Is Search and Destroy worth it?

[pogo0685]

I am wondering if anyone doesn't trim and also doesn't S&D? I have waist length hair, lots of splits but over the past 2 days I have been trimming them off for about 6 hours and have not even got half my hair done. Is this really worth it? Do I just need to get it done this time and keep up on it from here on out? I have a 4 year old and a 5 month old so time isn't exactly something I have lots to spare of. But I really want my hair to grow nice and long. I just started the catnip treatments 3 weeks ago but I wont notice if it helps due to the split ends I already have. I hope to be at hip by new years. And if I need a trim then I will do one (maybe an inch or two) and then plan on growing again until I get to BCL or Tailbone. What would you do?

[FireFromWithin]

I think s and d is something you have to do when you see a split rather than taking hours. Little and often is what I try for. Perhaps if your hair is very damaged all at the ends it would be good to do a small trim to get the hemline healthy again. Then s and d as you go to keep it looking nice. It's always scary to lose even a little bit of length but sometimes it can make a huge difference. It's a personal choice though.

[HintOfMint]

S&D has worked for me but only under particular circumstances. I get most of my splits in the underlayer of my hair, so the location is very specific and only amounts to maybe 1/5 of my hair. This layer also tends to be a little shorter than the rest of my hair and the splits are throughout the length so a traditional trim just won't cut it, so to speak.

However, if your splits are throughout your hair and towards the ends, then it will be far too time consuming to really S&D everything and I'd recommend a trim instead.

[melusine963]

S&D is definitely worth it for me, but my eyes go square and I want to stab someone after more than an hour or two at a time. Every six months or so I take a week or two where I s&d a small section of my hair every few days. This way I can work my way around my whole head while staying sane.

[ravenreed]

If all my hairs have splits, I trim. I only S & D when I have enough splits to show, but not enough for an actual trim. But yes, S & D sessions have done wonders for me gaining length.

[jeanniet]

If you really have a lot of splits, I would microtrim (1/4") monthly for a few months, and then S & D in short sessions on a regular basis. The microtrimming will slow your growth a little, but if you leave the splits they're going to break off anyway. I think S & D is very effective if you do it regularly, but you don't want to start with a lot of splits because it'll drive you nuts trying to get them all. In that case, a small trim is much more effective.

[goldloli]

S&D has worked for me but only under particular circumstances. I get most of my splits in the underlayer of my hair, so the location is very specific and only amounts to maybe 1/5 of my hair. This layer also tends to be a little shorter than the rest of my hair and the splits are throughout the length so a traditional trim just won't cut it, so to speak.

However, if your splits are throughout your hair and towards the ends, then it will be far too time consuming to really S&D everything and I'd recommend a trim instead.
All of this, especially the part about underlayer. My underlayer is finally growing and s&d is a big part of that... actually especially the bit about just trimming if they are mostly at the ends too :o

I'd never sit there and do my whole head again, my eyes felt funny for ages after. My splits are all over the lengths, so i just snip off a few when watching shows or on the net, i have a small pair of japanese steel embroidery scissors set next to my computer. I've probably spent hours trimming them yet it doesnt feel like i had to make the time this way.

[AspenSong]

For me, S&D is totally worth it. I personally don't have super fast growing hair, so I don't trim a lot. However, I'll occasionally get a case of the tangles in the last like 6 inches or so of my hair....and 9 times out of 10, if I can spare 20 minutes a day over a few days just checking out that area and snipping the splits I do find or the feathered splits, by the time I'm done my hair is feeling 98% better and most of the issues I was having are gone. That's just my hair though and for me doing this, has helped me stretch my trims dramatically. :) I say do whatever works for you though. Not everyone has the time and if small trims will work better and help you more, then so be it! :)

[pogo0685]

Thanks for all the replies, I don't think its bad enough for a trim and I am hoping to not let it get that bad but I gotta start working on it now or it will be in a month or two. I was literally trying to go strand by strand to make sure I don't miss any. Maybe i will try and just look for them once I braid it (so once a day or so) and do little sections whenever I get time rather than trying to do all my hair at once.

