To cut, or not to cut?

[faellen]

That is the question!

I would've posted this in the "Growing out dye.." thread but wanted it to reach a wider audience, sorry :)

I'm currently growing out my natural colour after dyeing for many years. I wasn't keen on the "mousy" ash tone at first, but now I'm noticing some subtle highlights and am starting to really like it.

I'm now thinking of growing my natural hair out to chin length and then cutting all the previously-dyed hair off, so I end up with a chin-length bob. However, I don't want to make any drastic decisions - my hair is currently MBL heading towards waist and it's taken over 3 years from a pixie cut to get to this length (give or take a couple of cuts and trims). I've also been taking better care of my hair since I stopped dyeing, and it is in much better condition, I'm actually quite proud I've made it this far without caving in to the dye again.

When my natural colour grows out to chin length, my hair will approximately be at hip I think, and I think I'm going to find it difficult to chop... I'm also really enjoying doing different braids and buns, and I know with short hair I'll have to give that up for a rather long time.

What do you guys think? Would like to hear especially from those who have been in a similar position :)

Here's a recent pic of my hair for reference. Demarcation line isn't hugely obvious IRL. Root regrowth is from March 2012, and my hair hasn't really been growing much this winter.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8465/8359750174_4a05757831.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8360/8366773147_140172205b.jpg

[millyaulait]

Your hair is absolutely gorgeous! Wow.

Perhaps when you get to TBL or Hip, chop back to waist. That way you keep the length for buns & braids, but you're getting rid of a few inches of dye at a time. :flower:

[cathair]

The colour change looks quite subtle to me. I can see a difference, but not one that is so strong it makes me think 'growing out dye' straight away. If you want chin length hair, or it is really bothers you I would go for it, but otherwise, I truly think it looks fine :) You hair all looks very healthy too, despite being dyed.

Also dip dying seem to be very popular this year, I have wondered how that really looks different to growing out dye... but that is an aside really, because the line really doesn't look obvious on you.

[joflakes]

Don't cut it! I really like the colour it is now. It looks so healthy. Get to a length you're happy with and just trim slowly but surely until it all goes. Seriously! It looks awesome. =)

ETA: My hair has a dip-dye effect where the ends are gingery and the roots are my natural colour (and sometimes with a little veggie dye!). I love the look and it is nowhere near as obvious on your hair as it is on mine.

[turtlelover]

You have really nice quality hair. Have you considered having a good colorist use very light demi color just on the ends after the grow out line to tone it a bit more ash? There is really no need to chop it all off if you don't want to....it appears to be in pretty good shape.

[spidermom]

I think the colors blend beautifully and wouldn't do more than trim. My hair isn't dyed at all, but the ends are a drastically different color than the hair at my scalp. So really - your hair looks quite natural.

[jojo]

Two week rule insitu, please dont make any rash decision you may later regret, your hair looks beuatiful and i agree with the poster who said grow to tb and then cut back to waist, theres not a huge difference that stands out anyway and over the next few years it will fade further. My vote hide the scissors and enjoy your hair!

[teela1978]

When I grew out my dye I chopped once I got to around shoulder length. I couldn't stand the 2-toned look and only kept it as long as was necessary. I think the question is more about the shortest length you can tolerate. Grow it to that length and then cut if you so desire :) It will grow back.

[xoxophelia]

I've also been growing out dye with probably a similar amount of difference in color once it faded a little bit. The question to me is one about your priorities with your hair. In my case, I wanted more length and that was more important to me than just one color. I figured if I made a major chop, when growing it back out I would still have to trim. So, it made the most sense to either cut back slightly but to mostly do small trims for me. I'm pretty happy with my decision to do that. If going the slower route isn't an issue for you, gradual trims work pretty well.

[Dark Rosaleen]

Your hair is very pretty and the difference in tone is very minimal. I think trims would be a better route to go if you are enjoying your length as it is now.

[MaryMarx]

Gourgeous is the word that comes to my mind, too. No need to cut in my opinion. :)

[kaydana]

That demarcation line is really subtle and they usually stand out more in photos than IRL, so I'd say don't cut it. In my experience demarcation lines always look a lot worse to you than anyone else and if people aren't looking for them (trust me, they're not) they'll honestly not notice.

[arelrios]

Beautiful hair!!! why to cut it? As spidermom said, my hair (which is nowhere close to your beautiful hair) has a different color on top and on the ends... I think is just natural that they have different colors at the ends and roots...
I would say wait a bit... and if the difference in colors is too much... you can always say you got the ombré look that many people actually pay to get... lol...

