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tarab , 20 Jan 2009

Split End Pickers?

Okay, I don't know if ya'll do this but, I rip out my split ends and I have to see what they look like. I have to ge them all out of my hair. I am ripping out the back of my hair! Help, do you do this?
185 Answers
splitter
March 01, 2011
I could sit for hours on end picking split ends. I have been doing this for at least 20 years, if not more. I like hearing the little "pop" when I snap them off. Finding the ones that have multiple splits fuel the fire, and the ones that are high up on the strand because they're easier to grasp. I rarely go after the little baby splits at the very ends. I have a callus on my finger from doing this. I do it everywhere too. In traffic is the worst. I have been honked at I don't know how many times for sitting at red lights because I'm too distracted by finding a split end. I do it at my desk at work, in front of the tv, EVERYWHERE. I have tried cutting them with scissors and that helps a little, but nothing compares to the little pop you can hear when you rip one off. It really is like getting a high. I wish I could stop. My hair stylist told me all you're doing when you pick a split end is create another split end because the hair becomes weak and vulnerable. It's an endless cycle!!!
xoluisa1097
July 09, 2011
OMG... okay, im 13- turning 14 but i have this problem to! i do it during class and its a way i dont get bored... i loovee the feeling when it comes out but my hair is horriblee! i really need to stop but i like NEED it..:(
medoittoo
July 17, 2011
OMG! I Can't believe Im not the only one!!!! This is soooooo affecting my life! Im 28 now i have been doing this since I was 14 yrs old. My fiance says pls stop im starting to think your crazy. I spend hours finding split ends and when I pull them apart im so happy! I can't stop Ive tried everything pinning my hair back. Styling it different, I get mad cause I can't get the back like I can access the front. My poor head is sooooo uneven and brittle in the front, I don't put chemicals in my hair but my hair is very stingy looking 0_o I kno I need help, where do I start????
jennazombierocks
August 22, 2011
Like everyone has said Im sooo glad im not the only one!!!! I was messed with as a child and never told a soul until i was older and I noticed after that happened to me I would spend hours cutting split ends out of my hair bitting them out pulling them out ripping them apart. I would have hair every where my mom would get mad and tell me to stop I was around 12 when I started. Now Im 25 years old and everyday I mess with my hair. To me I felt dirty or unperfect if i got a split end out i felt better but not just one i could spend hours doing it. I did cut my hair really short in high school and I stopped for a while bc I couldnt really see or feel them. I have bought the fake hair and played with it instead also hair extensions. But nothing compares to getting split ends out of your own hair. I use to think I was crazy. I try not to straghen my hair as much I leave it curly and tie it up and when i find myself doing it I try to stop or find something else to do. Its very hard but Im pretty sure Ill do this for the rest of my life my goal is to stop and let my hair grow out. Right now its so uneven and I hate it. Im glad I found this page and look forward to finding out more tip to help stop this madness other then the dolls hair or ectension bc i do this already from time to time. And some otther things I do is get my nail done bc I found it very hard for me to pull my split ends or rip them more with fake nails on and if I dont have my nail done I make sure they are short bc I can get a peice of hair and make it split with my nails. :( so so embrassring Thanks!
missmel
September 05, 2011