[spidermom]

I've decided that S&D is not worth it for me. There's no way I can adequately evaluate over 100,000 hairs.

I still do S&D occasionally when I'm in good light and don't have anything in particular that I have to do. I prefer to S&D with my hair in braids. The splits that pop out are easier to see and cut than they are when I'm trying to find and isolate them in loose hair.

I'm a big believer in regular small trims.

[shutterpillar]

It used to work fine for me, but lately I've just taken to doing a good trim every six months or so. Perhaps I've grown lazy about it. I'll still snip off a really bad split if I see one, but I have white dots galore and i'd be sitting there all day if I wanted to get every single one. It's easiest for me to just trim every so often.

[jacqueline101]

I'd micro trim then s&d when you get rid of the splits.

[trolleypup]

When my hair gets tangly, it is time for S&D sessions. Trims wouldn't work for me, as the splits are all through the length. Good light, time, and I use my reading glasses.

[neko_kawaii]

Like Trolleypup, my splits are all throughout my length and rarely at the end where a trim would remove them. S&D is something I do to grasp some peaceful time to myself, though I can also do it while my son is playing outside (I can't see the damn things with indoor lighting, so I always S&D outside). Instead of trying to get through my whole head in one sitting, I'll portion out a quarter and make a note about when each quarter has been done because I would otherwise absentmindedly go through the same quarter time after time.

[ravenreed]

I have been noticing more split ends up about 2" from the ends of the hair rather than on the very ends like I used to. I think it may be from the band on my sleep braid. Trimming wouldn't get those because I almost never trim that much off at once and my hair is layered. Since not every hair has them, it is worth snipping them as I find them. I find sitting in front of my screen is great because it acts as a backlight for searching. I can just spend a few minutes looking while I wait for a file to load, or download, or while reading LHC forums which is especially useful because the colors are so light. Doing it for a few minutes every day is much more tolerable to me than trying to do longer sessions.

[raej]

I'm still working through quite a bit of flat iron damage, and thus have somewhat thin ends. I've found that microtrimming is working best for me now, because S&D was leaving me with even thinner ends. Perhaps I got a little carried away :o

[teal]

I don't devote much time to it. I found tht it didn't matter much in my case - the last several inches of my hair is fairly damaged. I'd rather have longer hair with some splits at the ends (and not much damage visible higher up) than trim it back the required amount to remove all the damage. I still do s&d when it gets tangly, but generally I leave my fairytale ends alone and I like them as they are. Oils help with the tangles and just feel nice on the ends. ;)

[Yozhik]

Back when my hair was mostly pre-LHC hair, I used to S&D for 15-30 minutes every day. X.X

Then I did a series of chops, from 3-6 inches over the course of 2 years, and now I find one split every month or so. :D
The last time I trimmed my hair was July 2012.

Of course, this is my personal experience, and your results will vary depending on length, texture, and routine...

[longNred]

I do the same as a few others have mentioned, I do it while relaxing outside. Sitting on the patio, in the sun, while my child plays... Snip a few here and there. I don't devote hours to it. A little bit at a time, when I can, and don't stress about getting them all. If I get a few, well, that's certainly better than nothing! I need to keep a pair of hair scissors in my car though, I'm often sitting in traffic, in the sun, horrified by the splits and always wishing I could snip them right then and there. I feel it's worth it for me.

[spirals]

I have been doing it, but I think now I'm with spidermom on this. I think most of my splits break off before I can get to them anyway.

[Sharysa]

My split ends are always throughout my hair, but weirdly enough most of my ends seem pretty resilient.

S&D is definitely worth the two hours every month snipping off split ends in the bathroom. (My hair's black, so a white bathtub and shiny tiled walls are perfect contrast.)

[coffinhert]

I did s&d when I first started reading LHC but I haven't in a year or so and it hasn't made any difference. I figure, the split ends will just break into slightly shorter tapered strands, which is what I want anyway (princess style waves with wispy ends). I microtrim a couple times a year because I'm still growing out bleach damage but I don't find s&d to be necessary.

