The end of the hair strand literally splits into two or more pieces, similar to a frayed end of a rope or piece of string. Unfortunately, split ends are more common and visible in certain hair types, colours and styles. Split ends in natural hair are less common than in colour-treated hair because the chemicals used in colouring products can damage and dry the cortex. Split ends on short hair and styles are less likely because frequent cutting removes the broken hair. Splits ends all over hair that’s long and badly damaged are, unfortunately, easy to spot, as are split ends on wavy hair. On black hair, split ends tend to show quicker. They often start as white dots that look like specks of dust that subsequently fray further. Split ends on black hair can be caused by improper detangling, brushing wet hair or harsh hair treatments. Split ends in 4C hair happen often because it’s very fragile. Luckily, due to the hair’s frizzy appearance, split ends can be well hidden if the damage is at an early stage.