They line the shelves in shops and salons – lotions and serums claiming to repair split ends. How much can they actually do?

‘Hair is a dead fibre, so once it splits, there is no way to bring it back to life and fix the damage. A trim is the only permanent solution,’ says stylist Eva Scrivo, author of Eva Scrivo On Beauty (Atria Books). But repair products do offer a temporary treatment.

‘By coating the hair shaft with ingredients like polymers and/or silicones, they may help bind together broken ends till the next shampoo,’ says Dr Birnur Aral, director of health, beauty and environmental sciences at the US Good Housekeeping Research Institute. And smoothing ends together works to minimise frizz and jagged edges.

Try our picks between salon visits:

Pantene Pro-V Split End Repair Keratin Protection Crème (R64,99) and Avon Advance Techniques 3D Rescue Leave-in Treatment (R79,95).

Read more:

How to prevent hair loss

Five ways to get ‘ bigger’, thicker hair