Any help greatly appreciated:-)

Hello everyone,I've seen such great advice on this board that I was wondering if maybe someone could help me. My boyfriend has beautiful long thick hair. The only problem is that he has a real problem with split ends. He's tried every conditioner, but nothing seems to help. He's decided that he really should get a good trim and to start fresh. The only problem is that he wants me to do it. He doesn't trust anyone else. I've never cut anyone's hair before and I'm really afraid that I'll mess up. His hair is straight, all one length to about his collarbone. Any suggestions on how I can either change his mind and get him to a professional or any help on how I can trim it without messing up?Thanks in advance,Helena

Hi Helena,One quick note: on average hair grows about half an inch a month. So, if you're trimming more than this on a regular basis the hair is unlikely to grow any longer.Problems with split ends can be caused by many different things, so there are different solutions to each. First, I would recommend trying to figure out how he gets them in the first place. Does he use a blow dryer or other heated styling appliances on a regular basis? If so, he may want to consider using them less often, and when he does use them to be sure to use a product designed to help prevent heat damage, like some leave-in conditioners.Does he swim often? Or is he out in the sun and/or wind a lot? Both of these can also contribute to split ends. There are also products designed to help in such situations.Does he wash his hair everyday? Or even more often? If so, be sure to use gentle products and to condition thoroughly. Once the hair is more than a few inches long the oils from the scalp don't reach the ends, especially with frequent washings. So keeping the ends of the hair moisturized with conditioning and/or oil treatments can help keep the ends flexible and less likely to split.Another thing that can cause splits is rough handling of the hair. Does he ever brush it when wet? It's best to only use your fingers and a wide toothed comb to remove tangles from wet hair; they cause less damage. If he's pulling and tugging to remove tangles, then some hairs can stretch and some will even snap, which is defintely a cause of split ends. When trying to remove tangles, start combing from the bottom of the hair and gradually work your way up an inch or two at at time, depending on how badly the hair is tangled. It may also be necessary to work in relatively small sections.As for dealing with the current split ends, trimming them off is the only real answer. There is no way to repair them once they are there. You can only trim them off and then use preventative measures to avoid getting lots more.Cutting his hair shouldn't be too difficult if you take it nice and slow. I'll describe how I have mine done. First comb out the hair to remove all tangles and have it lying smoothly. Part it where he usually does. Be sure he holds his head up straight and doesn't move around too much; this will help you to keep it even. Start with about a one inch section in the center back. Trim it to about the length you want to end up with. Take a bit of the hair you just trimmed and grab another section to one side of it. Trim the ends to match. Then gradually work your way around each side of the head working in small sections. (I find the easiest way to do the cut itself is to run a comb through the section you are about to trim. Just before the comb reaches the end of the hair place the section of hair between the first and second fingers on your other hand so that it will remain spread out and you can easily see the ends. Then put the comb down, pick up the scissors, and trim.)Sorry this turned out so long. Hope there's something helpful in it for you.Best of luck,Teresa