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~BoHemiAngel~
July 2nd, 2013, 01:06 AM
Hi all!

Ok, I've made an appointment to see my hairdresser on Friday, and I keep going back and forth between doing a bigger chop to get rid of all my stringy ends, or just trimming a couple inches and sticking it out to my ultimate goal of hip. I've been growing from collarbone length for 4 long years (been at LHC for 3) and I'm actually pretty close when my hair is wet and fully stretched. The ends are incredibly thin from a huge (unfortunately ongoing) shed, and trimming back to BSL several times over the past few years hasn't really helped. I think I might be reaching terminal.

Here's a couple pics.
First, here's a pic of my hair today. Doesn't look too bad with a dark shirt underneath:
http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x322/hburgy/DSCN0107.jpg

Now here's a pic of my hair a few seconds later, just with a white shirt on underneath:
http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x322/hburgy/DSCN0112.jpg
So as you can see, my ends are fairytailing terribly from the shed. It's difficult for me to wear it down because I'm so self conscious about it now, but I really love to wear it down. But I know I will hate my hair "short" (as in BSL or APL) because I've trimmed it back so many times over the years in hopes of thickening up my hemline, and it always seems to look scraggly again within a few months and I'm mad at myself for cutting it. Have been wearing it up almost continuously for 4 years, and just wish I could enjoy wearing it down...

So I've decided I'm going to cut some amount of it off, but haven't fully decided how much. Your thoughts are appreciated!!
:flower:

red-again
July 2nd, 2013, 01:12 AM
I think your hair suits our body shape, it looks lovely. I personally would try babying the ends, accept that you may never get the think blunt hemline you so badly want.
You could cut a bit but I think you will just find the same happens again and you are cross with yourself for trimming and losing length. Another thought, maybe at the length you are, your ends are getting some mechanical damage from the small of your back? Maybe allowing it to get past this stage, however you think it looks, will help?

Good luck

leslissocool
July 2nd, 2013, 01:14 AM
I'd cut back 4-5 inches. Past BSL but over waist if you want to wear it down, it won't look thin IMO you'll have some taper but a hemline.

If you don't care about wearing it down and are willing to keep it up, cut 2 inches and keep up cut 2 inches 6 month later and just keep growing. It depends on what you want IMO.

kittengirl
July 2nd, 2013, 01:14 AM
Honestly I think you ends look very pretty. But if you would really feel better cutting some off maybe just try a couple inches? Sometimes that makes a huge difference in the feel of your hair but you wouldn't lose a ton so it wouldn't be drastic. You might like it better that way.

Natalia
July 2nd, 2013, 01:17 AM
If you feel you "need" to cut id say BSL will give you the thickest hem but waist (as in the narrowest part) would do alot for neatening it up. I have thin hair too and am growing out a shed so i feel ya on the ends. Personally i think it looks good now but i understand the desire for a less fairytale hem.

spirals
July 2nd, 2013, 01:18 AM
I can't see the pics--I think it's just me--but I have two ideas.

1. Do you have enough hair to have the hem bevelled (sp?)? It could make it appear thicker.
2. Have a special kind of layer put in to make the fairytaling look intentional. I used to do this to get a special look to my layers. It's hard to describe, but you take a section of hair and cut a diagonal line from the bottom right corner of the section to the left side a couple of inches up from the bottom. So it makes a point to the bottom right. If I were facing your back, I'd do that to the sections on your left side, then mirror image it on the right side. It's geometric enough to not look scraggly, and gives a chunky layered look. It's stylish because it's intentional. Or I'm crazy. :lol:

Allychan
July 2nd, 2013, 01:36 AM
I'd cut back 4-5 inches. Past BSL but over waist if you want to wear it down, it won't look thin IMO you'll have some taper but a hemline.

If you don't care about wearing it down and are willing to keep it up, cut 2 inches and keep up cut 2 inches 6 month later and just keep growing. It depends on what you want IMO.

