Why do split ends and hair breakage occur? | Understanding the causes and daily habits to protect your hair ends

KEMA Column

Advanced · Quality · Oriented

When you glance at your hair ends, you might find them split in two or see short, broken hairs sticking out. Have you ever felt disappointed, thinking, "Why is this happening even though I use treatments?" When you have breakage or split ends, your hair can look dry, losing both shine and manageability.

Unfortunately, once breakage or split ends have occurred, they cannot be repaired through care. That is why it is essential to understand "why they happen" and focus on prevention. In this article, we will unravel the causes of breakage and split ends one by one and introduce daily habits to protect your hair tips. These are all things you can start today without any special tools.

What is the difference between breakage and split ends?

They are similar terms, but the conditions are slightly different.

Although the conditions differ, the root cause is the same. Both occur as a result of hair structure weakening due to damage until it can no longer hold together.

The surface of your hair is protected by a scale-like membrane called the cuticle. When the cuticle is peeled away by damage, the inner fibers become exposed, making the hair prone to splitting or breaking. It may be easier to imagine it like the outer cover of a rope being torn, causing the inner fibers to fray.

Hair cannot heal itself. That is why "prevention" is everything.

If your skin gets a cut, it heals naturally over time. But hair is different. Hair that has emerged from the scalp is made of cells that have finished their life cycle and does not have the power to repair itself.

In other words, the damage your hair receives accumulates without disappearing. For shoulder-length hair, the ends have been growing for several years. During that time, they have been subjected to daily shampooing, blow-drying, and UV rays. This is why breakage and split ends are more common at the hair tips.

5 causes that lead to breakage and split ends

To prevent them, first, let's understand the causes. Here are the five main ones.

Cause 1: Friction

This is the most common and easily overlooked cause. Rubbing hair vigorously with a towel, forcing a brush through tangled hair, or friction against a pillow while sleeping. Be especially careful with wet hair, as the cuticles are open, making it vulnerable to friction.

Cause 2: Heat

Holding a hair dryer too close, or applying high-temperature irons or curling tongs to the same spot repeatedly. Hair's primary component, protein, has the property of becoming hard and brittle when exposed to high heat. It is similar to how a raw egg hardens when heated and cannot return to its original state.

Cause 3: Coloring, Bleaching, and Perms

These treatments use chemicals to open the cuticle and work inside the hair. While essential for enjoying style, they cause proteins to leak from the hair each time, gradually weakening it.

Cause 4: Dryness and UV Rays

Hair that has lost its moisture loses its suppleness, making it easier to snap or split. It is like a dry twig that breaks easily. Be especially careful in autumn and winter when the air is dry, and after significant exposure to UV rays.

Cause 5: How you tie your hair

Do you tie your hair tightly in the same position every day? Using thin rubber bands to secure hair tightly concentrates stress on that specific area, causing breakage. Pulling the hair when removing the band is also detrimental.

What should I do about existing split ends?

In short, the basic approach for split ends is to "cut" them. Leaving split ends alone can cause the split to travel further up the hair shaft.

• Do not split or pluck them: It is tempting, but it only spreads the damage.
• Get regular trims: Even if you are growing your hair out, trimming the tips helps maintain a healthy look.
• Focus on prevention after cutting: If the causes remain, new split ends will simply form on the new tips.

While treatments and oils cannot "glue" split ends back together, they can smooth the surface to make them less noticeable and help prevent further splitting. Continue your care routine until your next trim.

7 daily habits to protect your hair ends

Now to the main topic. Here are seven things you can incorporate into your daily life to prevent breakage and split ends. You don't have to start them all at once. Try incorporating them one by one as you can.

Nourishing from within, protecting from without — KEMA care

Support your habits with hair care products. It is helpful to think of care for preventing breakage/split ends as two parts: "nourishing the inside" and "protecting the outside."

Replenishing protein while washing

Hair that has been colored or ironed repeatedly loses internal protein, causing breakage and dryness. Crema Shampoo is a protein-infused shampoo that replenishes four types of protein (keratin, silk, collagen, and wheat) while washing. It turns your daily shampoo time into a preventive care session. Silicone-free and low-irritation formula.

KEMA Crema Shampoo

Replenishes 4 proteins while washing. Ideal for hair suffering from color/iron damage, breakage, or dryness.

¥9,020 (tax included)

Nourishing from within with treatments

After shampooing, replenish moisture and protein with a treatment. Crema Treatment White, a high-protein intensive care product for severely damaged hair, is designed not to stiffen but to softly nourish. It provides resilient suppleness to weak, damaged hair. For those concerned about frizz or stiffness, the high-moisturizing Black type is also an option.

KEMA Crema Treatment White

Contains silk, keratin, and collagen. A high-protein intensive treatment that restores moisture and protein for soft, resilient hair.

¥8,360 (tax included)

Protecting from the outside with leave-in treatments

Leave-in treatment is the star of preventive care. After your bath, it continues to protect your hair from dryer heat, daytime dryness, and friction.

Miracle Bond Balm repairs the inside with a complex of keratin, silk, and collagen amino acids, while camellia and jojoba oils wrap and coat the cuticle. It is a high-repair formula designed for those whose tips are full of split ends and breakage, or for whom a rinse-out treatment is simply not enough.

KEMA Miracle Bond Balm

Repairs the inside, coats the outside. A high-repair leave-in treatment that keeps hair shiny and manageable while preventing heat damage.

¥4,290 (tax included)

What you can do from within the body

While you must rely on external care to protect the hair you currently have, your future hair is built through daily diet and lifestyle. Hair is primarily made of protein. A balanced diet of meat, fish, eggs, and soy products is fundamental. Extreme dieting places a burden on your hair as well.

There is no specific "miracle food" that eliminates breakage, but a balanced diet and sufficient sleep provide the foundation for healthy hair growth. Combine this with your external care routine for long-term results.

FAQ

Can treatment heal split ends?

Unfortunately, hair that has already split cannot be fused back together. The standard approach for existing split ends is to cut them off. Consider treatments as a way to prevent new split ends and to smooth the existing ones to make them less visible.

How often should I trim my hair ends?

There is no one-size-fits-all answer, as it depends on your hair's condition and desired length. Even if you are growing your hair out, asking for a "slight trim" each time you visit the salon helps you grow it out while maintaining healthy-looking ends. Please consult your stylist.

Is it okay to brush wet hair?

Wet hair is prone to stretching and breaking. If you must brush, use a wide-tooth comb rather than a fine brush, and gently work through it starting from the ends.

What kind of brush should I choose?

We recommend one with rounded tips that won't snag on the hair. Regardless of the brush, it is important to hold the mid-section and detangle the ends first, rather than brushing from the root in one go.

My breakage is increasing; should I stop coloring?

You don't have to stop, but you can take measures to reduce the stress on your hair. For example, use retouches to color only the roots, increase the interval between sessions, or focus on pre- and post-treatment care. Tell your stylist, "I'm concerned about breakage," and work together to find a strategy.

Conclusion: Hair ends are a mirror of your daily habits

Breakage and split ends do not appear out of nowhere. They appear at the hair ends as a result of accumulated, small, daily stressors: friction, heat, chemicals, dryness, and how you tie your hair. In other words, changing your daily habits slightly today can change the condition of your hair ends in a few months.

Don't rub. Dry immediately. Protect from heat. And nourish from within, protect from without. Start with what you can, one step at a time.