Omg this is such a relief coming across this site! I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who suffers from this!!! I have been picking my split ends for the last couple of years now. I tell myself everyday that I must stop doing this but I just can't seem to!!! I know it's horrible for your hair and just causes more splits but that doesn't seem to stop me. I try to put my hair up as much as possible so I don't see it and start picking for hours, but sooner or later when I take my hair down I come across some splits and I can't help myself but pick them off. I started realizing I pick them more when I'm stressed or upset about something, but sometimes I pick them out of straight boredem. I also think they're so hideous and they make me think my hair looks ugly, and I feel like people can see them! I know most people probably can't see them, but I CAN see them, and that just drives me insane! I really don't want this to take over my life, but sometimes it does. In college I used to spend hours picking them and I would completely forget I was studying. Split end picking can be such a distraction because I can end up doing it for hours. I'm picking my split ends as I type this! The light from the computer allows me to see my splits better, and like many people have mentioned I also get a high and sense of comfort and relief from picking them. My family yells at me all the time and tells me to stop doing it because I look crazy, and I know I probably do look crazy but I can't stop! I'm also getting dents in my fingers from picking so much. I just got a haircut yesterday and cut off 2 inches, and I STILL have splits! I don't have as many as I used to, but there are still some! I just don't understand how this is possible. I'm really trying to cut down on the split end picking since I just got a haircut, but we'll see how this goes. I'm thinking I should have probably cut more hair off to get rid of more of my splits, but I just love my long hair and don't want it too short. Sometimes I feel like just cutting all of my hair off and getting it really short so I could end my split end picking for good! Unfortunatly, I don't have the guts to cut of all my hair because I would look terrible with short hair. I guess for now I have to trim my hair more frequently and stop touching my hair! I hope one day I can stop picking my split ends for good :(
pixynonomous
September 22, 2011
split eeeends! curse thee! i have wicked long hair n if i start i can't stop! i'll be sitting there holding my hair up to the light n squinting while i slowly go through it.... FOREVER. keeping your hair braided keeps the hairs from breaking...... and using a good conditioner. your hair, she be a precious fabric..... be gentle with her, yes?
Lydiebug
October 10, 2011
I am 13 and i pick at my split ends so much that i get blisters on my fingers. My mom gets really mad at me when i do it and so does my dad. I do it all the time whenever i can, even during school. My teachers get really mad and its gross becuase you can see the little hairs on the suface blow me. Its really gross and i need to stop. I've been doing it for about 3 years since i was 9. My friend said i had a lot and told me hwo to get rid of them. I have also tried to cut them but then i cut them so short because they still have spilts when i cut them they go up to the roots. It is so gross and i look like a crazy person. I am going to try a thing i think it's called Brazilian hair treatment, and it like gets rid of a ton of your split ends. you just use it in the shower before you wash your hair i think. My friend did it and it made her hair amazing! I am also going to take pre-matel pills or whatever there calld. They i guess help your hair to be helthy. I dont really pick at my skin, but i have exema and its like bumps on your skin and i squize them and i guess that counts. Idk but my hair pinkng needs to stop. I really hope i dont have ODC or ADD. But idk i mite. SOme people in my family do so i oculd be. I Try to cut my nails short so i cant pick them, but that drives me crazy and i kinda just pull of the whole hair. I am glad i am not the only one who does this, evenn though i'm kinda young. I hope i can get rid of them :/
adlsplitter24
October 15, 2011

