Do You Follow the Popular Advice of Trimming Your Hair Every 1-1/2 Months?

[ChristmasFnatic]

So it will grow and look healthier.

All around, I see this advice, but wondering what hair goddesses here really think about it. Does it really make a difference?

[ravenreed]

I used to microtrim regularly to control split ends. About every six weeks or so, I would remove 1/4 to 1/2 an inch. I always get compliments on my friends on how nice my ends look and feel, and I think that is one reason why. However, the last couple of months my hair has been fine, so I just trim to keep my layers looking nice and my ends even.

[battles]

While growing, I trim every 4-6 months and only have half an inch removed.

Trimming that often seems unnecessary to me and more likely to remove length just as fast as you're gaining it.

[Kaelee]

Trimming that often I'd say is more likely to be good for maintaining, not for growing. I can't imagine actually gaining any length that way, unless you're taking off only 1/4" or less each time.

[Etna]

I did trim every couple of months when my hair was damaged by bleach and dye. Now that it is no longer damaged I'll be trimming every 6 months, and just snipping off any stray split ends in-between.

eta: Just wanted to point out I am not a "hair goddess", but this is my experience.

[patienceneeded]

I get 1" or less trimmed every 6 months. In between my biannual trims I S&D (Search and Destroy) and split ends I find with my hair scissors. Unlike many here, I go to a salon and have a professional do my actual trims. I'm fortunate to have found a great stylist who listens, does what I ask, and supports my hair goals.

[Vampyria]

I've been also cutting my hair regularly every 1-2 months because I'm growing out after a shedding, so I have a lot of new growth and it tends to look really messy (new hairs sticking out everywhere).

The length is increasing, but really slowly, which is logical, but my ends feel really soft and are always nice and thick (I think that my hair starts tapering really fast) and it doesn't tangle. Otherwise I wouldn't need a trim for more than 4 months, since I usually don't get split ends in that time.

[ravenreed]

My reasoning is this: If I leave split ends alone, they get worse. The split travels up the hair and it causes more tangles in the hairs around it. I would rather sacrifice half my growth every other month or so than to leave the little horrors and end up cutting all my growth off. It has been very successful for me. I am at fingertip and still growing strong. It is just taking me a wee bit longer.

[Sharysa]

No, I don't. I mainly stay with split-end trimming, partly because most of my split ends aren't at my actual hair ends. They're somewhere around the last half to the last third of my hair.

I haven't actually trimmed my hair since last November, and officially I haven't been trimming since January. At least part of it is because my hair is coarse, so it's certainly tough enough to last a while without trimming the actual hemline.

[Leeloo]

I am not. I'm growing it out right now and want to keep the length, so just S&D for now. But if I was maintaining then I would trim every month or two.

[NoRush]

Nope, if I'm trying to gaing lentgh, I don't see that working out, I believe in trimming when needed and since I like a nice, thick hemline that means, if I have split ends, uneven hemline, thinning hemline (which I personally don't like), or if my ends were feeling dry nomatter what I slapped on them. I'd do the monthly trims if I were to maintain a certain length, or maybe if I were to grow out damage, I'd trim until I got enough length to go for a big chop without having to shave my head, basically :P

[Brileeka]

I haven't trimmed my hair since February and they are still very healthy. The great majority of my splits are on my shorter hairs. So what works for me best is a lot of S&D. So I'd say weather you want to get scheduled trims or as need trims is up to you. I just S&D and trim when necessary.

[Neneka]

I have never followed that if I am not maintaining certain hair cut. That would eat most of my growth. If I am growing I just trim when my ends start thinning or feeling damaged.

[Arien]

I trim my hair usually about every 4-6 weeks. I take of hardly anything... 5mm tops. My hair usually grows pretty quickly. I had forgotten to trim it for nearly three months this time around so I took an inch off. It will soon grow back. It keeps my ends looking nice and healthy, completely split free and trimming such a small amount means I'm not cutting off hardly any of my growth :).

