Breathing a huge sigh of relief! (Pic heavy)

[Naiadryade]

I've been putting off trimming my horrible split ends for like six months. I last trimmed about 9 months ago or so. The thing is, I wasn't as nice to my hair last summer as I should have been, and by mid-summer I knew I really needed to tend to my splits. But for one excuse or another, I managed to put it off until this past week. My hair was really damaged (just from mechanical damage and dryness), and almost every single hair was split. In those 9 months, I only gained 3 inches of length. To make things even more annoying, all those split hairs are a wild variety of lengths throughout... my overall length was 26.5" (BSL on me), but some hairs only reach my ears, and everything in between.

You can sort of see in this picture how fuzzy the last 6" or so of my hair was:
http://s20.postimage.org/j9m422x7h/027.jpg

The funny thing was, most of the longest hairs were actually the few that were not split. I knew a microtrim would not really help me. I decided a very thorough S&D mission was the only way I could tend to my hair so it would stop breaking off, without cutting back to above APL again. I've been gaining length so slowly because of this, that those few inches are very precious to me!

I'm a kooky spiritual superstitious Moon-worshiper, so I started the mission on Sunday night, 2/10 after the New Moon left is void of course and settled into Pisces. I worked tirelessly and obsessive-compulsively on this all night, for over 6 hours, until the sun was coming up. I needed to work that afternoon, so I quit even though I had only finished the left half of my hair.

Goddess, the splits! This was one of the worst ones, though it wasn't unique in its style:
http://s20.postimage.org/44q04k90d/023.jpg

That day the Moon moved into Aries, so I waited until it passed on before continuing my mission. I spent another 6+ hours on the right half of my hair, this time on Saturday afternoon/evening, with the Moon a waxing crescent in Taurus. I finished up my S&D journey by evening out the ends a tiny bit using Feye's method.

After all was said and done, I measured my hair. I was prepared to have lost maybe an inch and a half--last time I did this almost a year ago, I lost 3" of length because the ends were so very damaged. But lo and behold--After all that, I only lost half an inch of length!! I'm still at BSL! But my hair looks a lot less fuzzy, and when I look through it the majority of the (still varied length) ends are blunt and healthy.

Here are a few awkward mirror pictures, trying to get the right angle to show the improvement, from a few minutes ago:
http://s20.postimage.org/evdmq8mn1/001.jpg http://s20.postimage.org/49ycrz5p9/002.jpg http://s20.postimage.org/4b8ale7j1/003.jpg

It feels SO GOOD to not have all those splits, and still be at BSL!! :happydance: Do you understand my elation?? Lol! :meditate:

I've been treating my hair with lots of moisture, oils and catnip, and I wear it up more during sleep and while doing active things these days too... so I'm really hoping this move will mean my growth will stop breaking off at the ends so fast, and that I'll actually reach waist well before another year goes by. Whenever the Moon is waxing, I'm going to make a habit of giving my sleep braids an S&D once-over before taking them out, to tend to any splits that do form. Once I get to waist, I'm planning on microtrimming and maintaining for a while to let all those shorter hairs catch up. It's really a pain in the neck to trim it the way I did this time--though I'm glad I finally did it and I'm super relieved it's over!!

[owlathena]

Hooray for healthy hair! It looks great!

[akilina]

Wow! What a huge difference!!

[Sterlyn]

Wow the difference is amazing, the condition of the hemline is much better in the after pics. You have a lot of hair, I can't imagine trimming each hair individually, the dedication to do that is impressive, but worth it to see that kind of improvement and only a half inch of length lost. :)

[panffle]

S&Ding all of your hair is quite the commitment, and the difference is amazing! I know I wouldn't have the patience to do that, your hair looks very healthy now.

[jacqueline101]

It's a big difference and the feeling of healthy hair is great.

[samanthaj08]

That's awesome. I wish I had your patience :)

[melusine963]

Goodness, what an achievement! It also takes me hours and hours to thoroughly s&d, so I don't do it as often as I should. The time and effort required really keep me motivated to look after my hair properly, reducing the need for s&ding in the first place.

[Sadie]

Excellent job and totally worth it! :applause

[Naiadryade]

Thanks, everyone! :o It's really good to hear from others that the difference is obvious. I'm not just imagining that my OCD is worth it! :p


...You have a lot of hair...

Thank you, what a nice thing to say! :flower: You'd be surprised how much my braid tapers, though. The waves bulk it up a bit when it's down. (This is why I like to wear it down so much, which is of course the problem here.) I can't wait until most of it is one length, so it's even thicker. When I reach my goal of tailbone, I'm going to have a big wavy mane that covers my whole back. I'm pretty stoked for this!


Goodness, what an achievement! It also takes me hours and hours to thoroughly s&d, so I don't do it as often as I should. The time and effort required really keep me motivated to look after my hair properly, reducing the need for s&ding in the first place.

