HOW OFTEN DO YOU TRIM YOUR NATURAL?

[Laela]

Thank you, for all your feedback, Ladies..this is very helpful. I'd really love to hear from those who voted that they never trim, what their progress has been. Seems for naturals, the less we trim, the better.




When you say 'as needed'..how often is that?

I trim as needed. I do not have a set schedule.

2 years ... wow... well, your hair is proof of that.. very healthy

I have not trimmed since my BC in 2008 My ends looks good... hair still growing... so I say if it is not broke don't fix it.

ITA @ bolded...

I barely made any progress b/c I trimmed or s&d too often. Once I stopped I did regain some length but I believe that trims should just be done 2-4 times a years to see growth but I do understand that the hair just looks and acts better with a fresh trim (its addicting). Its all about personal preference and what your goal is.

 

[Laela]

Ah, see Nonie, that's a Catch-22 for me.. my hair is already superthick..and I really love the after effect of a trim (it bounces) but it's also shorter because of the extra thickness... if I could only get the best of both...

Ideally every 6-8 weeks. So every other month or so, sounds closest.

I say ideally because I don't focus on my hair the way so many do (sheer laziness/apathy) and so I forget to stay on schedule, but when I have been focused and done it according to that schedule, my hair has thrived beautifully and I've had not just good retention but also thick hair from base to ends.

 

[GreenEyedJen]

Well Laela I voted "other" but I could have very well voted "never" because I've never cut or trimmed my hair since my BC. I voted "other" because my BC was in March of this year so I don't really think I've been fully natural long enough to be able to vote "never". However, I have seen no need to trim and if this keeps up, I doubt I'll be trimming on my nappiversary. My hair is growing evenly all around (by even I mean I've retained the same amount of inches all around my head. I still have layers though) and it's maintained it's normal thickness. I'm one of the girls who had their ends clipped every time they went in for a touch-up and my ends would get frayed very easily when I was relaxed. I kept my hair short (above the shoulder) for the two years prior to being natural, in part because once I would get to shoulder length my hair would be raggedy and gross.

I fully believe that relaxing and overlapping relaxers is pretty much the only reason I had split ends back then. I will continue to do what I'm doing and when I start to feel those frayed ends like when I was relaxed, I'll trim. But until then, I'm good.

 

[Missjae09]

when i first began my hhj i was trimming every 6 weeks which was way too often but mainly it was because I was in a rush to get the relaxer off my ends... now that the relaxer is gone I'm sad because of the length I should/would have had I not been trimming so often. I now trim every 2-3 months depending on how my ends are looking. I do know that I am not one who can can without trimming forever. I love nice ends!

 

[Nonie]

Ah, see Nonie, that's a Catch-22 for me.. my hair is already superthick..and I really love the after effect of a trim (it bounces) but it's also shorter because of the extra thickness... if I could only get the best of both...

How much are you trimming? I dust regularly so I never have to trim. I estimate that to be about 1/4 inch but really I just feel and snip. When I was doing that regularly, I went from one inch to about 5-6 inches in one year. And then to 9-11 inches by my second anniversary. I was dusting every 6-8 weeks and my hair was nice and thick from roots to ends.

I'm not sure I follow how the extra thickness makes your hair shorter. 'Splain Lucy.

 

[loulou82]

I trim as needed. No trims this year. Two trims last year. I do search and destroy for SSKs and splits though.

 

[Fine 4s]

Up until 6/2009 I was doing it once a year and S&D as needed (no more than 2 X yr.)
Now, my goal is to get a professional trim at least X2/year as I am wearing my hair straight more often.

 

[Laela]

It does.. I've never dusted..

I believe the trimming each month was too much and I would trim (about 1/8 in) ends that didn't need to be, so I was progressively cutting hair that was slowly growing anyway. Thus, my hair appeared 'shorter' each time I cut. I hope I'm making sense.. lol.
Isn't the idea of trimming to stop split ends and keep hair healthy but not to grow it?This is my second, and final go-round, of being natural. The first time I was in my 20s, and my hair grew faster. Now, it grows very slowwwwwly, so trimming retards growth of my hair (IMHO), not encourages it. I've resolved to just trim like some of the others here, every few months or twice a year or even once. Earlier, I'd tried the C&G but gave that up, but I guess to avoid worrying about trimming, this routine would be best... I may do this again in January...