In reply to by Lydiebug

Hey everybody, Im 24 years old and I have this same problem. I have been doin this since I was 13 and I can not stop. I am completely obsessed with it and it gives me a since of relaxation and comfort when i do it. I find myself picking my ends when I am nervous, sad, mad, very upset, anxious, depressed, picking after arguing with someone, anxiety issues or jus plain out bored. I will sit in my room for hours upon hours doing it, like some people say, I usually dont go after the baby ones either I like to find the ones thats really big and the ones that have about 10 or more strands of a split on it makes me so happy and relieved. I will pick my ends anywhere like the bathroom, at my vanity table where my desk lamb shines bright on it, at work, in the car waiting or sitting at a red light and sometimes I get honked at too lol but ( I find that the natural sunlight is the absoulte very best when picking your split ends) and the worst was in school. I would pick them so much in school because I was so bored, didnt get very good grades and my teachers would hold a parent teacher conference with me regarding my issue with this for not paying attention. Im a very girly girl and likes makeup and stuff like that but when I want to pick my ends or jus feel that need to I like to wear black or hold my hair in the direction of something dark in the background bc I found I can see them alot better that way. I have been yelled at so much by my parents and friends bc they said its nasty and annoying lol. My friend said she can hear the popping and it drives her crazy. I am not on any meds for this nor have I ever and Im still to this day picking my split ends for hours and hours. But here recently I have developed another obsession to picking my acne bumps on my face some will be tiny bumps some large but not the very big nasty pus kinds jus like the little whiteheads or blackheads that have the tiny little white thing that pop out with a hard squeeze. I have sat in my room yet again picking these bumps on my face, everytime I find one that has the whitehead pop out I get this overly excited feeling that jus utterly comforts me so much. I wish I could stop these obsessions bc I feel like not only is it unhealthy and damaging to my hair and skin but Im wasting my young youthful days sitting in my room doin this instead of being out with my friends or having hobbies. These are the prime years of my life where I should be focused on school and getting a college diploma and finding someone to settle down with and starting a family but instead im too distracted and lost in my own little word of obsessive complusive disorder and all im doin is jus working and living with my mother still. I hate it and have came to a conclusion that I need help and this needs to stop. Im currently in the process of seeking a therapist for every matter that I have in hopes that I can get my life on the right track instead of having it wasted with no accomplishments. So if your like me I strongly urge you to seek help immeditely. If these obsessions are taking over your life and doing nothing but causing so many problems for you, then get help please. If your comfortable in your life and have all your goals met and have settled down and already has everything goin for you then picking your split ends doesnt have to stop unless it takes over you and controls you then yes, but then do it because it makes u feel good and dont pick them cut them off with shears. But the picking of the bumps has to stop its jus all around damaging and in the long run you will just end up having nothing but a bottle of pills for ocd and a scarred up face. Good luck to everybody that suffers these issues I hope you all find a cure for yourself and jus know that your not the only one who has these problems others like me suffer from it too and no your not crazy by the way, WE JUST CANT HELP IT. lol. Take care everybody. :)
luccyyannee
October 21, 2011
i have the same problem with picking my split ends! ahh i hate it so much and i cant stop. im not that bad about it though like ill do it alot at school but at home i dont. i do it alot when i get out of the shower though because they i guess are fun to pick at when there wet. but i really need to stop. ill do it and i dont even relize im doing it and then i get more annoyed! my friend does it to but i dont think as much as me. i first found out about split ends when i was 13 yeah im 15 now and i think its time to stop... reading these storys makes me feel better because i feel like im not the only one that does it. but still i really want to stop. i remember this period of time when i didnt do it for about two months and i loved it and then just one night i was under a light and i saw a split end and i just needed to pick it and so it started up again. i hate it because when i do it, it just creates more split ends. and in my opinion i think they are discustng. i hope i can find a way to just completely stop. one thing i have been do is i have been picking at my lip because they are so chapped and i dont even relize it sometimes and it makes my lips hurt even worse. i mean i have big lips and if there bleeding from me picking at them that doesnt make them look so good. i pick them until theres no more chapped skin and thats not good. chap stick doesnt work it just makes my lips even more chapped. so i just need to stop and im going to try everything in my power to, so yeah thats my lips and split ends problem..
luvkitties2
October 22, 2011
Count me in as well...I enjoy picking my split ends; the act itself seems to calm my anxieties and gives me something to pick at other than my face. I especially love the long ones--they're bendable and remind me of the appendages of a "daddy long legs" spider. I also love the ones that are frayed into several fanned segments. I know I say these things and risk being seen as convoluted; I hope someone can relate!
llamachick13
October 29, 2011
Im 14 and ive done it for 3 years! I cant focus at school and people laugh at me. My teachers yell at me in class to leave my hair alone. ITS HIMILIATING! I CANT STOP! I cant do my homework cuz all i can think about is my split ends! I put my hair in a pony tail at home and that really helps but wen im bored i just pick! It is super bad at school. I get no work done! I used to be a straight A student but no i have Bs and Cs! I get nothing done. I Wake up on the weekends and sit in my room ALL day picking! Sometimes i dont leave my room and dont even eat! Im si glad im not alone. I NEED HELP!
shelleycw
January 04, 2012

