How to Stop Getting Split Ends Once and for All

Tips to channel your inner hair-commercial goddess

To keep your locks looking their best, avoiding split ends is a must—but between shampooing, brushing, and blowouts, it’s hard to avoid straining your strands.

Once a few split ends make their way in, this paves the road for more to follow.

"[Split ends] create more tangles, so when you brush, you tear other hair and it just becomes a big mess," says Luca Blandi, senior stylist at Oscar Blandi salon in New York (and brother of the salon’s founder).

Once that damage is done, there’s nothing a girl can do but take the plunge and get a haircut—which is why it's important to get into a routine that prevents split ends before they start.

Curb Your (Shampoo) Enthusiasm
Dryness can cause breakage and split ends, so cut down on the shampoo as much as you can—especially if you have curls. “Girls with curly hair should not shampoo more than once or twice a week,” says Michaella Blissett-Williams, a stylist and the owner of Brooklyn-based Salon 718. "Not shampooing too much is the foundation of caring for your hair," says Blandi.

The only exception: after swimming. You should be using a clarifying shampoo (followed by conditioner, of course) to eliminate harmful, drying pool chemicals.

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Condition, Condition, Condition
Take your conditioning to the next level, and add a hair mask to your weekly routine. A range of products exist in today's market for all hair types—these babies can do everything from adding volume to making hair shinier to moisturizing deeply. Blissett-Williams likes Kérastase Masque Force Architecte ($63, birchbox.com) because it helps to ward off damage with a keratin complex that mimics the hair’s natural keratin. If you swim frequently, especially in a chlorinated pool, coat your tresses in conditioner and wrap them under a swim cap to keep the chemicals out and moisture in, says Blandi.

Style with Care
Curly girls should keep a wide-tooth comb in the shower and work through knots while conditioner is still on. (Always start brushing at the ends of your hair, and then gradually brush sections closer to your scalp). Extra-curly ladies may want to skip brushing altogether and simply use fingers to detangle while conditioning in the shower. Meanwhile, if your hair is straight, you can brush away since it can help distribute natural oils that protect hair shafts, says Blissett-Williams.

Using heat tools, like your blow-dryer, can also make your hair more prone to breakage and split ends. While it’s still summer, take advantage of the warm weather and air dry instead. "Air drying is always better, especially for natural textures," says Blandi. An easy way to wake up with pretty hair: Sleep with wet strands in a braid—this will straighten the top of the hair and give you loose waves on the bottom.

And if you’re not ready to cut heat out of your styling routine altogether, make sure you use thermal-protecting products to put a barrier between your mane and damaging heat. Our favorite is Blow Pro You Only Smoother Advanced Smoothing Spray ($22, ulta.com), which offers protection for up to 450 degrees.

Topical treatments can help your strands keep it together (literally) and retain their luster, too. But remember, even the healthiest of hair should still be trimmed each season.