I agree with leslissocool, go somewhere between BSL and waist. If you cut too much you'll hate it. I think a couple of inches off will make a huge enough difference. I am about to do the same to my hair in a couple of days too. Best of luck

morrigan*
July 2nd, 2013, 02:13 AM
Did you try microtrimming ? Just cut really small amount every two or three month, not more than your growth in two or three months. This would allow slow growing hairs to catch up with fast growing hairs.
This (http://www.longhairedatheart.blogspot.com/2010/03/even-hemline-without-loosing-length.html) is great article about microtriming.

Fantak
July 2nd, 2013, 03:34 AM
That looks so much like my hair used to! And yes it started to get thin after BSL!!

The only thing that helped was keeping my hair up in a protected style (not even down in a braid :( ) and my hair changed 180 degrees in 9 months. My ends are finally so much thicker and my length looks lush. I tried everything else because I love having my hair down but nothing worked.

Wish you luck!

Silverbrumby
July 2nd, 2013, 03:52 AM
I like your haIr. I do a 2 inch trim then wear black when going out. Its lovely hair.

CurlyMopTop
July 2nd, 2013, 05:54 AM
I second the 2 in. Trim. Then micro trims every month or two and where up in protective styles. I think you would see a huge difference after 6 months to a year of keeping up the trims. :D

Kherome
July 2nd, 2013, 06:43 AM
I'd cut back 4-5 inches. Past BSL but over waist if you want to wear it down, it won't look thin IMO you'll have some taper but a hemline.



Exactly what I was going to say.

missfaroe
July 2nd, 2013, 07:23 AM
I think you should cut it to slightly above your waist and then, as others have already suggested, start micro trimming every 2-3 months.

I think your hair looks really pretty but i think it would be even prettier if you cut it just a bit :o

lapushka
July 2nd, 2013, 07:44 AM
I don't think it looks bad at all or trimworthy. It just looks like nice, slightly tapered ends. So no, I wouldn't trim.

Jenny31557
July 2nd, 2013, 07:49 AM
As others have suggested, microtrimming could make a big difference but I also suggest maybe maintaining this length for a couple of months to really thicken up your ends. Hope this helps and I love your waves!

kitschy
July 2nd, 2013, 07:53 AM
Your hair is beautiful!

I would only trim if your hair is damaged at the ends, and not just because it is fairy-like!

CarpeDM
July 2nd, 2013, 10:32 AM
I agree with the two inch trim and micro trimming thereafter!

jacqueline101
July 2nd, 2013, 10:51 AM
I'd try to trim a little at a time.

Silverbrumby
July 2nd, 2013, 11:02 AM
I think 2 inches then wear black when out. Wait 6 months then another two inches with wearing black when wanting to have it down. It looks like it's approaching terminal and I don't think you have any wear and tear issues if for the most part you're wearing it up. Not unless you use elastics to wear it up and sharp clips.

Your terminal is my dream terminal btw. I'd love to have this length and the fairytail ends look sweet. One way I get around my fairytail ends is by pulling parts of the front back into combs and clips which gives the middle section more hair because I've dragged back the front parts. Just something to think about.

Hairwish
July 2nd, 2013, 11:29 AM
If it were my hair, I'd consider microtrimming (as in cutting around 0.5'' every month) and maintaining this length for a while before going for a bigger cut.

ravenreed
July 2nd, 2013, 11:36 AM
I would trim 2" and see how you feel.

Vrindi
July 2nd, 2013, 11:56 AM
I'm not even a fan of fairy tail ends, but I think your hair looks beautiful. Those waves! I would recommend cutting just an inch or two. You can always go back and cut more later. I found BSL to be a very damage-prone length, and once I got past it, it was easier to keep it from getting trapped under purse straps and things.

Macaroni
July 2nd, 2013, 01:09 PM
I see three very thick tiers of waves. I'd cut to the bottom of the lowest tier.

verylittlecarro
July 2nd, 2013, 01:59 PM
Firstly, your hair is a lovely colour, and looks shiny and soft.

However, I'm going against the grain here, but only since you have requested opinions, I wouldn't offer this as unsolicited advice!
When I see hair that is thick to a point and then substantially thinner beyond that, patricularly if the demarcation between thick and thin is severe rather than graduated, the optical effect is to see beautiful thick bsl hair....with a few extra thinner strands beyond, rather than waist length hair in its entirety.

