Is this reasonable?

[aloof one]

...to hang on to hair that is damaged because you want to keep your length? I mean, I'm APL when I straighten my hair, and I have gotten used to being past my shoulders for almost 3 years... However my *%$#@ sister damaged my bangs and the top of my head with a HAM hilight job last May. It has been breaking off overtime and looks just awful. There are literally just chunks of blonde leftover in my hair that have just been breaking and fraying, and the surrounding hair isnt doing too well either... But the hilights are only on the top of my hair, everything under it looks amazing and healthy without nearly as much splitting/breakage. I can even hide them if I part my hair a certain way, like in my last picture in my signature..

Is it a bad idea to hold on to my hair or should I just suck it up and hack? Can it be saved? Maybe just cut off the split ends? Part my hair to hide it until it grows back? I know this sounds pathetic... but I would rather have long hair with a jacked up haircut than short even hair (my face cant handle a short do just yet...) I just want to know if anyone has managed to grow out a bad dye job successfully without split ends, etc getting worse.. (TIA)

 

[Missi]

IMO: i had bad ends too and I didn't cut: when my healthy / full hair reaches my desired length: then i'll cut off my see thru ends: the way my kitchen looks as well: i don't need to be rockin no short hair style: my kitchen needs "CLEAN HOUSE: one nape at a time". Since I took care of my damaged ends: it never effected the rest of my hair: I can't speak for each individual strand but as a whole: nothing bad has happened: ~HTH~

 

[*Happily Me*]

I would chop off the damage, but you could always trim it slowly.
Bottom line, damaged ends needs to go.

 

[hothair]

I say trim slowly as it grows out

 

[Poohbear]

I think it's best to cut off damaged hair. While growing your hair out, you should also consider the appearance of your hair. Length isn't everything. And keep in mind that hair always grows back.

 

[pmichael52172]

Check out Flawed Beauty's siggy. (pics below) If she can recover without chopping, then I think you can too. I just posted a thread to her on this yesterday.

I'm dusting my ends as my "see through" area grows back... and with the help of Boundless Tresses and NO HEAT... it is! I don't wear it straight because that would require heat and that see through look should be a crime. I roller set my hair and you can't tell at all.

 

[schipperchow1]

Since the damage is on top you could cut it in layers...If this was done last May 2006?? you could still have enough hair for a nice style. If you really want to keep those ends, baby htem, use leave in moisturizer & wear buns, french braids, etc. As for damage to other hair, if those damaged ends cause a lot of tangling they will snag on the other healthy hairs & cause matting. HTH. Good luck

 

[LovelyZ]

i don't think you need to cut it, especially if most of the length is healthy. it sounds like you will be able to hide the damaged portions while you nurse your hair back to health. you can trim the ends over time and eventually get rid of the damamged portions.

i had at home highlights allover a few years ago. So much of my hair broke off but I was able to hide the damaged ends with products that temporarily smooth and add shine to them: Good conditioners, oils, etc.

 

[brittanynic16]

I had the same problem. I cut because I didn't have the patients to trim slowly. I'd rather have healthy thick hair than long damaged hair. But, you could do either.

 

[Blackoutzangel05]

I would recommend a slow trim, nothing drastic just slowly trim the damaged ends and let them grow out.

 

[schipperchow1]

OT: Blackoutz : congrats on your marriage

 

[aloof one]

Hey thank you everyone for your advice.
I ended up doing what most of you said and am going to trim a little bit off when I stop being afraid of my scissors. But for now I got a straightener and some Motions (forgot the name oh well) stuff thats supposed to hide my split ends until I get rid of them. I guess I was just at the end of my rope from having such a bad hair day.. thanks again!

 

[Kacie]

I waited a year and a half to cut off about two inches of damaged hair that I did not want to part with. That was a big mistake, I wish I would have cut it sooner because it really was holding me back. If I were you I would cut off all the color damaged hair now.