Blunt cut vs "wispy" ends from s&d (newbie needs help!)

[Tearna-Maree]

Hi everyone, I'm new to this site and really need some advice. I have 30 inch long hair that has about 9cm of natural virgin hair and the rest of the length has been previously highlighted, box dyed, hot blow dried on the occasion and heat styled 5-7 times in 2013 (thrashed I know) I have search and destroyed the majority of my hair and can say it is in much better condition now and my 2014 resolution was no dye, heat styling etc and no damaging hair ties only scunchies etc I have switched to a sulfate free / silicone free shampoo and conditioner and oil with coconut oil I also now sleep in a silk sleep cap all with excellent results however my concern at the moment is my ends are fairly wispy and thin yet they look healthy I'm just worried that because they aren't in a blunt cut and protected by the bulk of my hair if that makes any sense that they are more likely to get damaged? I also am struggling with flyaway a that are actually broken or snapped hairs which are taking away from the potential thickness of my hair so my two questions are:

Should I a) continue with s&d missions or b) get an inch off and have a blunt cut and also continue s&d

and then my other question should I get a longer layer to help grow the damage that isn't on my ends?


(I eventually want to get to 38 inches and thicken my ends so a blunt cut in the end)
help me please!

[tigereye]

Do you wear your hair up or down? I have my hair up, and wispy ends tend to stay in my updos better, and so are better protected by the bulk of my hair than a blunt cut that keeps escaping.
If you wear it down, then, it's about even, because it's still going to get more damaged from friction more than anything. I think the friction would probably be about the same regardless of how much hair there was, because if they're not rubbing against something, itheyre rubbing against each other. :shrug:

[Firefox7275]

That is a personal choice, many get to ultra long lengths (knee to floor) with what are known here as 'fairytale ends'. (whispy). An inch is nothing in the grand scheme of things, it's only about two months of growth so if you prefer blunt ends and it's damage you would have to lose anyway go for it.

Flyaway are normal they may simply be new growth since all hair will not be in the same growth cycle at any given moment. You can know if they are breakage or hairs that were ripped out at the roots in bulk if they are focused in one area (mine were more on one side, and at the back where my ponytail sat for example).

Oiling is great but do consider other ingredients for patch repairing and strengthening like hydrolysed protein. Many who eliminate silicones fail because they don't adequately substitute for its properties.

[Anje]

If you've got so much damage that your ends are wispy (ie, most of the ends are split), it's time for a trim rather than s&d. Not that blunt cuts are more protective, but because damage breeds more damage.

[lapushka]

(...) however my concern at the moment is my ends are fairly wispy and thin yet they look healthy I'm just worried that because they aren't in a blunt cut and protected by the bulk of my hair if that makes any sense that they are more likely to get damaged? I also am struggling with flyaway a that are actually broken or snapped hairs which are taking away from the potential thickness of my hair so my two questions are:

Should I a) continue with s&d missions or b) get an inch off and have a blunt cut and also continue s&d

and then my other question should I get a longer layer to help grow the damage that isn't on my ends?

If you've got no damage (you did S&D), then there's absolutely no reason to trim. It's nonsense that hair gets more damaged when the ends aren't blunt cut. I have layers, and I don't notice more damage because of it.

[Madora]

It is easier to S and D ends that are all one length, so I'd go for a blunt cut. If this is too much for you, then just trim what you have slightly. I would not cut layers again. To protect your hair, wear it up. Good luck!

[blace]

I agree with option "B". I think that would be the most helpful option for both the health of your hair and the appearance.

[Wildcat Diva]

How ARE your ends? You say wispy, but I am not sure if you mean like fairy-tailed (different lengths from natural variations in growth) or are they actually damaged with splits and white dots, bent ends, etc. Can you let us know? If it was me, I'd grow past to a milestone goal, wait a couple of months, then get a blunt cut trim. But then I wear my hair up most of the time. Do you enjoy wearing your hair up to protect it?

ETA: since you want to grow to 38 inches, that's a while of growing ahead. If it was me, I would grow about five inches (most of 2014?) and then have a good half inch to one inch off). Then you can grow the rest of the way. But this might depend on how you want to wear your hair this year, mostly up or mostly down.

[Berlie]

My ends are blunt. I think they look healthier and thicker that way, neater too. Plus I have brow length bangs and I feel blunt ends look better with bangs. I wear my hair down, btw.

[ravenreed]

I love my layered ends. I don't that I believe blunt cuts mean less damage. My tangles are often nowhere near the ends anyway.

[Tearna-Maree]

I make an effort to wear it up however I find I have to redo my style at least 1-2 times per day which I'm worried is causing mechanical damage and I'm also unsure of which daily hairstyles are the most damage proof - I usually go for a plait straight down my back and secured at the end and sometime switch that up with a side one or two plaits down either side to avoid the same hair style every day which I've heard is also bad but the ends are still exposed. I tried a cinnamon bun but it stays in for 1 hour and the ends get all right angle kinks in them so I gave that a miss but am open to suggestions on safe hairstyles :) I only wear it down to air dry after I wash it and on a special occasion.