And in truth, I personally find the quest for length at all costs is at the expense of aesthetics. At your length, which is lovely, I would be inclined to cut off up to the level where the hair is still thick. However, that's a very personal opinion and I understand the struggle, as I acknowledge my own hair would benefit from neatening up, but it feels as though I'd rather gain a little length in the short term and then begin to improve the aesthetics. My hair is much shorter than yours though!

ravenheather
July 2nd, 2013, 02:52 PM
I think your hair is lovely. If the taper bothers you why not just micro trim. Growing hair is about patience. I think this applies to hemlines too. I definitely wouldn't cut more than a couple of inches, but I like fairytales on wavy hair.

McFearless
July 2nd, 2013, 03:42 PM
I know I will hate my hair "short" (as in BSL or APL) because I've trimmed it back so many times over the years in hopes of thickening up my hemline, and it always seems to look scraggly again within a few months and I'm mad at myself for cutting it. Have been wearing it up almost continuously for 4 years, and just wish I could enjoy wearing it down...



This part of your post makes me think you don't really want to cut it. You've tried the big cuts multiple times and you don't seem happy about it and the results you've gotten.

Have you found out the causes for your shed? Blood work done, hormone levels checked, ruled out any deficiencies, etc?

I would hold off on the trim for now and experiment with heatless curl methods to mask the thinner ends somewhat as you grow in the lost hair.

spidermom
July 2nd, 2013, 05:48 PM
I've seen a lot of hair like yours over the years here at LHC, and I don't think there is anything to be gained by cutting a bunch of it off. You'll just have shorter hair, but it won't change; I've seen it 100 times at least.

Trim off 1/2 inch once per month to once every other month to give slower-growing hairs a chance to catch up with faster-growing hairs. You'll soon see whether the thickness remains at about the same level or begins to move down a bit. It may be that the majority of your hairs have a relatively short growth cycle (maybe 3-4 years), then shed out, and only a few hairs grow enough months to get longer than BSL. There's really nothing you can do about that; it's genetics.

Anywhere
July 2nd, 2013, 05:59 PM
You and I have the same hair. I did a chop of about 4" and it really didn't help and I missed my hair dearly. I would suggest the microtrims from personal experience.

Silverbrumby
July 2nd, 2013, 06:02 PM
I've seen a lot of hair like yours over the years here at LHC, and I don't think there is anything to be gained by cutting a bunch of it off. You'll just have shorter hair, but it won't change; I've seen it 100 times at least.

Trim off 1/2 inch once per month to once every other month to give slower-growing hairs a chance to catch up with faster-growing hairs. You'll soon see whether the thickness remains at about the same level or begins to move down a bit. It may be that the majority of your hairs have a relatively short growth cycle (maybe 3-4 years), then shed out, and only a few hairs grow enough months to get longer than BSL. There's really nothing you can do about that; it's genetics.

Thanks so much for posting this with your experiences of how some hair grows. I'm facing the same decision as her and I think I might follow your advice and 1/2 inch trim a month for a while. Maybe, just maybe the slow growing ones will catch up but I'm thinking it's more the case of a 3 to 4 year terminal cycle.

kellinaturalmom
July 2nd, 2013, 06:05 PM
Bohemiangle, I love your hair how it is! If you are going to cut it, don't cut too much off! I had the same exact problem about a year ago (except my hair was only BSL) and I impulsively went to the salon and cut it to chin length. I know you're not thinking of going that short, but aaaanyways, I ended up regretting it after the initial two weeks of loving it. Like red-again said, baby the ends and trim regularly. And by the way I love fairy tale ends and your hair is really pretty!

