I think Nonie's advice is working

[Chameleonchick]

Nonie how do you dust regularly?? In twists? Or loose hair?

 

[Nonie]

@Nonie how do you dust regularly?? In twists? Or loose hair?

Chameleonchick, in twists. I've been in mini twists for two years now so I just snip the ends every 8 weeks.

 

[deedoswell]

I dust regularly also, especially since I read Nonie's post!

 

[fluffyforever]

I will never forget when Nonie spanked me for not combing my hair with a fine tooth comb. I now do so every wash and it is really great to have detangled hair.

However, I am guilty of never trimming... The last time my hair was cut was when I did the second big chop 2 years ago. The ends were so horrible (tangles and splits).

I am happy to say I gave myself a really good trim last night, taking off 1/4-1 full inch of hair. My ends feel so good now. Nice and smooth. I already made my first dusting appointment for the beginning of December.

 

[Kurlee]

fine tooth comb . I'd be bald and would probably break the comb erplexed

 

[greenandchic]

fine tooth comb . I'd be bald and would probably break the comb erplexed

I know, right? LOL

 

[Nonie]

fine tooth comb . I'd be bald and would probably break the comb erplexed

I know, right? LOL

@Kurlee ane @greenandchic, it's in how you do it. You work on small sections and by doing so ensure fully detangled hair and get to remove shed hair.

This hair you see in this photo was combed with this comb:

My finger combing video also shows you how anal I am about separating my strands. If that comb couldn't go through my hair when my strands are narrower than narrow, then it'd mean I have clumps. I mean, look at how many strands fit in between the teeth:

So why do people act like a fine tooth comb will rip at strands when it separates very narrow strands and goes in between them like so^^.

Don't forget I'm 4B with very kinky coils:

So if I can do it, you can too. You just part narrow sections and start from the ends working your way down to the roots, then secure that section while you work on another.

Once you have done this, then you can casually comb with whatever comb you prefer. And you can be sure your hair will not tangle if you've been that meticulous in removing shed hair. Because of using a fine-tooth comb I NEVER have to detangle coz I never get tangles.

Even when I wore this very shrunke afro, at night I just used fingers of one hand to stretch the strands while the other pulled a comb through it. No breakage. Why? Coz that's how meticulous I am with my hair at all times.

 

[Kurlee]

@Kurlee ane @greenandchic, it's in how you do it. You work on small sections and by doing so ensure fully detangled hair and get to remove shed hair.

This hair you see in this photo was combed with this comb:

My finger combing video also shows you how anal I am about separating my strands. If that comb couldn't go through my hair when my strands are narrower than narrow, then it'd mean I have clumps. I mean, look at how many strands fit in between the teeth:

So why do people act like a fine tooth comb will rip at strands when it separates very narrow strands and goes in between them like so^^.

Don't forget I'm 4B with very kinky coils:

So if I can do it, you can too. You just part narrow sections and start from the ends working your way down to the roots, then secure that section while you work on another.

Once you have done this, then you can casually comb with whatever comb you prefer. And you can be sure your hair will not tangle if you've been that meticulous in removing shed hair. Because of using a fine-tooth comb I NEVER have to detangle coz I never get tangles.

Even when I wore this very shrunke afro, at night I just used fingers of one hand to stretch the strands while the other pulled a comb through it. No breakage. Why? Coz that's how meticulous I am with my hair at all times.

Me and fine tooth combs DO NOT mix. The few times I've used combs that were not wide tooth, with my hair in it's curly state, the comb breaks or ten pounds of hair comb out. If I use a wide tooth comb, maybe 20 hairs max will come out and no tangles. I guess I have to just stick to what works for my hair type. I only comb my hair wet and wet hair + fine tooth comb = curly ends that turn into a ball of knots that need to be cut out. Finger combing/Jilbere once a week works fine for me.

My hair doesn't tangle because of shed hair. It tangles because it curls up on itself and makes a knot. That or too much protein.

 

[Loving]

How do you decide whether to trim or dust?

I currently dust every 8-9 weeks when I get my T/U. I have no breakage, or split ends. Would I still need a trim?

 

[MonaRae]

Can someone please post a link to the thread that started this?

TIA!

 

[lsw29]

Bump because I would like to see Nonie's original post.