You're totally right. I'm really trying to take care of my hair well... My hair just splits so darn easily, and I really like to wear it down. I'm hoping the catnip treatments will have kicked in by now, and the damage won't come back so fast!

[longforthis]

That's wonderful! What great inspiration! I'm currently doing some major S&D for my hair. Split and white ends EVERYWHERE. I don't follow the Moon patterns, so I'm just doing it when I can, lol.

[Naiadryade]

That's wonderful! What great inspiration! I'm currently doing some major S&D for my hair. Split and white ends EVERYWHERE. I don't follow the Moon patterns, so I'm just doing it when I can, lol.

If I didn't follow the Moon's cycles, this probably would have happened a lot sooner, lol! To each their own. ^.^

[iluvlovelylocks]

There truly is nothing better than trimming off nasty split ends. By the way, your hair looks great. I love your waves! Very pretty.

[MiaBeth]

What a noticeable difference this has made -- your hair looks much tidier in the after pics. I'll have to try this out!

[PixxieStix]

Color me amazed, that is some serious dedication, but wow, do those results speak for themselves!

[LilBoPeep]

Wow! Your hair looks so beautiful, good job!

[lapushka]

It's really nice that you only lost half an inch in length. Congrats!

[lydiajo]

Wow, now I feel the need to do mine. After a 12 hour work day, I think I better wait until I'm rested. No telling what it would look like if I tried to do it now. LOL

[katiebeans]

What an improvement! Your hair look so much better. I have been trying to nurse my ends back to health as well, just trimmed a bit yesterday, so your progress is very motivating.

[Redhead Rebel]

Wow it looks so much healthier! Well done :applause, and thanks for the motivation.

I need to do this but I struggle to find 6 spare hours and I know nothing about Moon Cycles :( . I currently have split hairs of every length between BSL and Chin!

[Naiadryade]

Awww, you all are making me feel so good about myself! Thank you for all the lovely compliments! They are a great antidote to mid-February S.A.D. depression. LHC is clearly awesome. :grouphug:


Wow it looks so much healthier! Well done :applause, and thanks for the motivation.

I need to do this but I struggle to find 6 spare hours and I know nothing about Moon Cycles :( . I currently have split hairs of every length between BSL and Chin!

There is a whole thread for it: Trimming and the Moon (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=69119). There are lots of links in that thread if you want to learn about how the Moon affects hair growth. Then you can take it or leave it. I don't truly know if trimming during the new/waxing moon helps hair growth, and I'm even less sure about it needing to be when the moon is in particular signs. But hey, I don't want to hurt my chances, and I definitely believe the Moon subtly affects many aspects of our lives.

[SugarPlumDreams]

Hee hee, you're so funny! I can definitely understand your elation! By the way, the picture of that split end made me go :bigeyes: Yowza!!

[maborosi]

I wish I had the patience for an S & D- it's been almost 3 months since my last trim and I still haven't found any splits yet. I'm hoping it'll stay that way for just a liiittle bit longer. Your hair looks great after the trim! :D



http://s20.postimage.org/44q04k90d/023.jpg

Still, that is one impressive split right there.

~maborosi~

[LadyLongLocks]

Your hair looks great. You have such patience to do those long S&D's! Something you need to have long hair!

[Kaelee]

Beautiful!!! I shall stop obsessing over my few splits now. You've done amazing!!!!! That effort was totally worth it.

[Naiadryade]

Beautiful!!! I shall stop obsessing over my few splits now. You've done amazing!!!!! That effort was totally worth it.

Thanks! I'm still obsessing over the few splits that are left/newly formed though. I keep my hair scissors on my desk and every time I notice a split, I cut it (and any others near it) off right there. My hair is quite prone to splits, so I'm still trimming off probably 20-30 split ends each day. It doesn't take much time or effort, and I'm pretty sure this is the only way I'll be able to avoid having to spend 12+ hours on it again a few months from now. Nothing wrong with a little obsession!! :bluebiggr

[redtuss]

Thanks! I'm still obsessing over the few splits that are left/newly formed though. I keep my hair scissors on my desk and every time I notice a split, I cut it (and any others near it) off right there. My hair is quite prone to splits, so I'm still trimming off probably 20-30 split ends each day. It doesn't take much time or effort, and I'm pretty sure this is the only way I'll be able to avoid having to spend 12+ hours on it again a few months from now. Nothing wrong with a little obsession!! :bluebiggr

Wow! That is some splits! Have your hair always been prone to splitting? Does oiling or anything help at all so that you won't get so many? I don't have your hairtype, is it something that is typical for 2a-hair?
It is beautiful after the trimming, it looks very healthy and happy :)

I second what Kaelee said, getting quite thankful that my hair rarely get splits at least.

Good job though, the difference is amazing!

