What are "unkempt" ends anyway?

[EvelynMay]

hmmm. I think I might be starting to think of my ends differently. Every 7 to 9 months or so my ends start to look different. I always assumed that this meant that I needed a trim. I'm at that time period right now. Reading some of your threads about only searching for split ends to cut and obtaining fairytale ends made me look at my own ends... through they are starting to look kind of "scraggly" they don't seem to have split ends upon closer examination... like at all. What gives? haha that has me confused. So is my hair not really "damaged"? I'm wondering now if I've been going at hair trims all wrong. I like going to the salon though to get my hair trimmed because I like having layers and theres no way I'm brave enough to try cutting layers myself, and while I can actually go for like 7 to 9 months (so like once a year) between haircuts because I don't mind the layers growing out a bit, I still can't seem to reach my dream length. I almost get there a lot though. So what am I seeing exactly in "unkempt" ends several months after a hair trim? If not split ends... is it some other type of damage? thinning? Is there something I can do to prevent this plus delay trims? Or is this just how ends are supposed to end up looking like? I usually get 2 inches trimmed off. And, ironically, it's not because I prefer blunt ends really... in fact I don't really like the look of freshly cut hair... takes about a month after until I "like" my hair again after a cut when it's natural looking again.

[ejking2]

Your individual hairs grow at different rates, so your hemline will eventually become a little uneven if not trimmed regularly.

No need to trim if your ends don't feel different, or have splits, white dots, single-strand knots, 90+degree kinks that aren't supposed to be there, or excessive tangling.
Note that if your ends feel different, it's a good idea to try clarifying and chelating before you trim.

[EvelynMay]

Your individual hairs grow at different rates, so your hemline will eventually become a little uneven if not trimmed regularly.

No need to trim if your ends don't feel different, or have splits, white dots, single-strand knots, 90+degree kinks that aren't supposed to be there, or excessive tangling.
Note that if your ends feel different, it's a good idea to try clarifying and chelating before you trim.

no, for the most part they don't really feel different. I'm torn! Maybe I should get less trimmed off at a time plus stretch out the time between. And about clarifying, is that something someone should do regularly or every once in a while regardless of your hair routine? I gave up silicones a long time ago. Should I still clarify occasionally, or only if my hair "feels" like it needs it? I'm starting to think though that it is just the unevenness of hair growing differently...

[lapushka]

Your individual hairs grow at different rates, so your hemline will eventually become a little uneven if not trimmed regularly.

No need to trim if your ends don't feel different, or have splits, white dots, single-strand knots, 90+degree kinks that aren't supposed to be there, or excessive tangling.
Note that if your ends feel different, it's a good idea to try clarifying and chelating before you trim.

Really good advice here! ^^

[EvelynMay]

Your individual hairs grow at different rates, so your hemline will eventually become a little uneven if not trimmed regularly.

No need to trim if your ends don't feel different, or have splits, white dots, single-strand knots, 90+degree kinks that aren't supposed to be there, or excessive tangling.
Note that if your ends feel different, it's a good idea to try clarifying and chelating before you trim.

no, for the most part they don't really feel different. I'm torn! Maybe I should get less trimmed off at a time plus stretch out the time between. And about clarifying, is that something someone should do regularly or every once in a while regardless of your hair routine? I gave up silicones a long time ago. Should I still clarify occasionally, or only if my hair "feels" like it needs it? I'm starting to think though that it is just the unevenness of hair growing differently...

[ejking2]

Most people need to clarify occasionally, but not everyone. There are many ingredients that build up other than silicones, like waxes such as cetyl esters or jojoba oil, polyquats, shea butter, flaxseed gel, etc.

If your hair starts feeling weird (mine gets a sort of plasticky feel, looks stringy, and tangles like all hell) or the ends start acting like velcro, then clarifying is the first thing to try. But if your hair feels fine, then there is no reason to do it on a regular schedule.

I do agree that you can probably get away with trimming less than 2 inches at a time :) Now that my hair is in good condition and I want to grow, grow, grow, I aim to trim about 1/4 inch every 3 months.

[Rosetta]

"Unkempt ends" seems to be just the general public's term for ends that aren't trimmed at least every 6 weeks and aren't blunt cut ;) So it doesn't seem to have much to do with the actual condition...

[jacqueline101]

I'd say unkempt ends are ends that are split, white dot, and snarled up. The general look is unkempt ends.

[EvelynMay]

Most people need to clarify occasionally, but not everyone. There are many ingredients that build up other than silicones, like waxes such as cetyl esters or jojoba oil, polyquats, shea butter, flaxseed gel, etc.

If your hair starts feeling weird (mine gets a sort of plasticky feel, looks stringy, and tangles like all hell) or the ends start acting like velcro, then clarifying is the first thing to try. But if your hair feels fine, then there is no reason to do it on a regular schedule.

I do agree that you can probably get away with trimming less than 2 inches at a time :) Now that my hair is in good condition and I want to grow, grow, grow, I aim to trim about 1/4 inch every 3 months.

could I threadjack my own thread and ask what types of ingredients are generally looked for in a clarifying shampoo? Just sulfates? Others? Shea Moisture makes a shampoo with Africa black soap, but no sulfates, that I wonder if I could use for clarifying every few months as needed? Also has tea tree oil. Would that count as clarifying?


"Unkempt ends" seems to be just the general public's term for ends that aren't trimmed at least every 6 weeks and aren't blunt cut ;) So it doesn't seem to have much to do with the actual condition...

hmmm but I don't feel my ends are unkempt based solely on time, though I know that some people do! for me my ends actually look unkempt every several months, so i was wondering since I don't seem to be riddled with split ends why it still had the looks of scragglyness.

[spidermom]

You don't have to look for specific ingredients, just look for the word CLARIFYING on the label.
I like VO5 kiwi lime.

[~*~Aspen~*~]

Really good advice here! ^^

Yea, definately.

[spidermom]

hmmm but I don't feel my ends are unkempt based solely on time, though I know that some people do! for me my ends actually look unkempt every several months, so i was wondering since I don't seem to be riddled with split ends why it still had the looks of scragglyness.

It's not based on time, it's based on growth. Every hair on your head has its own growth rate. After several months, some hairs have grown as much as 2 inches while others have grown only 1/2 inch. That's why they look unkempt. The ends are no longer even.

[~*~Aspen~*~]

"Unkempt ends" seems to be just the general public's term for ends that aren't trimmed at least every 6 weeks and aren't blunt cut ;) So it doesn't seem to have much to do with the actual condition...

I agree...

[Firefox7275]

Hair doesn't suddenly go from healthy to damaged, it is a spectrum. I consider splits and breaks to be 'fried' or unsalvageable (can apply to all the ends or just individual hairs). You can certainly clarify and chelate, also consider patch repairing your ends with ingredients like hydrolysed protein.

[Ambystoma]

It's not based on time, it's based on growth. Every hair on your head has its own growth rate. After several months, some hairs have grown as much as 2 inches while others have grown only 1/2 inch. That's why they look unkempt. The ends are no longer even.
Yup, this is what I think you're seeing. I know my ends drove me crazy throughout the "actively gaining length" process since I prefer the look of long term maintained and frequently trimmed ends but it doesn't mean that there's anything wrong with them if they feel nice, it's just what happens when you go easy on the scissors :)

[truepeacenik]

And, sadly, people in the general public think fairytale ends/ taper are unkempt for the same reasons Spidermom stated.


There's a point of raggedness that says unkempt to me. And morning tangles seen outside the home.