 

[Fine 4s]

Initially I was going to straighten and do a big trim in about a month or so. However, I don't think my hair is in the best shape with some stringy hair in the front from the heat I used last year. Looks like it's a no heat until at least the end of 2013. So, once I accept that I'm not straightening this year + :$, I'll probably snip off the dead ends myself. I have breakage and my ends are all over the place

 

[Nonie]

How do you decide whether to trim or dust?

I currently dust every 8-9 weeks when I get my T/U. I have no breakage, or split ends. Would I still need a trim?

@Loving, if it's been a long time since you let scissors touch your hair, chances are your strands are worn a lot (organic things will wear and tear) so you may need a trim to start. After that, as long as you do it within a short time so you don't let your hair get that worn again, you can get away with just dusting. The problem comes when people who went forever w/o doing any trims decide to start dusting and do not remove all the damage in their first trim. You end up with a situation whereby you cut at C and leave the damage you see to the left behind.

Leaving that damage means continual breakage and little retention. So you would need to cut more to the left even beyond A to remove all the jagged ends and then after that, you just need to get to your ends BEFORE you see any damage, coz whether you see it or not, it's there. It starts almost as soon as you trim...so if you dust early, then you stop it from getting as bad as before. And by doing so, you can afford to take out very little coz the damage you can't see is that little, and be OK. In one of the links below I show how well my hair has been doing with just dusting and nothing more. I don't moisturizer, seal, or PS...but I'm slowly getting to lengths I never dreamed possible in over 30 years.

Can someone please post a link to the thread that started this?

TIA!

Bump because I would like to see Nonie's original post.

@MonaRae and @lsw29, it's not just one post. I've talked about dusting ad nauseum. Every time the topic came up, I bored folks with the same ol' sermon. If you simply do a search for "dusting" or "trimming" in titles and type my name as the poster, you'll get a lot of results.

Here are some examples:

Trim those straggly ends fine stranded ladies...

Dangers of not trimming

Is it absolutely mandatory to trim split ends?

Should You Trim Your Hair Every 6 to 8 Weeks?

How much of her hair would u trim off. [Second Opinions]

Would u say her ends are split or no

 

[Loving]

Nonie I got a trim in November last year and have dusted every 2 months since. I am thinking of getting another trim in January though.

Thanks for your help!

 

[Nonie]

@Loving, do what makes you feel better about your hair. Those of us who dust regularly can tell you what a wonderful peace we get when we know we're saving our ends by giving them a fighting chance by stopping the start of damage. Some people know it's time to dust when their hair starts to knot up and tangle. They notice better behaved ends after they dust. So that's one thing you can keep an eye on and see if you get "signs".

Since I'm so carefree with my hair, there are times I will see my hair tapering to a very thin end. I have no problem taking off way more than normal then. Why? Because I do know that when my ends are that thin, it's because they've lost some of their mass, meaning the wear and tear has traveled further up the strand. So what's the point of just doing a dusting when I know it will end up breaking anyway? As you may have seen in one of those links, when I waited too long to dust, I had to cut off 2 inches. I don't worry so much about that, because I do know that my hair will get longer if the strands are stronger. And they are much stronger when they are whole and not in pieces. So better to sacrifice the weak ends so I can enjoy hair that can withstand the elements and the trauma of styling.

And if you can think of dusting not as robbing you of length but as investing in getting to greater lengths, then you'll view it as a blessing. I'm telling you, for 30+ years, I never saw my hair grow beyond my shoulders. If it got to 5-6 inches, I was in heaven. I'm about BSB now. And that's with me hardly doing much by way of caring for my hair, except for religiously dusting. I am ashamed to say for 3 months now, I haven't even baggied. I'm just so meh about my hair so it's probably in worse shape now than before when I baggied nightly. But since I know the secret to greater lengths is removing damage early enough, I will continue to dust or trim--as I see fit. And I know when I get back "in the mood" and start being nicer to my hair (at least baggying) the surprises of the past shall return.

I don't check for length usually. I just dust on a schedule. And then out of the blue I'll be redoing a twist and will realize it's stretching further than I remember and take a look. I don't have to tell you that each such surprise is a gift that makes me ecstatic beyond words. So that's my other suggestion: don't set length deadlines. Just enjoy your hair along the way and let the length surprise you. It's way better finding out by surprise that you arrived at your goal, than meeting deadlines that you were gazing at for a long time. A watched pot never boils...or just seems to take longer to do so.