[Olafwa]

I haven't trimmed for around 6-8 months, haven't really had a problem. I am a big advocate of, if you decide you need it, do it. Though I want my ends to be a bit thicker then they are now, so I'll probably maintain it at my current length, which means trims. :D If you look at your ends and aren't sure if you need a trim or not, let it go and look at it later. Some girls get bad damage and have to trim a lot, some girls (like me) can let it go for a long time. It just depends on what works for you. ;)

[leslissocool]

I trim every 4-6 months, no S&D I don't get split ends.

I do so for my daughter too and her hair has a perfect hemline! She has no other damage than mechanical, I recently trimmed all my old bleach damage, my hair is healthy.

I do not go to a salon, I have a crea-clip and that's what I use, I cut my kids hair too.

[luxepiggy]

Not I, said the pig! I am far too lazy, plus my hair doesn't really get splits. I S&D any bent ends, but other than that I just do a big cut once a year to maintain my preferred length (^(oo)^)v

[woolyleprechaun]

For me, it's as and when needed. Sometimes I can go 3 months without problems, other times I reach the 8 week milestone and need a little trim.
I tend to mix it up a little; sometimes I can get away with a s&d session, other times I need to take 1/4 inch of the hem. It depends what the problem is (such as dryness, tangling, splits, weedy hem etc).

[Tini'sNewHair]

I couldnt imagine trimming THAT often ahhhh noooooooooo - my grouth will be stomped and pooped on haha seriosly, i havent trimmed in over a year and although i have noticed some split hair here and there, my ends are 95% in good shape. BUT everyones hair is different and i understand that we all do what we need to do individualy :)

[goldenlady]

My hair has a sloth-like growth rate.. (except in summer - it loves the sun!) I only cut mine when I've got splits.. I treat my hair like silk so my ends are never that bad.. I used to get my hair cut that often and it didn't gain any length!

[Zindell]

Do You Follow the Popular Advice of Trimming Your Hair Every 1-1/2 Months? So it will grow and look healthier.

Nope, not at all. I only trim my hair when I think my ends are starting to look a bit dry or worn. I guess thats about once every third month or so, and I always self trim.

[ghost]

I do, because my hemline isn't as thick as I'd like. I tend to trim every 2 months, every month if my ends are looking really busted, and I usually take off a quarter inch to half an inch. In between I just cut off split ends as I see them. Eventually I'd like to get to the point where I'm only trimming every 4 months or so, but my hair isn't ready for that yet.

[MunaZaldrizoti]

I don't, but I'll probably have to get it trimmed every three or four months or so as it grows out to even it up. Once it grows longer I can stretch the time between trims.

[catasa]

I usually trim about every third month (at a salon), my ends simply needs it by that time (dry/tangly/uneven). I still gain length though, my hairdresser usually takes off about 2-3 centimeters.

[browneyedsusan]

Heck no! (more characters)

[FuzzyBlackWaves]

I started off by trimming monthly to remove previous dye and heat styling damage, however my mobile hair dresser always seems to take off 1/2" no matter what I ask for, and it was just staying the same length, so I moved to twice a month to help prevent taper (I S+D every week or so for the split ends). I'm still not happy with how much new growth I lose during trims though - ideally I'd get 1/4" every 2 months, but that's not really possible (I don't want to go to a salon, and I'm terrible at trimming my own ends). I'm thinking about moving my trims to every 3 months; I think regular trims definitely keep the hair looking better, more even and thick, but they do make growth take much longer.

[jacqueline101]

I trim only as needed. I trim a half inch off that's it I use to s&d my splits. I haven't noticed too many.

[KAggs]

I get my hair trimmed at a salon every 3-4 months. I usually ask for less than an inch each time to make my ends nice and happy. :) I hope to stretch out my trims once I reach my goal length, WSL.

[Tangle or Curl?]

I wouldn't say I'm a hair goddess, but I gain a TON of length by snipping 1/4 inch or just under that every 2 to 3 months or so. I usually stretch it to 3 months unless I notice difficulty with tangles.

