For a while now, I've nagging question about whether I should take additional actions right after trimming to prevent new split ends from forming. Last week I picked up one of those mini sewing kits. I had quite a difficult time threading the needle so I tried trimming off the end of the thread to make it easier. But each time I cut a bit off, the end of the thread began to split. When I trimmed off the split, the same thing happened again.
Then I wondered if this was happening to my hair without my knowledge every time I trimmed. Next I reflected on what I could do avoid that dreaded outcome from taking place. My very first thought was how glad I was to have found Nexxus' ProMend products. If you recall correctly, they have the ability to actually bind split ends together, preventing them from moving up the shaft. That would be a perfect post trim treatment.
If I want to take things to next level, I could cauterize my ends using an actual flame. After first learning about this technique of permanently sealing the ends, I became super curious. Curious enough to try a couple of times. No. My hair didn't burst into a huge ball of flames, like I first thought it would. My assessment is that the technique is effective in preventing splits from moving up the shaft. So, if I wanted to use an extreme method of split end prevention, this would be it.
One last thing that I MUST do to protect my ends is practice heavy sealing. Keeping the ends highly lubricated is the secret to retention. This fall and winter I'm going to step it up and reach for thicker oil for my ends. Maybe shea butter, castor oil or vitamin E. Whichever the case, I'm sure my newly trimmed ends will love it. Basically, I will be babying my ends before, during, and after each trim to make sure that everything stays on track. And I vow to stick to this routine even if I know that I'll be trimming them off anyway. This is so I can maintain the habit even as I slow down the frequency of my trims.
The end goal is retention, retention, retention. I see this whole micro trimming thing as a serious weapon in this war on breakage. Especially if you aren't big on protective styling like me.