 

[MzSwift]

Yay Nonie!!
Yes, she contributes so much to this board!

 

[tapioca_pudding]

I'm just getting into this and it has been AMAZING so far!! I retain so much better when I trim regularly..

 

[Ciacia]

This is so interesting!
I have been natural for 2 years now (4b hair) and all I have been doing is the search and destroy method for ssks and split ends. My hair grows slowly and I have noticed that the middle of my hair did not grew much these last few months compared to the front and the very back. I have multiple lengths right now which is annoying bug I am in a wig challenge anyway

Nonie,
Do you think I should just cut my hair evenly and start regular dusting? Or should I just dust the same length everywhere?

 

[Nonie]

This is so interesting!
I have been natural for 2 years now (4b hair) and all I have been doing is the search and destroy method for ssks and split ends. My hair grows slowly and I have noticed that the middle of my hair did not grew much these last few months compared to the front and the very back. I have multiple lengths right now which is annoying bug I am in a wig challenge anyway

@Nonie,
Do you think I should just cut my hair evenly and start regular dusting? Or should I just dust the same length everywhere?

Ciacia, unless you plan to be wearing your hair straight and the difference in lengths is going to show badly, I say just dust the same amount everywhere.

I don't know how S&D works because you can't possible assess all strands so I don't know if that means that you have little damage in some strands and a lot of damage in others...but I think you will be able to tell in a few weeks: If you see your hair breaking, then it means you left some damaged ends so then you may consider doing a good trim (maybe using the opportunity to even your hair out).

I do say that if you've gone a long time w/o trimming, then a good cut all round is best so that you can start off with strands that are in good shape and then maintain them.

 

[AtlantaJJ]

This is a great post. I just had a professional trim about 2 months ago, and I was planning to go 6 - 9 months before getting another one... Its so awesome to be almost knot free. I wonder if I can dust my hair myself :scratchch

ETA: I need to invest in some nice sharp scissors. Any recommendations?

 

[Ciacia]

Thank you Nonie

 

[Kerryann]

Nonie im n ot going to lie girl this made me give myself a dusting just now and i will give myself another one next month too

 

[HanaKuroi]

I straightened my hair and cut a half inch all over. I felt I needed to be more precise the first trim. I will dust in twists from now on. Thanks Nonie

 

[lamaria211]

I just took off about a full inch yesterday hair feels wonderful root to tip will probably do another 1/2 " in Dec

 

[DarkJoy]

I 1/4" dust mine the first weekend of every month now since my BC... keeping on a schedule seems to be the trick for me to stay on task.

Though, @Nonie, just wondering how you treat your hair at night? Does being able to be carefree mean that you can go without the satin bonnets and/or pillowcases? Just curious...would be nice to give those up... I HATE satin/silk pillowcases--my head slides along them all night waking me up! And I sleep so wild, bonnets/scarves/durags just fly off...

 

[Nonie]

@DarkJoy, I am a nightly baggy-er. I usually style my hair as I would like to wear it the next day and then wrap Saran wrap to keep the do and to give my hair a moisture infusion treatment. (Baggying seems to recycle my conditioning moisture and also I believe encourages sebum production.) Or f I feel lazy I just wrap my hair w/o styling or put on a plastic cap.

I confess that for 3 months now, I haven't felt like doing ish to my hair. I don't baggy, I don't have satin pillow cases. I do dust on schedule though...and yes, I have had to cut off a bit more than usual in some places, so I don't recommend being as careless as I. The progress you saw in one of those links was from me not failing in the nightly baggying or in baggying under headwraps. (Gosh, I haven't even done that in a long time. )

So my simple regimen that has worked for me is washing twice a week (shampoo, conditioner, ACV rinse--and one of those washes involves a DC), baggying my bare hair every night or during the day under headwraps/hats (if I choose to wear them), dusting the ends every 8 weeks. As long as I do that, my hair thrives.

 

[grownupnai]

I took off a 1/4 inch after reading this post. I haven't had scissors in my hair since May, and it was definitely time. I'm going to take about 1/4 inch off the middle when I get time this week. Still growing out a faux hawk so it's not hurting my length overall. I want to love my hair more.

 

[afroette]

I got a trim yesterday but I did notice that stylist didn't trim my shorter crown area. I am going to trim that now. I hadn't trimmed my hair for a while and my ends were so tangled after my relaxer yesterday. I am going to get a schedule.