Repairing vs. Trimming - How do you decide?

[tapioca_pudding]

I had a setback this last go round and wound up cutting off a bit of hair. I'm not regretting it, but a small part of my brain (like 2%) is wondering if I could have repaired it somehow instead of cutting it. But the majority of my brain (the other 98%) feels like cutting was the solution and I can start over again with healthy ends.

When/If faced with damaged ends, how do you decide whether you'll trim or try to repair it?

And for those who opt to try and repair the hair, how long do your give your 'methods' to work? Three months? Six months?

Just looking for insight.

ETA: I'm not necessarily talking about split ends (I see the thread 'Mandatory to cut splits'). Talking about heat damage where the hair appears rough or 'frizzy', thin, dry, etc.

 

[xxBlackRosexx]

In braids now and would usually trim when i take them out...not this time

 

[nodisrespect]

my ends are not split, but they are dry and frizzy, i guess from heat damage. like i can flat iron my hair and all the root and length can get silky straight but the ends will be dry and crunchy. i thought damn this must mean i have to cut them off. but then i realized i can just use rollers and my ends will come out softer and straighter than the length and roots, and i wont even have to use heat on them at all

 

[JustKiya]

I do a LOT to try to 'repair' ends before I'll cut them off. I'm talking 3-4 months worth of work/trial and error/prayer.

I've found something that for me, at least, seems to 'smooth' ends - but I'm VERY nervous to suggest it to others, because I don't know how/why it works - and - well, I don't want to suggest something that might mess up your hair - and since I don't know WHY/HOW it works, it - could. I don't know!

It's basically salt and conditioner. I made it accidentally, by combining baking soda and citric acid (combined they create a chemical reaction that leaves you with a salt and water) in my conditioner - and it left my ends like SILK - amazingly smooth and buttery.

I plan on trying it with just plain salt and conditioner - next weekend, most likely, since I'll have guests this weekend - just to see if it holds up to repeated use.

If you do opt to try it, let us (me) know how it works....

 

[gymfreak336]

There is only so much repair you can do to hair since hair is dead. Hair can't send out extra collagen and blood flow to the damaged strands like our skin can. At a certain point, all the reconstuctor and protein treatments in the world isn't going to fix it. Protein is like a band-aid, it's like glue. It can temporarily bond strands together to improve apperance and feel. The idea is that you decrease the amount of damage your strands are subjected too so that your regular conditioning treatments are able to maintain this. Now use protein conditioners and what not do help immediatly but at a certain point, hair that damaged will have to be cut off.

I would try to hold out as long as I could but I found that atleast for me, I was better off cutting of some of it than trying to hold onto every last bit.

 

[freshlikemoi]

I do a LOT to try to 'repair' ends before I'll cut them off. I'm talking 3-4 months worth of work/trial and error/prayer.

--To the bold...I aint mad atcha! Cuz I do the exact same. I know prayer will have me at APL before MTG will. lol.