It is difficult to have a proper beauty care regime for the busy woman of today. Even though skin receives some care, hair remains neglected. As a result, problems like hair fall; dandruff and split ends develop, which give the hair an unhealthy look.

Reasons for the split ends:

When hair shaft gets damaged, and the hair strands become dry, the hair starts to develop split ends. This leads to further problems like breakage, roughness, tangling etc. There are several reasons why hair develops split ends. Heat, chemicals, over-styling and lack of proper hair care are the reasons for split end.

• Styling tools: styling hair regularly with tools like curling iron or straightening iron, or regularly using the blow dryer, exposes the hair to excessively strong and unnatural heat. This harms the hair. In fact, overuse of these tools essentially fries the hair strands, ripping away all moisture.
• Use of styling products: The temptation of using styling products for the hair can be too strong to resist, especially when there is an entire section of the market dedicated to hair products like gel, colour etc. But, all these products contain harmful chemicals that harm the hair and cause split ends. Even strong shampoos contain harmful chemicals.
• Over-styling of hair: Experimenting with hairstyles can be fun, but overdoing it can cause the hair to become rough and develop split ends. Even over-brushing the hair can have a similar effect.
• Heat: Apart from styling tools, hair can also receive heat from long exposure to sunlight, or while washing hair with extremely hot water.

Remedies to get rid of split ends:

There are no magic remedies that can stick the splits back, even though many brands claim to do so. If the hair starts to develop split ends, it is best to get rid of them permanently, and look into the reasons behind their development, and then take proper precautions.

• When split ends start to develop, it is best to cut off the ends of the hair immediately, before the split ends get out of control. In fact, it is a good habit to trim the hair by about a quarter of an inch to an inch, every six to eight weeks.
• One should avoid all things that might cause split ends, such as chemical-filled styling products, hairstyling tools and dryers, exposure to direct sunlight etc.
• If the hair becomes dry and weak and shows the first signs of developing split ends, they need immediate care. Oiling the hair is a good way to take care of dry hair. Castor oil, almond oil and olive oil work wonders in this respect. Mixing then with any regular oil, and applying on the hair, especially the tips, can really be helpful, especially if the oil is heated before application and is left overnight before washing away with a mild shampoo. The hair also been massaged with a mixture of half a cup of the oil and half a cup of boiling water, and covered with a shower cap, before washing.
• Hair pack with 1 egg mixed with 1 Tbsp. of honey and oil each is very helpful for damaged hair.
• Mashed ripe papaya is a very good remedy for split ends. Once applied on the hair, it should be washed with warm water after 30 minutes.
• A home-made leave-in conditioner can be made by mixing one Tbsp. of honey in four cups of water.