will “blow up the cuticle and cause the color to fade.” Never blow dry, flat iron or heat curl your hair without a heat protectant. Skittrall recommends Brocato Cloud 9 Hotshapes, while Evans uses Redken Anti-Snap (with protein) for blow drying and Iron Shape 11 for use with hot irons.