[SerinaDaith]

I s&d only, I only cut my hair once a year for many years. I would get a bob in March or April then let it grow all year and chop again the next year. No splits or major damage issues, but aside from my old dye habbit I pretty much left my hair alone. I trimmed about 1/2 inch off in December last year. I have done s&d once a month since and have only found a few splits to snip so I figure as long as I like how my hair looks and it stays fairly even I am just going to leave it alone. I do have perminant dye still on the bottom of my hair and just a little bleach dammage but it'll all come out eventually, my hair is up almost all of the time so the dye never shows anymore anyways.

[Mindy]

Since I began wearing my hair in protective styles and taking better care of it, I very rarely find split ends. I only trim once every 3 months or so, and only a tiny bit at the time just to even out my ends and maintain thickness in my hemline.

[Natalina]

I don't tend to get split ends so no. My hair was completely healthy when I didn't trim it for over 3 years. I know that for some people their hair requires those regular trimming, but to me the advice is absolutely useless and only hold me back from my length goal. Plus, I don't want a blunt hemline.

[Surinecet]

I used to pretty much just get my hair trimmed every 6-12 months, somewhere between APL and almost-waist, generally treating it with benign neglect. It had some splits but a trim usually took care of it. Then after a big chop I trimmed every 6 weeks for a little bit. Now that I want to grow it again I haven't trimmed since March. My plan is to S&D, but I haven't found any splits yet to take care of. I think it probably depends on your hair, how fast you want it to get to the length you want, and if you prefer a fairy tale or blunt hemline.

[Coolcombination]

I normally cut when needed which works out at about 6 months

[gossamer]

Nope. I'm probably the most neglectful person out there with hair at my length. I have about 1 inch trimmed off every 6 months (when I remember). Last time I went from August to the following April without a trim because I kept forgetting.

When I have the time and courage, I S&D, but that's usually once a month at most.

Maybe my hair looks bad. It's difficult to tell the difference between natural taper at calf length and taper due to damage, for me at least.

[spidermom]

I get trims because I like for my ends to have a shape and be on the thick side.

[Nae]

Nope, 3-12 months here. Depending on what it needs.

[dwell_in_safety]

Nope. I trim 0.5-1" every three months, so four trims a year total. Lets me retain length that way and my ends are always in good shape.

[YamaMaya]

I tend to trim when I notice my ends looking a bit tatty, but usually just an S&D does the job as I don't want to ruin my progress. I have a very long haul ahead of me getting rid of annoying face framing layers and fringe.

[chen bao jun]

No. Why would I do that? I'd be bald.
My dad used to dust us once a year when we were kids--always on St. John Baptist day, I don't know why. Maybe 1/2 inch or so.
When I don't go to hairdressers, I snip off SSKs as needed and maybe 2x a year self trim a little (cut 1/4 to 1/2 inch off my own ends if they feel rough).
Everytime I went to hairdresser for ANYTHING though, they would be like 'Let me even you up'--one reason I stopped going. I don't need to be even, I'm a curly. When my hair is slightly uneven, you actually can't tell. And 'let me even you up' somehow worked out to 2-3 inches each time.
I don't get split ends. I've seen maybe 2 or 3 in my hair during the whole past year, and that's about normal for me. wish that was the case with SSKs..

[clioariane]

definitely not necessary unless you have damaged ends.

[chen bao jun]

I do notice that out in the non-LHC world, whenever you tell anyone that anything is making you unhappy about your hair, not even hairdressers, just regular people, they tend to say 'maybe you need a professional trim.' This cannot be because my ends are tatty, in my case because a) they're not and b) my hair is up so you couldn't see if they were. I have no idea what makes people say this.

[frodolaughs]

No. I don't believe that trimming hair makes it grow faster, and I want my hair to grow longer. I've found that the quickest way for my hair to grow is for me to avoid damaging or cutting it. I trim once or twice a year just to even up the very longest hairs and cut off damage. I'd trim regularly if I wanted to maintain length or develop a thicker hemline. (Currently, I'm fantasizing that this might happen at knee)

[Skade]

No, I S&D sometimes and trim around every 6 months.

[faellen]

I microtrim only when I think I need to, which isn't often - maybe once a year!