[Carolyn]

It's worthwhile for me. I do it when I'm watching TV or sitting at my computer so I'm multitasking. A micro trim would get very few of my splits. Small trims will keep my hemline nicer and thicker but do very little to reduce the number of splits. I would say that less than 5% of my split ends are in the bottom half inch of my hair. My favorite way to do S & D is when my hair is in a braid. I leave about a 3-4" tassel, divide the tassel into sections and go at it.

[hafattack]

I like to do it once in a while, mostly for psychological reasons I think. When I was doing it religiously I started to need to search to actually find any, but I can't say it made a ton of difference in the condition of my hair. I am tangle prone, but I don't know if its being a finey or a result of a splits and I have been so busy lately that I just live and let splits live!

[Bagginslover]

I'm beginning to think its not worth it for me. I can S&D continually, and still always find splits. If I leave them, they don't seem to travel much, and a small trim every few months gets the vast majority at once. As I'm growing out layers too, I will be trimming regularly for quite some time, so I think I will lay off the S&D sessions til the layers are gone, the reevluate :)

[Angelica]

I don't find S & D works for me. It is too time consuming and although there are loads of splits, I think I would have to spend an entire day on them and then my hair would be even thinner at the ends. I trim occasionally an am trying to be even gentler with my hair now - recently purchased a tangle teezer. I haven't noticed anything terrible as a result of not tackling the split ends, it doesn't seem to travel. My hair is still shiny despite the splits, the only time I find my hair a problem in the trimming department is when my hair starts tangling badly and feels noticeably dry and then it is time for a trim.

[nobeltonya]

I am constantly holding up the length of my hair when I'm sitting, say, in the car [b/c I put it over my shoulder], and while I generally don't find many splits at all, sometimes I do see one. And it bugs the mess out of me until I trim it off.. lol I'm also OCD about my ends being even, so I dust my ends every 2-3 weeks. I used to go much longer b/w trims, when it was shorter. Maybe b/c I used to wear it up all the time? Now that it's longer, I wear it down 90% of the time, so it seems to require more frequent trims and S&D. :disco:

[alexis917]

It depends on your hair, and your needs.

But here's a general list of what I think S&Ding is about....

PROS:

-If you happen to spot a split or two, this will get rid of them.
-Prevents splits from traveling up the shaft further.
-Can get rid of a few splits without having to do a full trim.
-Can get rid of pesky splits that you wouldn't do a trim for, like if you happen to spot one up higher, not at the ends.

CONS:

-Very thorough S&Ding without any trims to thicken your hemline,
(or just to get rid of splits, if there are a decent amount of them), will make your ends thinner over time.
-Takes quite a bit of time and patience.
-It's a DIY thing, so if you're into getting someone to handle your hair for you, this might be tiresome.

Personally, I just do the occasional trim instead. I think it's easier for me.
Whether S&Ding will work for you is a matter of your hair, and your preferences for it. <3

[prettyhairisred]

I personally S&D on the first of every month. Just because I have very fine hair so the splits travel up really fast. When they do the bottom of may hair is pouffy and dull, which I don't really like. I found so many when I started S&D ing and it took a week of daily sessions to get them out. But my hair felt so sleek and silky after, no longer "rough" feeling, if you get what I mean. Now I just do maintenance once a month to stop the splits in the bud, before they get bad enough that I need to trim a whole inch. But I do have thick hair, so there's not too much volume lost. I think S&D is perfect for fine thick hair.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

I never bother, I figure it is much quicker and easier to do an occasional microtrim.

[QMacrocarpa]

S&D isn't worth it for me. I self-trim twice a year or so, and in combination with wearing my hair up most of the time and oiling the ends weekly-ish, that keeps the splits down to a level that I can ignore, with an investment of only a few minutes of snipping per year, and no eyestrain headaches or sensation of going ma-a-a-ad.:brains: