Excessive styling and blowdrying can leave your hair with split ends, and once the hair has started to split it can fray further up the hair shaft. All of which will unfortunately (usually) mean that you'll have to chop length off your hair to get it back into shape.
But there is a 'new' way to get rid of split ends, without sacrificing length: hair dusting.
The trend has actually been around for decades, but thanks to LA hair stylist, Sal Salcedo (and his almost 100k Instagram followers) it has made a comeback in a huge way. He explained the technique of razoring split ends with sharp scissors to Marie Claire last month: "Hair dusting is a technique in which you don't get rid of any hair length, but only the damaged hair tips. This can be done by snipping the very bottom of each hair strand. Think of it in terms of removing fuzz from clothes. You want to smooth the hair out the best you can first, because you need to allow the bad hair to pop up. That's what you will be getting rid of."
Basically, dusting is a form of exfoliation, and a bit like shaving your hair.
Hair stylist Anthony Nader is also very familiar with the 'new' trend. "Oh this old trick has become a trend again,"he says.
"The secret to success with this technique is all in the scissors and how they snip those wispy dead ends off when they pop out from the hair. You target these strays and snip them off without sacrificing the length of the hair."
It's a useful technique for anyone trying to grow out damaged hair, and while I'm a firm believer that this technique should be performed in-salon by a pro with a pair of extremely sharp scissors, you can try it at home.
If you dare to do your own dusting at home, here are some essential tips:
· Get yourself some sharp scissors as these are essential to create precise clean snips.
· Smooth your hair and then divide it into multiple sections so that you can dust your hair one section at a time.
· Next, twist each section between your index and middle fingers. This will force the damaged ends to stick out and be ready for dusting. When you see a split end just nip the very end of it. Work around your entire head of hair.
· This technique may be effective, but it's also very time-consuming, as you really can't rush it. So set aside an entire afternoon.
That said, dusting is usually cheaper than an actual cut, and should follow the cycle of a normal trim, so best done every six to eight weeks.
So if you ask me, let your hairdresser do the work!