You may not want to lose any length by trimming your hair, but it is very imporant that you do. According to Healthline, you get split ends when your hair becomes dry, brittle, and frayed (McDermott). 

Here are some of the causes of split ends:

• Heat Damage
• Blow drying -  The hot air will dry out your natural moisture and split the ends of the hair
• Curling the hair - curling irons and other heat treatments can split the hair
• Straightening - flat iron heat treatment or chemical straightening
• Chemical Damage - excessive application of chemicals such as perms and hair coloring/bleaching may weaken the hair, causing it to be prone to split ends
• Vigorous combing or brushing - Pulling the hair forcefully through tangled hair and repeated combing can split the hair
• Extreme weather conditions - Split ends are more common in the winter time. Really cold weather will remove moisture from the hair, making it brittle and dry. Prolonged exposure to the sun can also cause split ends.
• Shampooing - Excessive shampooing or using the wrong type of shampoo can make your hair rough and brittle

There is no remedy for split ends. So what is the best thing to do? The best thing you can do is, simply, cut the affected hairs. This will leave your hair looking healthy, attractive and will actually stimulate hair growth!

You and/or your stylist should know when to recognize when your hair needs a trim. So, let's look at the 16 different types of split ends....

1. Traditional Split ​- ​The hair splits in two, resembling a "Y" shape
2. Crinkle ​- ​Wrinkled split ends due to excessive heat or chemicals
3. Triple ​- ​Separated into three pieces
4. Feather - ​Many different split ends along one side of the hair shaft, resembling a feather
5. Tree ​- ​Many different pieces of the shaft coming apart, resembling a tree and branches
6. Double Y ​- ​The hair separates into two, then splits again off one the branches
7. Long - ​Hair shaft starts to separate in a specific spot
8. Deep ​​- ​The hair splits into two, and the "Y" is high on the shaft
9. Baby ​- ​A soon to be split, in which the hair shaft hasn't completely separated yet
10. Taper - The cuticle has started to peel away due to chemical damage
11. Thickening - The ends are still in tact but the texture begins to change
12. Right Angle - The hair begins to bend at an angle
13. White Spots - Visible white spots in the hair shafts caused by severe chemical burns
14. Offshoot ​- ​The hair thickens along the shaft and has bonded together again
15. Knot ​- ​Occurs in curly hair, and leads to more tangles but doesn't split
16. Incomplete Split ​- ​Hair weakens in a specific spot but hasn't split yet