Trimming hair 6-8 weeks, etc...

[TwistNMx]

Hello all.
I've just been wondering this whole week about hair trimming / cutting.

I've seen that most people here think that it's necessary for the hair.

I have a few questions (your opinions, etc). about this.

Some people say that the hair will break off if not trimmed on a regular basis, that it will split to the root.

With that said, does this just apply to adult hair, processed hair, etc. because a lot of children don't usually need regular trims.

I feel that maybe a lot of trimming isn't necessary in a year. What do you guys think?

Thanks

 

[FebeeSigns]

If you take care of your hair properly you won't have many splits at all. Splits usually happen because the ends of your hair are being traumatized by something or dryness. They're the oldest parts so if you are gentle with the ends of your hair you won't have many, thus the need to not trim at all. Dusting is what most ladies with healthy hair do, along with Search and Destroys. Trimming usually means cutting off a lot more hair than the hair cut off when dusting. I do not think trimming is necessary if your hair is thriving without any splits or ssks. If I don't see anything wrong with my ends, heck no I'm not trimming.

 

[Mrs. Verde]

I don't think this is necessary, to the contrary. In my experience most people believe that the search and destroy (S&D) method is best. Searching for individual split ends and cutting those only. This method is very time consuming, however, you will retain more length.

 

[mzteaze]

I agree that frequent trimming isn't necessary UNLESS:

1) You are trying to maintain a specific hairstyle that requires a precision cut.
2) You aren't maintaining your ends as much as you need to via moisture, S&D or if u have SSKs.

Otherwise, extra frequent trimmings are a quick way to eat into any length accumulated.

 

[LushLox]

Last relaxer I did my stylist asked if I was getting a trim. I told her that I have no split ends, no breakage, it's just uneven. She grudgingly admitted that it was true.

 

[Nix08]

I agree - I just had a trim after 4 months in my journey and a part of me (big part) is regretting it. No more trims for me....search and destroy from now on.

 

[TwistNMx]

I want to thank all of you ladies for your opinions. :luv2:
I've been reading the Teri Laflesh book...(excellent read by the way), and I noticed when I did a search that there's a controversy on trimming. I agree that one should trim, s&d, dust, only as needed. I remember as a child that my hair was never trimmed. It just seems like everyone is gung-ho on the sissors. It's okay for them, but I'm not seeing things the same.

 

[Nonie]

I'm the odd one out and believe in the 6-8 weeks trimming. My hair grew best when I did that religiously and I retained the full 4.5 inches I grew in that year (my normal rate is 6 inches a year so at 8 weeks trimming 1/4 inch, I lost 1.5 inches). My hair was also full to the ends.

I don't know about kids' hair...coz I haven't really paid attention to it, but you do ask an interesting question. One thing about kids is they aren't constantly fussing with their hair but most seem to either have it short or wear it in low-mani styles...so I guess that makes a difference in the amount of trauma strands experience. As we get older and vanity creeps in, we tend to constantly mess with our hair in an effort to create the next elegant do we can come up with or just saw in a magazine.

Also splits never split to the root. They split a short distance then rip off leaving what looks like an unsplit end but one that is clearly thinner than the rest of the hair. Which is why S&D is a futile task IMO. I believe in doing an even dusting throughout the entire head.

In case you've missed my umpteen threads on split ends and why I believe in regular dusting, check out this thread. Also, if I were doing a S&D, I would not have realized the hair in the first pic is in need of trimming, yet clearly that end is not a whole strand and has its cortex exposed...and therefore not worth keeping. And because I dust early enough, I only have to dust 1/4 inch and I'm left with a nice whole strand:

 

[silenttullip]

I don't trim due to splits I trim due to single strand knots. I think I lacked them as a kid because of only getting my hair washed once a month or less and the grease kept it from wrapping around itself. Now I wash frequently and I get mad ssk's I truly need to trim every 2-3 months or my hair will snap off and I will cry been there done that.

 

[bellebebe]

Don't get a trim unless you REALLY need it. Other than that, just dust your ends. It makes the hair looks so much healthier.

 

[godsflowerrr]

I trim every 6 months or so now that my hair is not chemically treated. I don't use much heat. When I was relaxed and used heat more frequently, I trimmed a lot more often.

