To Trim or Not to Trim: Do Split Ends Stop Hair Growth?
hair + beauty
March 6, 2016
Ashley
Girl, you better cut those ends! That’s the reason your hair won’t grow!  We’ve all heard it from the hair stylist, the kitchen beautician, friends, family and sometimes strangers. Many people believe that having split ends causes hair to not grow or stay at the same length. That notion however is very far from the truth. Unfortunately, split ends can cause hair to look unkept, uneven and just downright unappealing. Despite the many negatives of split ends, they have nothing to do with stopping actual hair growth. Why you may ask? Hair grows from the scalp of your hair not from the ends. What is going on at the bottom of your hair shaft has absolutely nothing to do with the hair that is growing from your scalp. Hair continuously grows from the scalp regardless of what may be taking place on the bottom.
It doesn’t matter if you are getting your hair trimmed often, have a head full of split ends or tangled ends your hair will continue to grow. What can cause your hair to appear as if it is not growing however, is breakage. If you have excessive split ends, breakage or extremely tangled hair, your hair will appear as if it isn’t growing at all. The hair in fact is growing. However, it could possibly be breaking at the same rate or faster than your actual hair is growing from your scalp. Hair grows around a quarter of an inch on average per month. We lose any where from 50 to 100 hairs a day. If you feel like you are excessively losing hair that could be a whole other issue. Excessive hair loss could stem from health issues, bad hair practices such as allowing hair to become extremely matted or tangled, improper detangling, or lack of water or vitamin substances.
Increasing your water intake can help to greatly increase hair as well as nail growth, give you a healthier appearance and increase your overall health. If you do notice your hair seems to get a ton of split ends reevaluate your natural hair routine. Are you excessively combing your hair when it is dry? Do you use heat on your hair often? Are you constantly manipulating your hair into different styles? Do you wear your hair down often without any protective styling? All of these things can cause breakage, sometimes in excess as well as split ends and overall damage to your natural hair. Reevaluate your hair process and try to eliminate anything you think may be causing split ends. Get trims or do self trims as needed and be sure that your hair is properly moisturized. Excessively dry hair is another culprit in causing split ends. If you notice that your hair always seems dry you may not be adding enough moisture to your hair. Be sure to use tgin’s Daily Butter Cream Moisturizer for Natural Hair after you shampoo with our Moisture Rich Sulfate Free Shampoo and Triple Moisture Replenishing Conditioner for optimal results. Don’t hold on to split ends. Trim them as needed and be sure to be gentle when you are doing high manipulation styles. Your hair will continue to grow and have a much more beautiful appearance.
Ashley Renee is a licensed esthetician, makeup artist, natural hair enthusiast, writer and poet from Chicago,residing in Los Angeles! Follow her on instagram @ashleyreneepoet or her blogsite WhyIWaited