[Majormiles]

My mum is a hairdresser of over 30 years, her advice to me has always been that as long as you look after hair eg not straightening or colouring all time, there is no need to half inch trim your hair more than every 3-6 months if actively growing it. If maintaining length a half inch trim is needed every six weeks or so depending on hair growth.

Obviously everyone's hair is different :) some will need it more or less often. I am growing and get it cut every about four or five months when my ends start to get knotty as my hair is fine.

[ExpectoPatronum]

I try to go as long as I can without trimming. However, after swimming for six weeks I had to trim a little off my ends as, even though I did what I could, they were a little damaged from the chlorine. I also trimmed a good amount from my layers as they were horribly horribly uneven and I could not stand to look at them anymore. Yeah, they're shorter now but they look sooooo much better. I actually don't hate them now.

Other than that, I'm trying to not trim at all. I haven't been terribly successful...but then again I shouldn't have started that in the summer.

[emilia83]

I went from March 2012 to August 2013 doing S&D only. I was trying to go until January 2014 but I didn't make it ... now that I've done it, though, I realize I much prefer how it looks trimmed. I'd have such a hard time with fairytale ends! I'm going to microtrim every 3-4 months until I get to my goal length. Every 1.5 months is probably more frequent than you'd need if you baby your hair.

[oddelabop]

I prefer an even hemline, so I like to trim, but as I am only maintaining I only dust the ends every couple of months. When it is at my goal length, I will trim to maintain and thicken the ends out.

It takes a little longer, but i find it remains stronger and healthier as the nasty little splits don't travel up my hair shaft!

[xohbihitztix]

Since I'm no longer using heat on my hair and I'm doing water only washing, my ends stay pretty healthy. I trim every 6 weeks or so because I'm slowly getting rid of the layers for a thicker hemline!

[cmdinoto]

Every six months I get a dusting. I go see the hair dresser every 8 weeks and always ask her if my hair needs a trim or not. I really trust her and she would never tell me I need a trim just to trim. She only trims me about every 4-6 months because I don't get that many split ends.

[Ambystoma]

I love the look and feel of freshly trimmed ends and can't wait to get to my goal length so I can trim every month. Until then, I just take an inch or so every now and then to tidy up the hemline a little while I'm still growing - I've only taken off about 4 inches since shoulder though (past hip now). My last trim was in February and I'm not planning on another one until December since my ends are pretty happy and healthy, just not super blunt like I prefer, but I figure there's no point chasing the sort of hemline I want while still trying to gain length, I'd get nowhere fast!

[lapushka]

I'm between waist & TBL and for that my mom now trims about once to twice a year.

[ChristmasFnatic]

Wow. So almost all dont do it.

Its just propaganda to get you to the salons then?

[NoRush]

Wow. So almost all dont do it.

Its just propaganda to get you to the salons then?

Much of it is, I think, there's also styling trends to take into account, between intense heat, daily aggressive washing, poor conditioning, bleach, dyes and crappy combs and brushes out there a trim every 6 to 8 weeks might be almost mandatory for a lot of people in order to keep their hair looking decent but it certainly doesn't make for a good length gaining plan.

Personally I think trims are necessary when ends feel and look "off" (scraggly, dry, split, uneven) but you can't put a timeline on that, it all depends on how you take care of your hair and what sort of damage you're dealing with in the first place, I'm 7-1/2 months since my last trim and I have no split ends nor tapering and my hemline looks as blunt as ever so, in this case, I don't see why I'd need a trim even if a stylists said so.

[Quahatundightu]

It really depends on your hair too. I have had way better results with dusting each month than I did with any other method. I am currently maintaining to thicken my ends as well. If you want to grow I don't think you need to trim your hair that often, but a microtrim every few months could be very beneficial. I have very fragile hair and if I microtrim I only get a split end once in a blue moon.

[catamonica]

I haven't trimmed my ends since 2010. I wear it up five days. I have no split ends. It's just above tailbone. It grew. I read about a woman on line who hasn't cut her hair for twenty years. It's down to her
knees. And in great condition. I think her web site is called Singing Mommy. You should trim once if you need to. Then wear it up five days. No reason to cut it anymore. It will grow.

