Hullo everyone! :) Been a while since I've posted a topic, but I've been meaning to ask this for a while, so here we go!
At least twice a week, I try and do something elaborate with my hair for going out in the evenings, and this normally involves lots of tiny braids, hair-grips stuck in at all angles, sometimes hair-bands and twist-in gems and clips etc. I love doing this, and I'm always getting new ideas of different ways to wear my hair and alot of people compliment me on how beautiful the hairstyles look, but I am getting more and more conscious of damaging my hair. Sometimes when I take the twist-in gems out I get hair pulled out with it...and this happens with the hair-bands too, and I've noticed the ends of my hair is constantly in need of trimming because of dry and broken split ends. But having said that, my hair is waist length, and as a hairdresser explained to me, the tips of my hair will probably be about 5 years old by now and past its best anyway, but I'm just concerned that I'm going to be wrecking my hair more and more if I'm not careful!
Are there any tips anyone can give me that will enable me to carry on doing beautiful hairstyles, but without the fear factor if at all possible, of splitting hairs galore!

The ends of your hair are probably 5 - 8 years old, so they will tend to be dry and brittle.  Using hair bands and clips can cause more damage.  The best way to try to prevent the damage is to keep the hair pliable and moisturized.  Oiling the ends or doing regular conditioning treatments can help.  

Of course being careful when you remove the clips and bands will also help minimize damage.

Once splits are found, you should trim them so that the split does not travel up the hair and cause even more damage.

What BB said! :)

Some hairtoys can cause damage. Be sure to use only accessories that are good quality: no metal in elastics, no accessories shouldn't have rough or sharp edges or sharp seams (in some cases, you can smooth these using a nail file). Accessories shouldn't snag or pull hair, and inserting or taking them out of your hair shouldn't hurt. In any case, you should be careful when inserting and taking out accessories- in rough hands, even good hairtoys can cause damage.
   There are lots of good hair accessories available (especially in internet), but they often cost more than cheapies.

I think I have some experience on the accessories you have mentioned. "Floating" or screw in gems are pretty, but not particularly hair friendly, so I save them for special occassions. They can be substituted often with hair pins with pearls or gems that are more hair friendly though. These are widely available, but you can also make your own.
     Small clips and bobby pins can be hair friendly or not- I've noticed that there is huge varitation in quality.
     My favorite hair accessories at the moment are hairsticks, hair forks, Ficcare clips and colorful ribbons. I also like French twist combs.

Hey, thanks for the lil tips you've both mentioned!
I'm currently investing in hair-sticks now (!!!!), as I've only got one set that a friend gave me, but they're so pretty, and everyone says how nice they are when they're in!
I normally put my hair into a bun using pins to secure, and then slide the hair-sticks through. But I know that some people can get their entire hair to stay put using *just* the sticks. Do you need to be really skilled at this, or have a special type of hair for it to work??! Cos I've got quite thick, wasit-length hair, and I'm sure that mine would just fall straight out if it was left just up to hairsticks!

I do not use any pins to hold my hair in a bun - just one or two hairsticks.  The trick to being able to use just the sticks is to be able to wrap your hair around the bun at least two times.  The last one or more turns should be able to be made tighter than the first turns so that it lies underneath.  The "stitching" of the sticks thru the layers of the bun will then hold the ends.

I have fine hair which actually makes it easier for me to use just the sticks.  Thicker hair is harder to get to stay under the bun.  But keep practicing and you will probably be able to do this soon.

Thicker hair is harder to get to stay under the bun.
Yeah, because the hair sticks that were given to me are only made of plastic, and I can imagine trying to use one of them to 'stitch' the layers together and ending up snapping one of the sticks in half ;) I have been known to break hair clips and things because of the sheer mass of hair! But I will keep practising!  :D  

 I just have hair envy of you ladies that have such abundant thick tresses.  People like me with thin, fine hair are so jealous!

Jim

Try using a pencil or chop sticks.  The disposable chop sticks you get at restaurants are not good, but import shops frequently carry nicer chop sticks that are inexpensive and longer.  The longer length might make it easer for you to handle your massive hair.

If using a pencil - it SHOULD be sharpened, but then dull the point at bit so that you don't injure your scalp with it.  If the exposed wood is a bit rough, you can use sandpaper or wax paper to make it more smooth.

I just have hair envy of you ladies that have such abundant thick tresses.  People like me with thin, fine hair are so jealous!

I think fine hair can look equally as beautiful though!

Thanks for the tips on the chop-sticks, pencil and hair-sticks! I'm definitely going to be doing more with this type of hair jewellery, as I came across the page with all the lil drawings of different hairstyles, and alot could be decorated with hair jewellery. I might go for greens and yellows with my hair colouring I think!

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I think fine hair can look equally as beautiful though!

Amen, Carrie-Leia.  ;)  

I, for one, prefer the incredible, delicate softness that goes along with fine hair, so I'm grateful that I have it. Granted, it tangles and breaks way easier.  ::)

Coarser hair is often dry and hard to manage but tends to resist damage better.

A word on tiny braids, however: I have always read that they are bad news because they put all sorts of undue stress on individual hairs. It's like putting concentrated levels of damage on small amounts of hair at a time.
   If you're big on elaborate styles (tiny braids & all), you may want to consider getting a hair piece and subjecting it to all of the abuse instead of your own hair.