How much are you trimming? I dust regularly so I never have to trim. I estimate that to be about 1/4 inch but really I just feel and snip. When I was doing that regularly, I went from one inch to about 5-6 inches in one year. And then to 9-11 inches by my second anniversary. I was dusting every 6-8 weeks and my hair was nice and thick from roots to ends.

I'm not sure I follow how the extra thickness makes your hair shorter. 'Splain Lucy.

 

[Nonie]

It does.. I've never dusted..

I believe the trimming each month was too much and I would trim (about 1/8 in) ends that didn't need to be, so I was progressively cutting hair that was slowly growing anyway. Thus, my hair appeared 'shorter' each time I cut. I hope I'm making sense.. lol.

I follow hair appearing short after a cut/trim but I don't follow how hair being thick makes it appear short. LynnieB has very thick hair that looks very long to me. So that's the logic I don't get, but it's OK.

Isn't the idea of trimming to stop split ends and keep hair healthy but not to grow it?

I don't think that's the idea at all.Wanakee's regimen to grow long hair involved trimming regularly to keep hair healthy so that it can grow long. For years, my hair stayed at 6 inches long. It was when I started dusting/trimming 1/4 inch every 6-8 years that I saw it grow past 6 inches. For 30+ years of my life, I thought 6 inches was all I could ever achieve. All that changed when I started trimming.

When you don't trim, the oldest parts of your hair wear off. Splits are usually inevitable and because the split is usually not a perfect halving tear, one part of it usually tapers and tears off leaving a thin incomplete hair that is weak. The tear also leaves your cortex exposed and really unable to hold onto moisture or respond to treatment. In time that weak end breaks off. So you stay at the same length or have thin unsightly ends.

Laela, haven't you seen my tired photos showing proof of this? One post where I shared this: http://www.longhaircareforum.com/9919708-post13.html

ETA: When you trim, you basically stop the tear from extending up the length by getting rid of the weakness. It works as well as filing or cutting the part of a nail that has a tear instead of just letting the tear ride up the nail and break off more of the nail in an ugly way.

 

[Laela]

Thanks for the link Nonie... I hadn't seen that post... how long is your hair now?

 

[SimJam]

I trimmed 1 time last year (abt 1/4 inch).

I dont plan to trim more than once a year and only if needed. my ends are pretty healthy

 

[texasqt]

Thank you OP for posting this. I haven't had scissors near my head since my BC in September and I thought about trimming some time this month but I haven't noticed any split ends. I have noticed that my ends aren't even/blunt like they were when I first got my hair cut in layers but it isn't anything noticeable. I may trim for the Christmas holiday but after reading this post I see I don't necessarily have to.

But I did today. Just a light dusting. I won't again until March.

And yes I quoted myself

 

[Laela]

^^

 

[Diva_Esq]

Every 3-4 months faithfully.

 

[djkforeal]

I say I trim my ends about 2-3 times a year, but I am looking to do it no more than 2 times a year from now on. I also have a split-ender that I will use on my hair within the next 2 weeks, so I will see how that goes.

 

[HauteHippie]

I haven't trimmed since Feb 13th (final minichop). My hair grows unevenly, but I don't have split ends. I don't manipulate/flat iron my hair often, b/c it's usually weaved up. I'll probably trim 3 times once I start wearing my hair out (2012?), but Im at that awkward stage where I'd be filing my hair off with my sweaters/tops if I wore it down.

 

[Trini_Chutney]

3 times since the bc, so 4 times total this year. I don't have the patience to s&D so I just trim in twists.

 

[suburbanbushbabe]

Every 14 weeks or so, works out to 2-3 times a year. Don't touch it between.

 

[Laela]

I've never used a split-ender... If you remember, pls let me know how it works out for you

I say I trim my ends about 2-3 times a year, but I am looking to do it no more than 2 times a year from now on. I also have a split-ender that I will use on my hair within the next 2 weeks, so I will see how that goes.

 

[Imani]

I usually get professional trims about every 4 to 6 months. I'm coming up on 4 months right now and have been seeing some splits and I even saw one broken hair with the dreaded double split so i think i need to do a light dusting, however, I'm on a no heat challenge and have no idea how to cut without straightening my hair (i'm transitioning and the back half of my head has no relaxed hair left and a couple inches in the front). maybe i'll just lightly blow dry?? or try banding? Idk

 

[Laela]

THOSE WHO NEVER TRIMMED... I reeeeallly would love to hear about your hair...

 

[aa9746]

I haven't trimmed in over a year but I dust about 2-3 times a year.