[eros]

wow.. your hair is BEAUTIFUL. so much envy!! don't cut if you're not sure. the line is hardly visible. also, i don't know how it is over there, but it's become quite a trend here lately to let roots grow all the way down. i actually think it looks pretty! because the colors are so much alike, i think itd actually look good if you let your roots grow without cutting off! it'd be two toned(and not in an ugly way!), hardly visible, and long! win win win! i say don't cut :)

[EtherealDoll]

Your hair looks great! Don't cut it yet, wait till your natural hair colour reaches at least shoulder length. The demarkation line is subtle, but if it's too noticeable in your opinion, you can always use an ash toner.

[sarelis]

I wouldn't cut, you have lovely hair & the demarcation line is not very obvious. Maybe try trimming it out gradually :)

[AnnaB]

Don't cut. Your hair is beautiful and seems quite thick. There's nothing wrong with it. You will regret the cut in the future.

[lapushka]

Since there's no obvious line of demarcation, it would be pointless to cut your hair shorter. :shrug: So, actually, I don't really see what the problem is. There is no need to cut it.

[faellen]

Thank you all for your lovely comments on my hair, wow, wasn't expecting that :D Despite dyeing my hair since I was in my early teens (I'm now 26), my hair seems to be quite resilient. The only thing that really killed it was constantly bleaching it blonde but that was years ago and all that damage has been cut off.

My line of demarcation is probably more obvious to me than it is to other people, the only person who comments on my roots is my friend who used to be a hairdresser!

Thanks for the advice re: waiting til it grows to hip or tailbone then cutting back to waist. I think this would be the best option actually :D thanks for reminding me of that! I totally forgot about the ombre hair trend!

[Ravenwind]

Definitely don't cut it! Especially since your hair is in such a good condition, I would just leave it and let it grow, and gradually trim off the dyed hair. I'm also growing out my natural hair color and I thought I would grow it to shoulder length, then cut off the rest and grow out my hair. Buuut I changed my mind, lol. I'd rather have long two-toned hair :)

[akilina]

Don't cut it! I really like the colour it is now. It looks so healthy. Get to a length you're happy with and just trim slowly but surely until it all goes. Seriously! It looks awesome. =)

ETA: My hair has a dip-dye effect where the ends are gingery and the roots are my natural colour (and sometimes with a little veggie dye!). I love the look and it is nowhere near as obvious on your hair as it is on mine.

I really like the effect of your hair though joflakes. Sometimes people play things off as being "ombre" but the colors really do not look good. It just does not work. I love your color though I think it looks wonderful. ^_^

And OP, your hair is very nice too!! I say don't chop. The change between the two colors is not horrible at all. Braids look really interesting with the color difference..and wearing it up is a good way to just not even look at it. I would not chop to chin though. Do it gradually so you stay happy with your length and the color will all be gone eventually. I also really like turtlelovers idea alot.. But it sounds like you want to be dye free so it might not be an option for you personally.

[faellen]

I had thought about using a tint or visiting a salon buuuut, after thinking about it, I'd like to stay dye free :) Always a suggestion to consider in future though, if it really starts to bother me.

For now I will follow all your advice and keep growing! :)

[jacqueline101]

I agree hide the scissors your hair is pretty.

[Yozhik]

I'm glad you decided to cut it out gradually. :)

Your hair is absolutely gorgeous, and its condition is amazing. :flowers:

[Ambystoma]

I'm glad you're not going to do anything drastic - your hair looks amazing as it is! Like other people have mentioned, undyed hair tends to be a different colour at the bottom anyway due to sun exposure so I wouldn't worry too much. Perhaps for special occasions you could use a temporary, wash out colour, or experiment with curls since demarcation lines always show up more on straight hair :)

[Talma]

IMO you're hair looks beautiful the way it is. I just left this thread. http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=108834&highlight=Ivory+soap

See if it interests you. Personally I think that your line of demarcation isn't all that noticeable. I would have thought it was all your natural color if you hadn't pointed it out.

[HintOfMint]

The demarcation line is so subtle, I wouldn't bother cutting it off. It's lovely!

ETA: And I'm not anti-cutting by any stretch of the imagination. If I think hair is damaged, or the demarcation line is too stark and the colors clash or any of that stuff, I'll recommend cutting. Length is the last consideration, for me, over all aspects of the condition of hair. So if I say, don't cut, it looks beautiful, I really mean it.

[seven77]

Your hair is gorgeous and looks so healthy, don't cut!

[spirals]

It's truly thudworthy. Please don't cut it. :flowers:

[Danni5173]

I agree! It's gorgeous!

[faellen]

Thank you all! Hiding the scissors and only bringing them out for trims! :)

Talma - interesting thread, thanks for linking. Unfortunately any kind of colour stripping won't work to restore my natural colour as it has been bleached. Good to know though!

[Kwantslonghair]

I have quit dying too. I dyed back as close to my own hair color as I could remember, so except for greys I really don't see much difference. Just going to trim all the old dyed hair off over time. Your hair is pretty, I wouldn't have a big chop