In reply to by llamachick13

Hi, please see my post earlier today. I have been doing this for 40 years and can relate. My teacher once asked me if I was picking bugs out of my har!!!! That was humiliating. But please don't get too overwhelmed. The best thing you can do is get your hair trimmed a lot. And maybe talk to your parents about counsiling. Also, I think keeping your hands busy helps too. I do jigsaw puzzles, crochet and play on my DS.
rose
November 30, 2011
God yes, favorite past time, i don't even realise i'm doing it any more, at least its not quite as destructive as picking at your skin. To stop myself do it i wear my hair up pretty much all the time now to give it some time to grow back.
That girl
December 04, 2011
I have been picking my split ends sinve ive been 12 im almost 20 for me its a stress releiever i have 2 kids both boys the ages is 1 and 4 months old so yea thats alot of stress.. I remember the first day i picked one i thought it was good for your hair honestly, Im starting to wonder if this is a condition or just a bad habit like biting nails. ive tried so much to stop but i just cant it relaxes me for some reason. I guess some people drink some people smoke I pick split ends its my horrible addiction...
HairPickingProblem
December 10, 2011
I can't believe this site is real. I'm in college and have been picking at my hair since I was a sophomore in high school. I used to bite my nails but that stopped when I got braces. I remember my best friend was complaining about how bad her ends were and I asked what she meant and she replied saying "i sometimes split my ends" and I took one look at my hair and it's been down hill ever since. I had long, gorgeous strawberry blonde hair that hair stylists would always comment about and beg me to donate because it was so thick and pretty... Now I have fried, split, choppy uneven hair that I can't stop picking at. It started with just splitting the split end and then I kept getting hair cuts so that I would stop doing it. Eventually my hair was too short to see so I started to run my nails down the hair to create a split and break it off. Now I sit in front of the mirror with a light and tweezers and split the ends. My roommates let me sit in front of the mirror for a little bit because if they don't I sometimes stay up late and do it for hours at night. I could be perfectly content doing it in front of the mirror for hours on end I have no doubt and it really becomes a problem when I need to write a paper or study. Papers take me so long not because I'm slow at writing but because I stop and pick at my hair for 10 minutes after every few sentences. I want to stop so bad.. I've even had my roommates take my tweezers but I just use my nails now. Over Christmas break I wanna dye my hair dark red brown and get extensions because maybe having extensions will make me stop? I doubt it though.. It'll just be more hair to feed my addiction. I guess I could seek a counselor because I know it is an anxiety problem, but I also think it's just a bad habit. Not sure what to do. I've worn gloves or a hat in the security of my room but even then I find myself ten minutes later picking at my hair because I unconsciously took off the gloves. I've already stopped a few times while typing this huge thing. Idk why I never thought to google this problem before. I think it's cuz I thought I was the only one because after my old hair dresser was shocked and had never heard of anyone so obsessed I lost all hope and had my Mom trim my hair ever so often and stopped going to the salon because I'm so embarrassed. I want my gorgeous hair back! It would boost my confidence so much! I already have a really low confidence and picking my hair does not help! HELP!!
splitends88
December 11, 2011

In reply to by HairPickingProblem

I know exactly how you feel! Here's some advice, recently I've been adding a little bit of olive oil to the ends of my hair when it is wet, this helps make split ends less noticeable when your hair dries (but unfortunately you can still find split ends even after doing this). I use to have blond hair and I also got extension because my hair was short and not growing because of how much i picked at my split ends. One thing with extensions I noticed is that it did some what help me stop picking at my split ends BUT instead I was picking at the split ends of the extensions instead! But i guess that is better than picking at your real hair's split ends. Since I was picking at my extensions split ends it did help my real hair grow out some. However, now I don't have extensions and I recently dyed my hair brown.. one thing I've noticed compared to my blond hair and brown hair is that I notice more split ends and dead ends when i have darker hair. With darker hair I found it easier to notice split ends in all different kinds of lighting. So be careful if you do dye your hair dark because the same might happen to you. I definitely recommend using olive oil on your ends and getting extensions to help deter you from picking at your real hair's split ends. So far this is what I've found to work best for me, but I still struggle with the urge not to pick. Good luck! Hope this advice helps!!
erised
December 14, 2011