~BoHemiAngel~
July 2nd, 2013, 07:00 PM
Wow!!! This community is so amazing :inlove: Thank you all SO MUCH for your input and thoughtful comments. I appreciate every single one!!
And wouldn't you know that after all this talk of hating my hair, I went and had a good hair day today!
http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x322/hburgy/DSCN0123.jpg
This was after taking my hair out of a nautilus bun, and the curls only looked nice for a few minutes, but I was happy for those few minutes, anyway! ;)

So I'm now heavily leaning towards trimming about 2" just off the longest part on the bottom, to thicken it up a tiny bit and also even it out some. I know I will still have the fairytale ends, but at least I will still have some length to be happy about. As some commented, I did try chopping 5-6" other times in the past, and somehow it didn't even help the problem. Within a few months my hair was just short and scraggly rather than long and scraggly :disgust: My ultimate goal is hip, so I think if I can stick it out a bit longer without doing a big chop, I can grow down to there and then microtrim some of the thinning ends away.

THANK YOU again to all those who posted comments. I can't respond to each one now, but will respond to a couple of those who posted questions.

spirals

Do you have enough hair to have the hem bevelled (sp?)? It could make it appear thicker. I have no idea what you're talking about with this beveled hemline, but it sounds interesting! The weird thing about my hair is that the canopy (from the vertex) is perfectly thick, while my shed affected the entire underside of my hair coming from the nape of my neck. And also the sides, at the temples. So I have like a reverse- beveled hemline :rolleyes: Thanks for the suggestion!

morrigan*

Did you try microtrimming ? I'm terrified of cutting my own hair. I know I will goof it up. I tried Faye's method once and it just came out looking wonky; cut off more than I meant to. Thankfully I found a great hairdresser that I love and will only cut off how much I tell her. Thank you for the article on microtrimming, though!

McFearless

Have you found out the causes for your shed? Blood work done, hormone levels checked, ruled out any deficiencies, etc? It's stress, unfortunately. I have seen multiple docs for testing and everything comes back completely normal. Iron, ferritin, thyroid hormones, estrogen, progesterone, all of it. I work about 60-70 hours per week in a high stress job, and the one time I experienced a reprieve from this incredible shed was when I was able to take 6 weeks off. Started right back up again when I went back to work. Grrrrrr. Need to find better stress management techniques.

spidermom

I've seen a lot of hair like yours over the years here at LHC, and I don't think there is anything to be gained by cutting a bunch of it off. You'll just have shorter hair, but it won't change; I've seen it 100 times at least.

Trim off 1/2 inch once per month to once every other month to give slower-growing hairs a chance to catch up with faster-growing hairs. You'll soon see whether the thickness remains at about the same level or begins to move down a bit. It may be that the majority of your hairs have a relatively short growth cycle (maybe 3-4 years), then shed out, and only a few hairs grow enough months to get longer than BSL. There's really nothing you can do about that; it's genetics. spidermom, thank you for this post! This is incredibly helpful information and really validates my experience. You would think that doing a huge chop on hair like mine would produce a (lasting) thick hemline, but somehow for me it just didn't!!! Doesn't even seem logical, but after 4 years of growing out big chops, it's now every bit as scraggly as it was before. I really appreciate this advice on microtrimming to allow the slower-growing hairs a chance to catch up. I'm thinking I will do a 2" trim, and then after that it's microtrimming to maintain for the next year :)

Thank you again to all of your for your compliments, thoughtful comments, and advice. I'm so grateful for this wonderful community!!
:grouphug:

Oldfashioned
July 2nd, 2013, 07:38 PM
I use my phone and listen to meditation for relaxation videos on youtube before bed. It's only for a little bit and helps me relax because I'm a big stresser too! Maybe you could try it to help your stress levels? :)

alexis917
July 2nd, 2013, 08:35 PM
I second microtrimming! Not only will it work better than a big chop (that you might regret)- it'll be less of a drastic change, too.
Stress-wise, if you have a Buddhist temple near you, consider attending a meditation session. I'm Atheist, but love to clear my head.
Meditation at home is just as calming. I know you're supposed to embrace the silence, but I live with woods behind me and a road in front,
so I hear birds and cars. I put on some slow classical music and headphones.

Silverbrumby
July 2nd, 2013, 08:58 PM
I'm sorry about the stress you are facing and I too lost a lot of hair during a very stressful time of my life. On the plus side it also appears you are taking care of yourself as best as possible and making thoughtful decisions not only about your hair, but probably about your life. Enjoy the down time when it comes no matter how brief and I hope things improve soon. I bet when they do and if you keep up regular trims you'll notice a positive change.

leslissocool
July 3rd, 2013, 12:22 PM
Don't be afraid of cutting your own hair! It's not very hard look up Feye's self trim.


