Protect the ends, or the inside?

[Blu217]

So I was just reading the threads about protective styling and inches per month and I got to thinking:

So let's say your ends stay pretty clean, smooth and straight. Your stylist always says they look pretty good and you can stretch your trims and dustings. You don't practice protecting them, but apparently your ends aren't hindering any growth, right?

I'm thinking that for those of us who don't have a lot of end trouble, the main focus for hair growth would begin within--diet, supplements. I can't say I track my hair progress as diligently as others here, but even tho it's getting longer I can't imagine making waist length from my almost bra-strap within one year like a lot of women here are working toward. But it's not my unprotected ends slowing things down, it seems.

What do you think? Am I missing something about protecting the ends or would this not produce any better results if the ends are already consistently in good shape to start with?

 

[sherann]

I am guessing you may need to do both depending on your goals. If you get on average 6 inches a year then by the time you hair gets past APL length, the ends may be 2 1/2 to 3 years old. Now 3 years of washing, brushing and combing with the addition of friction with clothes (when hair is worn down) and uv damage from the sun MAY cause even hair ends that started out being healthy 3 years ago to become more fragile and break. If your goal is to get the minimum number of trims until you reach your desired hair length then you might want to protect your ends. I can't resist wearing my hair down regularly (I wear protective styles only for the second half of the week when my rollerset starts to look like a hot mess) and so I know I will need more frequent trims and getting to my hair goal will take me longer.

 

[MissFallon]

If your ends are good just try to make sure they stay that way. Last year I grew my hair from about 2" past shoulder length to 1" past BSL from Jan-July and wore my hair down every day. I just made sure my ends were moisturized and usually my deep conditioner made sure of that. Just try to keep a little moisturizer handy during these summer months. If your ends are good then just focus on growing your hair and keeping your ng in check.