 

[TwistNMx]

I'm the odd one out and believe in the 6-8 weeks trimming. My hair grew best when I did that religiously and I retained the full 4.5 inches I grew in that year (my normal rate is 6 inches a year so at 8 weeks trimming 1/4 inch, I lost 1.5 inches). My hair was also full to the ends.


I don't know about kids' hair...coz I haven't really paid attention to it, but you do ask an interesting question. One thing about kids is they aren't constantly fussing with their hair but most seem to either have it short or wear it in low-mani styles...so I guess that makes a difference in the amount of trauma strands experience. As we get older and vanity creeps in, we tend to constantly mess with our hair in an effort to create the next elegant do we can come up with or just saw in a magazine.

Also splits never split to the root. They split a short distance then rip off leaving what looks like an unsplit end but one that is clearly thinner than the rest of the hair. Which is why S&D is a futile task IMO. I believe in doing an even dusting throughout the entire head.
Is that so, only a short distance?

In case you've missed my umpteen threads on split ends and why I believe in regular dusting, check out this thread. Also, if I were doing a S&D, I would not have realized the hair in the first pic is in need of trimming, yet clearly that end is not a whole strand and has its cortex exposed...and therefore not worth keeping. And because I dust early enough, I only have to dust 1/4 inch and I'm left with a nice whole strand:

Thanks for the shot. You are so knowledgeable. I really harmonize with most of your posts. If there is anything else you can tell me, feel free to chime on in.

 

[Nonie]

Also splits never split to the root. They split a short distance then rip off leaving what looks like an unsplit end but one that is clearly thinner than the rest of the hair. Which is why S&D is a futile task IMO. I believe in doing an even dusting throughout the entire head.

Is that so, only a short distance?

TwistNMx Depends on what you call "short". But from what I've witnessed, the split doesn't divide the hair in two perfect evenly sized halves, but one side is usually thinner and as the split gets longer, that side tapers to a size too small to hold on, so it falls off. That explains why thin ends exist at all. In my case, you could call it a short distance if you consider that not the whole length is thin:

But if you consider how much hair I had to lose to get my thick/full ends, then it isn't such a short distance.

Now some people have thin ends just at the very end, some have thin ends that make the whole length look see-through. I believe that in those extreme cases it's because the thin strands left after splits have too broken off. You see, the next thing after you're left with thin incomplete strands is they will break off in due time. Consider how sad a hair strand without an intact cuticle looks:

Now imagine how much worse one that's lost part of its whole must be. So IMO, it's best to snip off your ends regularly so that you stop the "fraying" from riding up the strand.

Thanks for the shot. You are so knowledgeable. I really harmonize with most of your posts. If there is anything else you can tell me, feel free to chime on in.

Sealing and protecting your ends (after you dust) can help in keeping them looking good and in retention. Check out the links I giveof good examples of people who seal and protect in this post : http://www.longhaircareforum.com/forum6/thread436916.html#post9919708

 

[TwistNMx]

@TwistNMx Depends on what you call "short". But from what I've witnessed, the split doesn't divide the hair in two perfect evenly sized halves, but one side is usually thinner and as the split gets longer, that side tapers to a size too small to hold on, so it falls off. That explains why thin ends exist at all. In my case, you could call it a short distance if you consider that not the whole length is thin:

But if you consider how much hair I had to lose to get my thick/full ends, then it isn't such a short distance.

Now some people have thin ends just at the very end, some have thin ends that make the whole length look see-through. I believe that in those extreme cases it's because the thin strands left after splits have too broken off. You see, the next thing after you're left with thin incomplete strands is they will break off in due time. Consider how sad a hair strand without an intact cuticle looks:

Now imagine how much worse one that's lost part of its whole must be. So IMO, it's best to snip off your ends regularly so that you stop the "fraying" from riding up the strand.



Sealing and protecting your ends (after you dust) can help in keeping them looking good and in retention. Check out the links I giveof good examples of people who seal and protect in this post : http://www.longhaircareforum.com/forum6/thread436916.html#post9919708

♥ Thanks for the info and examples Nonie. I will check out that link you sent. For some reason with regular trims I end up with thin ends as well....so I don't really know if it would even matter to me if I cut/trim...etc. See my siggy photo (which will be removed shortly). Notice how much I had to cut off and worse off...99% of the time I wear my hair like this (sometimes up) but it doesn't seem to matter although I do moisturize regularly, seal,etc.
See here:

 

[Carisa]

cream tee, girl u know she wanted to try out her new scissors!