[Vrindi]

I micro trim about every 6-8 weeks. I have very fine hair that has been dyed, so it's more fragile. In order to keep splits in check, it's frequent micro-trims or dustings and S&D. I have friends who can go 6 months without a trim and not have splits. I tried that once and had to chop off 6 inches. It all depends on your hair.

[Seeshami]

Nope. I probably trim three to five millimeters every 6 months and s&d once every two.

[Olavi]

Nah. I don't think my hair have seen scissors in over six months (not quite sure when was the last time I trimmed, I don't keep track in these things). I would like to s&d, but my hair is too short to do it myself, and I don't think I could get anyone else who could do it right.

[Tota]

No. My last (micro)trim was in May. I trim when my hair needs a trim and it's funny - the longer my hair gets, the less split and damaged ends occur.

[LadyCelestina]

I microtrimmed a few months in a row,on every growing moon phase,because my dyed ends have had enough and were throwing a fuss...plus some bigger trims this year and while I still got some growth it's like 6 cm out of 16 (I am growing out dye,so I measure the length of roots for cca growth in 1 year).

I say unless you really don't need to trim,don't.

[DancingQueen]

I trim 1 cm every 3 months. This seems to be the only way for me to maintain a thick hemline, and still gain a little length. :)

[QMacrocarpa]

I've been self-trimming a small amount about every six months (I never S&D). I might see if I can go longer before my next trim: since I wear my hair up most of the time and I've discovered that it will stay in a sleep braid without an elastic holding the end, my ends are in pretty good shape. If I wore my hair down all the time my ends would need more trimming, under those circumstances they are split- and breakage-prone, to the point where in the past I hit a false terminal around BSL and thought my hair just wouldn't grow any longer (now around WL).

[Sarahlabyrinth]

No, I just trim when I think it needs it. I will probably aim at two small trims a year. If I trimmed every month or 6 weeks it would be pretty hard to get any growth, I would be cutting it all off - unless I was microtrimming and I don't think I have the patience for that....

[Ashenputtel]

You should always be carefull of those one size fits all type of rules. There are a lot of those for skin care as well like you should exfoliate your skin every week . If I were to do that I would hardly have any skin left on my face!

For me it varies really. Now I'm growing out stupid layers and I'm done with hairdressers for good. I'm also recovering from a 4 inches cut. I S and D and I will cut mu longuest layer one inch evry 6 months with a light dusting on the layers till I'm back at mid-back lenght. Then I will probobly maintain till most of my layers are BSL or longer.

[firefly42]

I haven't cut my hair since last November, coincidentally also when I quit washing my hair every day, and I have far less split ends and my hair is SO MUCH healthier... plus it's gone from shoulder length (barely) to slightly past BSL, so i'm happy!

[SilknStarch]

Absolutely not. I don't tend to splits and I am lazy. I just did a real chop of a trim 3+inches to thicken up the hemline as I hadn't trimmed for about 3 years and thought it would look better. I regret it now cause it is so much harder to tuck ends in buns with the blunt thicker wad of hair I have now. Also I found I really liked the way it looked before better too. I won't be trimming again till I see a serious need.

[erinlesley09]

I've never been on any truly regular trim schedule, except for keeping my bangs up. I'm trying to get on a more regular routine now of some sort, but until my bangs are grown out I won't know what that will be. Mostly I like to keep my ends from getting all tangly--I don't generally get many split ends.

[alyanna]

Not at all. And I am a thinnie with very fine hair. Not strong, resistant hair, but still I am doing fine on one trim per year. I make sure I damp oil and take care of my hair. I wear it up most of the time and treat it well. I really don't have a lot of splits or even a huge taper.

[nobeltonya]

I've been mainly dusting the ends to maintain a blunt hemline every 2 weeks or so for about a year now.. it is gaining length still, but slowly. And lately growth seems to have slowed down significantly, although nothing really has changed.. hope I'm not at term already.. but it seems to be starting to pick back up. I've still got almost 2 inches to go for my goal. :) :disco: