Long and damage or short and healthy

[ErinLeigh]

Question. Would you rather have length that is damaged that you keep growing and maybe just microtrim? Or would you rather take the plunge and cut short to remove the damage and start fresh?
What is more important to you? Length that will look healthy "some day?" Or heathy now!?

Just wondering what people think as I have cut a lot of damage off but still need more cut off if I really want the damage gone. I'm at SL now after 2 cuts this week. I Think I'm going to maintain here a while instead of growing now but Its a touch decision as I do prefer long.

I came close to getting a bob to get ALL damage off but the thought of having that much to grow was daunting. Been there done that too many times.

So what what you do? If it were you and hair was damaged what would you do? Let's base it on 2 types of damage. Damage that can be disguised with cones but you know its there. ..and visible damage. What would you do in both scenarios.
What's more Important to YOU? I love opinions and other points of view

[Coolcombination]

I wouldn't go any shorter than shoulder, no matter how damaged my hair was. I am currently growing out dye, and I am nearly at waist. The dyed hair isn't really damaged, just a bit drier and frizzier than the virgin hair. Currently I trim 1" every 7 months, once I reach BCL I will cut back to just past waist, then grow to BCL again then cut to waist. Those two big chops should get the worst of the dye off.
Or I might just start trimming 1" every 4 months instead...

[TimeForMe]

Really awful, very visible damage? I'd go for the chop. Damage that's there, but you can make it look kinda okay? I'd go the slow route, babying it and trimming off a bit at a time as it grew.

[Kaelee]

Really awful, very visible damage? I'd go for the chop. Damage that's there, but you can make it look kinda okay? I'd go the slow route, babying it and trimming off a bit at a time as it grew.

This. For me there's a balance...but something would have to be really wrong for me to want to chop more than a few inches off- at my length, more than a few inches off means I can't do updos anymore, and I'm not willing to go through that stage again! :bigeyes:

[lapushka]

Question. Would you rather have length that is damaged that you keep growing and maybe just microtrim? Or would you rather take the plunge and cut short to remove the damage and start fresh?
What is more important to you? Length that will look healthy "some day?" Or heathy now!?

I've gone both routes, and -honestly- it isn't that big of a difference. Damage doesn't mean your hair is going to fall off, so why not just keep microtrimming and babying it? No need to go short. That's what I choose from both experiences.

I never went shorter than a bob, though, because any shorter than that and it's going to be very difficult to grow out.

[LauraLongLocks]

Yup, I agree with the others. Cut it if it so terrible that you can't hide it. If it's okay and can be hidden with cones and updos, then wear it up and keep trimming out the damage. I wouldn't go shorter than being able to do a french braid or small sock bun.

[ositarosita]

Short and healthy ... I've done it numerous time (5+) ... everything from a quarter inch long pixie to something I call a peter pan..... I just feel more confident when I know my is totally healthy and I don't have to cut or trim for a year or two lol

[Madora]

I'd cut it off and grow out healthy hair..and do my utmost to keep it that way. Can't see much use in retaining damaged hair because it is long. Why grow it long if it is damaged? The damage continues to worsen as it grows. Why spend all that time growing...when in the end, you have to chop it off because it looks horrid?

[melesine]

It depends on how bad it is. When I was on chemo, my hair got so thin I couldn't stand it so I used the clippers and cut it all to probably 1/4 inch. On the other hand, I've spent the last 18 months maintaining my waist length hair due to trimming off damage. I still have about 6 inches of damaged hair left but it looks fine at this point. I've been debating going ahead and growing to hip before doing another maintain and trim to get it off.

[TimeForMe]

Why spend all that time growing...when in the end, you have to chop it off because it looks horrid?


It may also depend on the length you are working with. If you cut it and it's still at least long enough to pull back, put up, tuck behind your ears, get out of the way, then cutting the damage off might be a better option, even if it's a big chop. If cutting the damage off means going so short that you have to deal with the "have little choice but to leave it down and be all shaggy" route, I'd be more likely to wait for the virgin growth to be long enough to at least do a half-up or ponytail, then do a big chop once I have enough virgin to work with. Lots of variables. It depends.

[Sillage]

Short and healthy. I hate the look of damaged hair more than I love the look of long hair.

[martyna_22]

I'd rather have really healthy short hair instead of long dull strands, no question about that.

[jacqueline101]

I'd cut it off and grow out healthy hair..and do my utmost to keep it that way. Can't see much use in retaining damaged hair because it is long. Why grow it long if it is damaged? The damage continues to worsen as it grows. Why spend all that time growing...when in the end, you have to chop it off because it looks horrid?

I agree with madora why keep damage going. I'd rather start fresh and grow healthy.

[Naiadryade]

Well, I've gone with long and S&D. When I joined LHC I chopped from BSL to APL... when I probably "should" have cut to shoulder if I were to get rid of all the damage. So I guess that was a compromise. Now I'm just barely reaching waist and, even though the last few inches are pretty thin, I feel better about my hair than I have in a while--not only is it long, but even the "damaged" parts look and feel a lot better now that I've figured out how to properly pamper my hair with lots of emollients and enough moisture and protein. I'm going to stick with the plan I've had for the last year to microtrim and maintain at waist for a while to thicken up my hemline. I'm psyched to begin doing this and I'm really happy I waited. If I had chopped all the thin/damaged ends off earlier, I'd only be at BSL now. That would be heartbreaking to me!

That said, my damage isn't super bad damage. It's all mechanical damage and hydral fatigue, not chemical or heat damage. And I don't use cones, so :shrug: on that.

[Spindle]

I agree with short and healthy... which eventually will be long and healthy :) It would be so satisfying starting fresh and knowing how to grow it healthy and strong

[Nope]

If I can't run my fingers through my hair or if it doesn't feel soft or look shiny, then I see no point in having it long. I look good with short hair anyway so I have no problem cutting it when it's feeling irreparably tangly and dry.

[Sunny_side_up]

Same here! Short and healthy, got my mum to do a little trim today and it feels so much nicer to run my fingers through. Dry ends snipped and as im enjoying wearing my hair down more i'm considering monthly micro trims.

[battles]

Short and healthy, for me.

I grew my damage/dye out to chin and then cut from BSL straight to chin. I'm much happier with it now, even though it is still short.

[Jennielee88]

I currently have long and (possibly) damaged but not sure if I would dare to cut it short and start all over again. One hairdresser told me that it doesnt feel in the best condition, but 2 others have said that its in great condition for bleached hair so i'm not sure who to go with. I do have a bit of breakage and split ends but overall it feels quite soft

[GrowingGlory]

Short and healthy. I had my 33" hair cut to chin this past Spring to remove damaged hair. I am glad that I did, because now my hair is approaching BSL and the stylist who cut it said that she did not see any damage. Neither do I. I have improved my habits so that my hair will be healthy when it reaches 33" again.

[soapstone]

Recently cut my mid-back hair to shoulder length. Ends are so thick. Loving the decision to keep only healthy locks. I recommend it.

[spidermom]

I've done the "grow in spite of damage" thing, and I felt like I was fighting with my hair every single day! I had a significant amount cut off a few days ago, and I couldn't be happier, although I want to go even shorter. I want to enjoy my hair, not fight with it and not look dowdy every single day with my protective bun. Yuck! Pretty hair, here I come!

[YamaMaya]

I had this struggle back in August, but it was more to do with wanting to start evening out my layers. I was just approaching waist and the ends were just pitifully thin, and I thought about just cutting back to the shortest layer, but I couldn't cut off that much length, so I chopped back to around the longest layer and ended up at BSL, and decided to stop there. I've had times where I've cut off an inch or more because my ends were driving me crazy with all the damage, but since I joined LHC I haven't had to do any major damage chops in awhile, but if I had to, I'd cut the damage off, because the last thing I want is splits traveling ever upwards.

[vindo]

I agree with everyone that said it really depends on the degree of damage.

If my hair was like cotton candy and breaking off/ falling out every time I brush I would go super short. Of course if it was that damaged it would not be very long anymore anyway, so a chop would not be all that painful.

And any damage that can look and feel okay I would put up with.

During and after health issues I had a lot of breakage and splits so I chose to maintain and trim until my hair betters and now I have little damage.

[naopll10]

My five year old sister kept chopping her hair herself and now after three years she wants me to baby it and grow it in her own words 'past her bum( so cute the she didn't know what classic length meant) she also now comes to me with the coconut oil to stick in her hair:)

[katelinn]

Depends on how badly it's damaged. I have never had a bob or pixie since I decided I wanted to grow my hair long (I was 8), but I did get at fringe at 13,and when I was 15 I cut my hair to shoulder length to get it all the same length. I loved it then, but I couldn't handle any shorter than bsl these days no matter what, so I would probably maintain (s\d alot) and baby it for a quite a while if it's not breaking off like mad.

[Flor]

To put it plain and simple - if I could no longer enjoy wearing my hair loose due to damage (and having tried S&D, microtrimming, pampering, etc), I'd cut off everything that could not be salvaged.

[CurlMonster]

I am keeping my hair long despite the damage. The demarcation line of health is still moving down, so I don't see the difference between having that line moving down at the ends of short hair and having it moving down at the middle of long hair. Either way I'll have long and healthy hair in a few years, so I'd just rather have long hair during the journey. :) My damage is reasonably bad, certainly visible, but not so bad that I can't still appreciate the softness of that hair on its good days and wear it down on occasion.

[Angelicblaze]

I am going to use a hypothetical example to put this into words better. Let's say my hair is at waist length and it's either very badly damaged or mildly damaged, what would I do.

The worse the damage is the faster it will spread up the hair shaft. So I think keeping that in mind if it's very terrible damage, then to save the hair growing in healthy I would cut everything off. But my hair has never been this damaged. I am picturing repetitively bleached hair that breaks easily. If it's mild damage I would still cut but only halfway up the damage, then after a few months cut halfway up until the damage is just a few inches then cut the whole damage. So if it's damaged to APL then I would cut to BSL then after it grows then I would cut that to BSL then there would just be a few inches left.

[monsoonstorm]

The damage irritates me, but the length is important...

So I compromise. I will not have my hair shorter than a certain length, but I will quite happily cut back to that length any time my hair is throwing a major hissy fit and I feel it needs it (if necessary). Of course my "acceptable length" tends to get a little longer each time, however, at least this way I still feel like I am making progress, even if my hair melts down and I feel I need to chop an inch off to make it manageable again.

This way I can also see the damage disappearing whilst keeping length, so it feels like progression!

[Zebra Fish]

Depends on the damage I guess. My hair is damaged, but the "worst" thing is the demarcation between virgin and dyed hair. No problems with splits or brakege, a bit drier but with lost of conditioner is look just fine (not using cones and still have too much slip that first 2-3 days every bun or braid falls off). So I'm keeping with it a slowly trimming the damaged parts off, while in total the lenght is in progress. If it was too dry and braking, I guess I'd have to cut off a bit, and then see how it's doing, and then cut a bit again, but wouldn't do a bit cut at once.

[ladyfey]

Been there, I chopped all the damage off and went from knee length to a bob. I ended up keeping it short (and loved it) for about a year, then grew it back out. I am very happy I did it that way, never regretted it and loved having the damage just gone.

[Lyv]

It depends on how damaged. I have some from coloring my hair but it isn't visible and my hair is very soft so I wouldn't cut it but if it's damage I can see it would have to be cut. I don't see much point in long badly damaged hair, it can travel up the hair shaft and make it worse and it doesn't look good so why keep it?

[bunzfan]

Depends what you mean as damage are you talking splits or white dots?? my hair was littered with white dots recently after doing a major S & D i went back on cones and now i see the damage as gone i will do a big trim next year to get rid of the big part of pre lhc bleached hair but as it looks pretty healthy apart from that i just couldn't go shorter than hip now :D

But if it was breaking off because, of damage and there was more splits and white dots than healthy hair i would probably cut back a good inch then micro trim.

[ErinLeigh]

Interesting replies :) My question wasn't more so about my personal situation at this moment but more just wondering how others deal. I am a cutter but wonder if there were other ways if I find myself in the situation again. I have Shaved head once, cut to shaved back-chin length bob once and just recently cut to SL from BSL. I hate the feel of any type of frizz or damage and my OCD demands it be gone. If I am at a point where hair looks really dry or kinda that flat fried crunchy look I immediately cut it off.
I am completely loving my new haircut and do not regret my decision to go back to SL. However, now that I joined this forum and see all the gorgeous hair I think I want to try and grow it ling but actually take care of it this time. I guess though in the back of my mind I fear damaging it again and am mentally preparing for how I would handle it. Hoping for once I DONT ruin it though.
I have to admit after reading thru this forum I am amazed at how so many of you are extremely patient with your hair. I really respect that. You give it time, you grow out bad cuts, grow out dye and layers etc. I am so impatient if I hate a cut I will cut it again next day. Many times I have cut/colored hair 3 times in a week until it was "right." I cringe at the thought of the $ I have spent in salons and beauty supply stores. I have never ever been able to wait it out more than a DAY! I am hoping to pick up some tricks and learn some patience being here so for once in my life I can have nice long healthy hair.

But at the ens of the day, if I had to pick...healthy and short will always win over long and damaged for me personally.

[Baileygirl]

I'd cut it off and grow out healthy hair..and do my utmost to keep it that way. Can't see much use in retaining damaged hair because it is long. Why grow it long if it is damaged? The damage continues to worsen as it grows. Why spend all that time growing...when in the end, you have to chop it off because it looks horrid?

I agree with Madora. I don't want long hair unless is healthy.

[bananahanna]

I just made the decision to go healthy and short this summer. So that would be my personal preference for this situation. I had seriously bad white dots and splits all over my hair from bleaching it. (I rarely if ever used heat during this time). It was not the type of damage that could be hidden plus the color was like... yellow when I'm a dark or medium ash blonde, so there's that. Keeping it long would have been *nice* due to keeping length and reaching goals quicker. However, the length was just so terribly bad that I could barely do anything with it without serious tangling. Short hair can be cute and I so think it looks good on me as well so it wasn't tooo painful. I believe that's the bottom line, if you think you look good in short hair then you may as well have a last hurrah before truly going healthy. Plus the mini mile stones are sooo exciting.

[JessicaAnn]

If the damage can be made to look/feel good and doesn't seem to be moving up the hair shaft I will keep it. If it can't be made to behave or is moving upward quickly I will sacrifice a little length to get rid of it.

[Buddaphlyy]

Long and damaged. Going the short and healthy route left me with perpetually short hair, even after being on hair boards. Now I still have a bit of heat damage on my ends, but I am able to put my hair up a little which is allowing me to retain length more. I plan on growing this "damage" out until I get t about APL and then I'll maintain while I trim the heat damage ends.