To trim or not to trim: dealing with your ends

[bedazzled]

when i was relaxed i never wanted to trim but ever since i bc'd i dont mind trimming. I think its bc it feels like i really started over so i want to do it "right" this time.

 

[doobiequeen88]

I will pick up some shears in a second and go to town.....I dont play when it comes to my ends. Its the oldest part of our hair and my mommy says to treat your elders first

 

[***BlessedMom***]

TRIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you don't your ends will take care of themselves and BREAK off!!

I put off a trim for the longest thinking I would trim once I got to a certain length. Well after much delay, I noticed my ends were not only split but had split halfway up my hair shaft!! I then had to get 3 and a half inches CUT off to prevent further splitting up the hair shaft. I wish I would have just snipped that 1/4 inch off months ago!! My hair looks anf feels tons better but it was a painful lesson. I am now a search and destroyer!!

 

[BostonMaria]

I say trim. Especially if you're dealing with split ends. You can do it yourself. I used Feye's trimming instructions when I cut my hair last week:

http://community.livejournal.com/feyeselftrim

 

[sunnieb]

Trimming is your best bet when dealing with damaged/split ends in my book.

For all of 2008, I asked my stylist to trim/dust my hair every 8 weeks. I didn't realize that this helped me to slowly get rid of alot of damage before I officially began my HHJ in February of 2009. My last trim was December 2008. Since I bunned most of 2009, my ends held up pretty well without trimming.

However, I'm wearing my hair out more so I just bought a brand new pair of shears tonight. I'll be doing a self trim after my relaxer next month. From there, I'll just trim as needed. Whether that's every few months or just once a year depends on the condition of my ends.

 

[BillsBackerz67]

i have a head full of splits and contrary to what most people say, they dont travel up the shaft or break off (my hair that is). i dust as i see them but even then i dont go all willy nilly. as long as i dont have thin ends and breakage im straight. its growing and as soon as i get to a goal length ill trim more often

 

[NikStarrr]

I say trim. Especially if you're dealing with split ends. You can do it yourself. I used Feye's trimming instructions when I cut my hair last week:

http://community.livejournal.com/feyeselftrim

THANK YOU FOR THIS!!!!

 

[Janet']

I didn't vote because I didn't know if this referred to naturals- but i employ the "search and destroy" method!

 

[Chevelure618]

I don't believe in hairstylist trims. Their definition of "trim" is to cut it to get an even styled appearance, and then secondarily to cut of the split ends in the process. This is why many black women don't make progress.

I believe in dusting the ends, searching and destroying individual hairs under a bright light, and the twist technique to eliminate shorter splits all along the length of the hair. Think about it....trimming the ends is only trimming the long ends...the shorter ones that are split will never get cut if you only trim the ends.

 

[nymane]

I just ended my 27 week stretch and got a trim (it's been a year since my last trim). I was going to wait, but I wanted my ends to look good...I'm lucky to have a stylist that knows the difference between a trim & a cut.

I don't plan on trimming again until Feb. 2011, but I don't use direct heat, I baby my ends, and I will dust every 4 months.

 

[KrystalClear]

I say if you have the time and patience, search and destroy all the bad ends! You don't have to get rid of all of the ends.

 

[chrisanddonniesmommy]

Trim as needed. I would trim with each relaxer with not as much progress as I should have. So, since my ends are much healthier since joining LHCF, I'm trimming less.

 

[CaliDiamond]

TRIM! Since I have stretched my texlax, my hair is coming in much thicker and the old ends just don't look right. I trimmed 1/4 inch yesterday to even things out. Feels soo much better.

 

[aquajoyice]

If you feel as though your hair needs a trim I say trim. I recently just cut a total of 4" off of my hair between now and Dec 09, becuase I love blunt thick ends. And i'm not saying to goto that extreme... but I would rather have shorter healthier hair than long scraggly ends. And when it grows back it will be even more beautiful.

 

[Katherina]

i think this is different for straight vs curly hair. I wear my hair natural (usu braidouts) so it doesn't look bad when it's uneven. i only s&d since september 09. it hasn't affected my length and it's working out well for me .

 

[Hair2Here]

There are so many opinions and I really appreciate them all. I say keep your hair has long as possible or until you reach your goal. Then trim to make your hair look even. I don't know for sure but uneven hair does not mean your hair is not healthy.

 

[chosen1]

I say cut split or damaged ends because they can not be repaired no matter what the product says. Products only give you the appearance of repair. But once the product wears off .... the damage appears again. So trim damage. But I honestly dont think its necessarty to trim if you dont have damages for spit ends. Staying away from heat will cut damage significantly. But trimming is necessary if you like a blunt cut.

 

[SHEANITPRO]

I am glad to be in the majority of the poll. I have not had trims with nearly the frequency since becoming a member. I rarely if ever trim, but I rarely if ever have split ends either, due to lessons learned on this forum.

I dust maybe twice a year. It has worked for me thus far, so it is a practice I will continue.

 

[lana]

I say trim!

I'm APL and approaching BSL in two inches. Well the back of my hair from the lower ear down broke off from one of my texlaxes...I decided to CUT that section even across. The rest of my hair I'm just trimming gradually to keep it at the same length while the back catches up. I have about three inches to go in the back back back of my head, then I can grow it all two more inches to bra-strap.

But the thing is...APL was always my goal and I made it! Trim for healthy ends. Never hold on to damage. Only you know your hair, so you will know what looks best on it. Try trimming 1/4" a month for the next couple times. Your hair will maintain it's current length with a better look. Trimming can be gradual.

P.S. No one can see the difference in length in my hair because 1) it's super thick and 2) when I wear it curly...it's all the same length.