I see, I suggested the big chop mostly because that's what I did and I'm very happy with (I value fullness vs length), but I understand what you mean. Micro Trimming is a great idea, I'd still cut 2 inches now at the salon then just trim yourself.

Honestly it doesn't look bad (to me) enough to hate wearing it down :shrug: it looks like a V cut.

Lockoptimisten
July 3rd, 2013, 01:23 PM
It would look even prettier With 3 inches shorter. But it is gorgeous now as well.

Sonja Ore
July 3rd, 2013, 01:56 PM
Hey BoHemiAngel,

Keep growing it long! My hair is quite similar to yours, I too have fairytale ends. Whatever length my hair has been my ends tend to behave this way. I agree with Red-again on the babying. I do what ever I can to strengthen them. As my hair has got longer the ends have improved a lot.

I think you hair is lovely. Keep growing it out, the other lengths catch up eventually! DON'T GIVE UP!

Son

Nellon
July 3rd, 2013, 02:03 PM
Want to second people saying your hair looks lovely, it absolutely does! :) That's all I wanted to add :)

DancingQueen
July 3rd, 2013, 02:55 PM
I am usually not crazy about the fairytale style, but it actually looks really good on you. You could cut maybe just half the fairytale ends, and see if it thickens up? I honestly don't think you need to cut more than that.

Unicorn
July 8th, 2013, 11:36 AM
I must be a case of beauty being in the eye of the beholder. I love the way your hairlooks, just as it is, so I'd go with micro trims.

Unicorn

summergreen
July 8th, 2013, 02:38 PM
I think it looks beautiful and I love your fairytails - I would just buy a lot of dark tops! But if you really want to cut some I would suggest 2 inches.

cranberrymoonz
July 8th, 2013, 02:52 PM
I would cut back to about mid-back and do microtrims from there if you'd like to thicken it up at the hem a bit, though I personally love the fairytaled look on your waves:) No need to be self-concious

Annibelle
July 8th, 2013, 04:19 PM
I've seen a lot of hair like yours over the years here at LHC, and I don't think there is anything to be gained by cutting a bunch of it off. You'll just have shorter hair, but it won't change; I've seen it 100 times at least.

Trim off 1/2 inch once per month to once every other month to give slower-growing hairs a chance to catch up with faster-growing hairs. You'll soon see whether the thickness remains at about the same level or begins to move down a bit. It may be that the majority of your hairs have a relatively short growth cycle (maybe 3-4 years), then shed out, and only a few hairs grow enough months to get longer than BSL. There's really nothing you can do about that; it's genetics.


You and I have the same hair. I did a chop of about 4" and it really didn't help and I missed my hair dearly. I would suggest the microtrims from personal experience.

BoHemiAngel, I've told you this before, but it's worth repeating: there are two heads of hair on LHC that have totally changed my opinion of my own hair: yours and Anywhere's. The reason is that your hair looks so much like mine, but when I look at yours, I don't see "yuck scraggly ends!!!" like I do when I look at mine. When I look at your hair, I see beautiful, delicate-looking hair. We're some of the folks Spidermom is talking about, and it took me forever to learn my lesson about cutting. In December, for example, I cut my WL hair to APL because that should make it look better, right? Nope! I STILL had scraggly ends somehow, but I also had shorter hair! :taz: So I'm no longer allowing myself to ever cut more than an inch at a time. In theory, cutting your hair would make your hemline thicker, but the hair works magic to give you the same hemline with shorter hair! I have found that microtrims make my hair look and feel better, but please don't do anything dramatic! I've done it so many times, and it's set me back so far! (I was nearly at hip when I joined two years ago, and now I'm not even at waist. :( Don't be me!)

Lady Mary
July 8th, 2013, 06:53 PM
I figure this trim has already happened, however I just wanted to say how pretty your hair is. I really like the fairy tale ends look.