split ends

If you have long hair, then you almost certainly have a split end or two (or two dozen — but who's counting?). And while nothing but a haircut can get rid of those annoyances, there's plenty you can do to strengthen and protect your hair. Celebrity stylist Charles Baker Strahan, who recently worked with Nicole Scherzinger, knows how to make that happen. Want to get messy ends to split? Read his answers to frequently asked questions.

This is a question I get asked wherever I go. In the queue for a coffee. On the bus. While I'm shopping. I would go so far as to say it's one of the most commonly asked beauty questions EVER. Big call. But that's because split ends are a big problem. They look unsightly, they feel horrible and if you miss just one appointment they can start to crop up. Nightmare. So I called up my man T-Dog (or Tony Pearce as he prefers to be known) to help. He's Pantene's Expert Trichologist, which is really just a fancy way of saying he knows lots about hair and scalps.

A) Prevention with regular haircare conditioning and deep treatments is the best option as once split ends develop, they usually cannot be repaired, as a 'split end' is essentially a longitudinal splitting of the hair shaft. [Sounds nasty, huh?] Once this develops only trimming of the hair distal to the fracture will correct them. Regular trims will stop split end in their tracks, as will conditioning treatments like Pantene 3 Minute Miracle ($7.99),

Also try Bumble and Bumble Deeep Treatment ($50) or evo Mane Prescription Protein Treatment ($25.95)

We can all see split ends when they happen but do you actually know what they are and what causes them? Split ends (or trichoptilosis, to get fancy and scientific) occur when the cuticle, the protective outer layer of each hair strand, gets stripped away and the dry, vulnerable hair underneath splits. Although there are lots of "split-end mending" products out there, fixing them actually isn't possible, so once you've got 'em, you've got to cut them off.

The only way to avoid split ends is to prevent them. This means deep conditioning, not over-colouring your hair and easing up on the use of heated styling tools. If this isn't possible, you can still help safeguard your hair by using a treatment that structurally reinforces it, like Surya Restorative Serum for Split Ends ($17.60), and by getting your hair trimmed regularly.