In reply to by HairPickingProblem

Don't think of it as "just a bad habit"! This is not normal. I do this too (in addition to skin picking) so I totally understand your pain. My hair is so much thinner than it would be if I didn't have trichotillomania and that is indeed a blow to confidence. You really do need to seek a counselor. This is not a habit that you can just kick. I had no idea that dermatillomania and trichotillomania were so common (or even that they had NAMES!) until I found this site a couple of weeks ago. Since then, my problems with those two and with anxiety and schoolwork got so bad that I finally was desperate enough to call the Center for Counseling and Psychological Health at my university. I have now had two appointments and I cannot praise the experience enough. I was SO nervous about it and have been avoiding therapy for years because of that fear. But all of that nervous-ness faded very soon after the first appointment began. I really recommend that you try to see a counselor. I didn't have much trouble telling him about how my family stresses me out and my problems with schoolwork, but I was pretty worried about telling him about my skin picking and split end pulling. While I have talked to friends and family about other problems, I have never spoken with anyone about my trichotillomania nor dermatillomania. I got the courage to open up about it during my second appointment and was relieved when he used the clinical names before I did. He understood. Just like this website has helped me in realizing that I am not the only one that suffers with these, talking to a professional made me feel better because he was very understanding and clearly had knowledge about these things. It's the end of the semester, so I won't be able to see him again until the end of January, but I'm going to try to see someone at home in the meantime. Apparently I have lots and lots of anxiety and OCD. He recommended I my ask my doctor for a referral to a psychologist so I can start treatment which may be a combination of behavorial therapy and medication. Girl -- I promise you that this is not just a bad habit. You need to see someone. Your health is worth overcoming whatever is holding you back.
splitends88
December 11, 2011
It is such a relief to know that others pick at their split ends as well. I thought I was the only one who had a serious problem with it! I started picking at my split/dead ends when I was in high school. It wasn't that bad at first and I would only do it once in awhile. Since starting college my problem has gotten way worse! It wasn't that bad my first couple of years at college but from my junior year on it has gotten out of control! In class I would just sit and pick at my split/dead ends all day and completely ignore the lectures I was attending. Even while I am taking tests I will pick at my split ends. Before when I was still living at home, my mom use to yell at me and tell me to stop when she saw me doing it. Now that I don't live at home and live far away, there's no one there to tell me to stop. It has gotten so bad and so out of control that it has affected my school work and studying. I'm so irritated with myself and have tried what seems to be everything to stop! I'll cut off my split ends, but I seem to always find more to pick at after I do. I've tried wearing my hair up but still find myself picking at split ends when little pieces of hair that fall down (or I'll intentionally pull small pieces down to pick at). I've tried sitting on my hands too to avoid doing it but some how I always manage to pick at them. Recently Ive tried a new technique of adding a little bit of olive oil to the ends of my hair when it is wet to make my ends less dry and it helps make split ends less noticeable. (but I still manage to find some split ends to pick at). Sometimes, especially at night or in certain lighting, I'll catch myself sitting for hours just picking at my split ends. It's gotten so out of control for me and I'm so desperate to stop but I have no idea how! My hair use to look so good, now it never grows and is so damaged. I'm so embarrassed by it because even some people in my class have called me out on it. Now I'm about to graduate college and get a job and the last thing I want to do is pick at my split ends while working. If any one has any advice on how to stop this please let me know!! I know it is a form of an OCD problem, and I'm contemplating seeking therapy help for it but would prefer to kick the habit on my own. So PLEASE help me! I'm willing to try anything (except shaving my head haha).
shelleycw
January 04, 2012

In reply to by splitends88

Hello, I am 48 years old and I have been doing this since I was 8. It is worse at times and better at others. I have found that when I am nervous about anything, it is very bad. I have even caught myself picking while driving!!!! Sometimes the only thing I care about is picking. Not my husgand, not my kids or job. Believe me I really know about this obsession. Anyway, the things that I found that have helped me, is............ I have to have my hair cut short, not really short, but short enough that it is hard to pick comfortably. And I get frequent hair trims. Nothing makes it worse than knowing I have damaged hair. So after I get the trim, I usually have a few weeks of not obsessing. But I am also on Zoloft. I know you might not want to go to drugs, but hey, If you need it, it is silly not to. You just need to get over the obsession for a while to see how much better your life is without it. But if you only do one thing, get your hair trimmed often. Let me know how you are doing, Shelley
small-lady
January 17, 2012
I am 16 and I started picking last year because I was abused and publicly humiliated by my best friend and then left friendless for months untill I found people I could trust. I have been bullied my whole life about my appearance so once I got my braces off I became obsessive about the way I look and I feel so guilty for being vain, somedays I feel like the most beautiful girl in the world and somedays I feel like the ugliest. I feel Like I need to be perfect so i feel the obsessive need to get rid of my gross splits so I can be perfect . I had read that if you pull them off and leave the hair there then the split just spreads farther up so i pull the entire hair out then pick off the end, the way I see it once it has a split the whole hair is gross. People always comment on how few split ends I have and thus motivates me to do it more. I have been praised for my hair so often that I feel like people expect it to be flawless and if it has splits of looks bad I have failed. There was a boy in my math class who constantly teased me about my picking saying I would go bald, then he asked me out after all that bullying was angry and confused so i punched him .... That's never how I would usually react but I am so tired of bullying so I snapped. I really scared myself and i don't want to have anything for people to bully me about anymore I just want to be perfect so people will leave me in peace! I notticed that there are little white balls and if you pull them the end pops off, and ones that have split Luke a fan, and ones that split like the branches ofand I am scared to ask a tree and you can bend them to form right angles and i truly hate them all and take joy in removing and them breaking them. My obsession hasn't quite taken over my life yet but i can see that coming, I know I need to get rid of my obsession with having to look perfect I have had a lot if people beating on my self worth for my whole life and I really need therapy! I know my problems just not how to fix myself but i am scared to ask my mom for therapy... Anyways goodluck to all of you!

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