[Firefly]

Nice job, it looks great! I keep a pair of scissors (Swiss Army Knife) in my bag because I'm a mad snipper of splits as well. I don't get many, but when I do notice one, it drives me nuts if I can't snip it off!

[LaurelSpring]

I went through something like this two years ago. This is why I do microtrim dustings. I have been doing one every full moon but now I am going to stretch it a tiny bit to get some more length by alternating full and new moon trims. I don't want to get in this predicament again. Some seem to be able to go a long time without trims and not have too much trouble but every time I try to go too long I get massively fuzzy ends. The dustings help me keep the ends nice without sacrificing growth. It is working pretty well.

[bunzfan]

Your really patient, i dont think i could do it for that long. It looks fantastic now :thumbsup:

[WaitingSoLong]

Just seeing this thread now...

I think this is a great inspirational post, that damaged hair can be rehabilitated this way. It is a tribute to this forum and your results are amazing! Tell me, have you gained back the inch you lost yet?

Just...bravo! :applause

[Naiadryade]

Wow folks, thanks for the nice comments! I'm tickled pink that this thread is still getting attention a month and a half later.


Wow! That is some splits! Have your hair always been prone to splitting? Does oiling or anything help at all so that you won't get so many? I don't have your hairtype, is it something that is typical for 2a-hair?
It is beautiful after the trimming, it looks very healthy and happy :)

I second what Kaelee said, getting quite thankful that my hair rarely get splits at least.

Good job though, the difference is amazing!

Thanks! My hair has been prone to splitting as long as I've been paying attention to it (a couple of years), not sure about before that but I assume so. I'm not sure if it's a 2a thing. Maybe? I think it's more of a dry hair thing. Though I seem to find more commonality on the fragility and split-proneness of my hair with fine-hair types, which is odd since my hair is definitely M. :shrug:

Oiling helps my ends feel not so dry, but I can't really say that it prevents splits. Using Shea Moisture now might be helping a bit. My hair seemed to like the protein I gave it last week (in the form of Liquid Aminos), so I'm going to try doing that regularly and see if it helps. What helps more than anything, though, is protecting my hair from mechanical damage. I pay dearly if I forget to bun or braid my hair when I sleep, play with kids, am out in the wind, etc. I have a feeling that if I made myself bun my hair 24/7 like some folks do, I'd get a lot less damage. I wouldn't enjoy my hair then though, and I don't really mind doing a little S&D every day... so it's a balance!

Trimming the splits when I see them helps a lot, too. The vast majority of my ends now are NOT split anymore... but if I don't S&D at all for a few days, the increase in number of splits seems more exponential than linear, and I'll find more damage farther up the hair shafts. I think the splits cause more tangles, which causes more damage.


Nice job, it looks great! I keep a pair of scissors (Swiss Army Knife) in my bag because I'm a mad snipper of splits as well. I don't get many, but when I do notice one, it drives me nuts if I can't snip it off!

I know what you mean! Do you find the Swiss Army Knife scissors to be sharp enough to not cause further damage, though?


I went through something like this two years ago. This is why I do microtrim dustings. I have been doing one every full moon but now I am going to stretch it a tiny bit to get some more length by alternating full and new moon trims. I don't want to get in this predicament again. Some seem to be able to go a long time without trims and not have too much trouble but every time I try to go too long I get massively fuzzy ends. The dustings help me keep the ends nice without sacrificing growth. It is working pretty well.

It's great to hear that you're managing to maintain at a happy level with split-prone ends! Good inspiration. I'm planning to start doing regular microtrims once I reach waist, in hopes that I can thicken my hemline and do away with the worst of the layers--I have a ridiculous taper, especially over the last few inches. It would be awesome to be able to manage most of the damaged ends in just a few strokes of the scissors! I'm way too eager for more length to start this yet, though. My hair has enough volume that the taper isn't too obvious when it's down.


Just seeing this thread now...

I think this is a great inspirational post, that damaged hair can be rehabilitated this way. It is a tribute to this forum and your results are amazing! Tell me, have you gained back the inch you lost yet?

Just...bravo! :applause

Thank you so much!! You're right that it's a huge tribute to this forum. Yes, I gained back the 1/2 inch I lost within just one month! Which is thrilling mostly because that means my efforts really have resulted in a faster "growth" (length-gain) rate, which was the main goal to begin with. I'll certainly take the nicer-looking, smoother, less tangly ends too though!

[heidi w.]

It is normal for hair to taper, especially around waist length and beyond. I had knee length hair at one point and from classic length on down, my hair was about half its size with plenty of splits. I just didn't S&D after a while. Splits come in all types of splits, but they need to be removed to keep the hemline healthy. I once did a huge blog covering the types of splits one has. Others have done other sumups, including pictures which is far better than narrative. It makes it super clear. Your hair looks nice now.
heidi w.

[spidermom]

I see splits like that in my hair from time to time. I never have the patience for a long S&D session, though. I can manage about 30 minutes every once in awhile.