Should I just get a big trim??

[Crystalicequeen123]

This is a question I've been pondering lately. I have shoulder-length hair (a little past shoulder length), and it's been growing fairly nicely ever since I started stretching my relaxers, switched to a mild relaxer, and started taking multivitamin supplements along with biotin.

BUTTTTT (and a BIG but! lol) my hair at the ends is soooo thin and whispy! My weaker hair is at the ends, and it's even gotten to the point where I HATE to wear my hair down because my ends look so anorexic. :-/

I really don't want to get a hair cut or trim since I feel like I have worked so hard to get my hair to be past shoulder length, and my hair is finally starting to grow down my back. BUT, I know my hair would look SO much better and healthier if I just broke down and got a big trim. Not only that, but my hair is so much THICKER at the roots since I've been stretching and uisng a milder relaxer, while my older hair (my ends) looks so thin. :-*( My sister got her hair cut about a month ago, and her hair looks great! Her ends look healthy, and her hair seems to be growing (she doesn't know about LHCF though). I'm wondering if I should do the same thing when I get my next touch up.

What do you ladies think?? Should I wait until my hair is the length I want it and then cut it? OR, Should I just bite the bullet and get it cut? And if so...how can I prevent my ends from being damaged again? My ends are in such bad shape, that just doing a "dusting" wouldn't suffice in getting rid of damaged ends.

**How do you ladies do it?? How do you stretch your relaxers, wash your hair every week, and STILL keep healthy ends?? That's my biggest problem. I can't keep my ends healthy no matter how much provectiv healthy ends I put in my hair. I think maybe handling and combing my hair too often every week that I wash and condition my hair could be the culprit.

Any suggestions would be helpful!

 

[WesternEyes]

Hi! I think you should get a cut if your ends are damaged and split. I think stretching your relaxer and taking supplements is a good idea. Sometimes it takes a little cutting to see what progress you've really made in obtaining healthier thicker hair. But if you aren't too happy with the idea of a cut then maybe you can trim a little off every week, that way it won't be as painful.
Is some of your hair(the ends) overprocessed?

 

[Stormy]

I think you answered your own question when you said:

BUT, I know my hair would look SO much better and healthier if I just broke down and got a big trim. Not only that, but my hair is so much THICKER at the roots since I've been stretching and uisng a milder relaxer, while my older hair (my ends) looks so thin. :-*( My sister got her hair cut about a month ago, and her hair looks great! Her ends look healthy, and her hair seems to be growing (she doesn't know about LHCF though). I'm wondering if I should do the same thing when I get my next touch up.

I did it and my hair grew back pretty fast. Now as for keeping the ends from thinning out as they get longer, I'm still working on that one.

 

[Crystalicequeen123]

Is some of your hair(the ends) overprocessed?

Thanks for the advice guys!

Yes, I'm almost 100% sure that my ends are overprocessed. Before stretching my relaxers, I would relax every 6-8 weeks. That's what my stylist had recommended *rolls eyes*. But now that I stretch to 14 weeks, my hair has thrived. My hair is naturally fine to begin with, so any THICKNESS I can acheive is a blessing for me. Not only that, but before I found this forum, I was getting regular strength relaxers. But soon my stylist recommended a milder relaxer (since my type 4a/b hair is baby fine) and my hair has thrived from this.
I can definitely tell when I started stretching my relaxers and using a milder perm because my hair is SO much thicker near my scalp about 4 inches from the root on out.

Stormy, you're probably right. Maybe I did answer my own question. heehee. I just hate to see all my hard work go down the drain. *sniffle* And I REALLY need to figure out a way to keep my ends healthy so that all I will need in the future is just a regular dusting every now and then. I don't want to keep growing hair to a nice length and then have to cut it AGAIN in the future.

 

[Poohbear]

BUTTTTT (and a BIG but! lol) my hair at the ends is soooo thin and whispy! My weaker hair is at the ends, and it's even gotten to the point where I HATE to wear my hair down because my ends look so anorexic. :-/

This is the reason why I got a slight hair cut in the beginning of this month. I would hate to wear my hair down because it would be thick at the roots and thin at the ends! Getting a hair cut made my hair look much healthier and it tangled less when I washed it. Now, I still don't wear my hair down straight. I either wear it curly or in a bun.
So I would say get a hair cut. It won't hurt. It's better to have a hair cut instead of allowing the thin ends break off where they're weak.

 

[chellee]

What styles are you wearing your hair in daily? Do you have defined layers? For me, attempting to grow my hair with layers placed more stress on my longer strands (making them weaker). My hair is fine also and nothing added directly to my ends benefits me (products are too heavy I guess). I suggest sealing your ends weekly with a rollerset or a ceramic iron. This has been working for me. Occasionally I may add a little bit of olive oil in the palm of my hands and then run my hand through my hair but that's about it. More products = more breakage =thinner ends (for me).

Cut off the ends and we will be here to support you as it rewards you with healthier, noticeable growth. Don't look at is as you not making any progress or cutting off your hard work. Your payoff is in that four inches of healthy hair you mentioned.