I sleep with it in a plait down my back secured at the end with a scunchies and with a sleep cap on.

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Thankyou. What is hydrolysed protein and where can it be found and how do I use it?

My hair actually was really beautiful after changing my shampooing routine, I clarified it on the 10th of Jan 2014 using herbal essences clarifying shampoo and I then followed that with "Alchemy" brand conditioner that is sulfate and silicone free then a fingernail scraping on each side on my hair of coconut oil after it had airdryed and my hair looked godly. I am going to wash it today with the "Alchemy" brand shampoo wich is sulfate free etc today for the first time and continue the above routine. Does this mean I haven't let my hair settle in and no silicone is infact bad or does my hair like it?

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You hair sounds beautiful and is exactly what I want in the end!!
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I see :) actually the wispy parts that are say on the other end of a plait (below a scrunchie and what isn't plaited if that makes sense) are actually the healthist hairs when I search and destroy I find maybe 20+ splits or damage and most of these are shorter than the very ends of the wisps and are near where the hair tie is. I think caused from only using hair ties (now scrunchies which do still cause mechanical damage but better than hair ties

[leslissocool]

I love blunt ends, but I don't have blunt ends 100% of the time. My texture makes it IMPOSSIBLE to notice my blunt ends because they curl, and my hair grows faster on my nape/back of my head so it always fairytails. I do cut it blunt when I trim though, mostly to mantain thickness as it grows.

[Tearna-Maree]

Thankyou. Most of my damage is on the blulk of my hair not the ends like around the middle possible from hair ties securing tight pony tails for school each day :/ and also around where pigtails would hav been secured. Should I continue with s&d I use manicare brand hair scissors and I bought them in November last year and have been doing occasional s&D missions when I can and it's improving but there is still splits and damage mainly on the lengths not the ends. How often do you replace hair scissors mine get used for nothing but hair I'm just stressing they aren't cutting properly because my hair gets a little white part inside just after I cut it looks dry? Some hairs don't though

[Tearna-Maree]

Beautiful hair!! Yes I want thickness because my hair isn't at it's full thickness potential due to damage and I would like thicker hair as it shows length better (my hair is wispy the last 2 inches or more) I'm scared to cut it my hair grows really slow

[leslissocool]

Thankyou. Most of my damage is on the blulk of my hair not the ends like around the middle possible from hair ties securing tight pony tails for school each day :/ and also around where pigtails would hav been secured. Should I continue with s&d I use manicare brand hair scissors and I bought them in November last year and have been doing occasional s&D missions when I can and it's improving but there is still splits and damage mainly on the lengths not the ends. How often do you replace hair scissors mine get used for nothing but hair I'm just stressing they aren't cutting properly because my hair gets a little white part inside just after I cut it looks dry? Some hairs don't though

I honestly think your hair, given that it's damaged, will have to get chopped off if it looks dry and brittle even after S&D with GOOD scissors. I have mine for now 3 years, and no splits.


When I came to LHC I had box dye, bleach and straightening damage. I managed to "mask it" with layers and products/oil (protein treatments ever 2 months, oiling every week), but I had to trim it off until my head of hair regrew itself. I wasn't gaining much length otherwise. It might be growing but breaking off, that's what happened to me.


My advice is continue to S&D, but keep trimming to blunt cut if that's your end goal. I would trim an inch here and there while keeping it up.

[vanillabones]

I'm having the same wispy ends issue right now. I know for me a 1" trim is in order. I have nothing against V-cuts and think they are quite beautiful on long hair but I prefer mine blunt at the moment.

Try watching this video from the member here Emichee, this is how I'm going to do a microtrim if a deep treatment does not help.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWRJ57j1AyI

Since your hair is color damaged I also suggest using a protein treatment packet. I used the really inexpensive 'ion' deep treatments from sally's beauty supply that are on the cashier's counter and they prolonged my terribly bleached hair from needing major trims.

[Tearna-Maree]

How ARE your ends? You say wispy, but I am not sure if you mean like fairy-tailed (different lengths from natural variations in growth) or are they actually damaged with splits and white dots, bent ends, etc. Can you let us know? If it was me, I'd grow past to a milestone goal, wait a couple of months, then get a blunt cut trim. But then I wear my hair up most of the time. Do you enjoy wearing your hair up to protect it?

ETA: since you want to grow to 38 inches, that's a while of growing ahead. If it was me, I would grow about five inches (most of 2014?) and then have a good half inch to one inch off). Then you can grow the rest of the way. But this might depend on how you want to wear your hair this year, mostly up or mostly down.

The ends are fine I think, when I s&d I find maybe 5 bent at a small right angle and I just cut them off a bit above the kink, most of my damage is not on my ends anymore but in the middle of my hair.

that was a really helpful suggestion thankyou very much! I took a screen shot to keep on my phone and I might follow that :) I also just got my mum to measure my hair because I did it myself last time haha oops and my hair is 74cm which is approx just a bit over 29 inches and my goal is actually 36 inches so I have 7 inches to go. My hair is just growing very slowly though it's grown from 7cm of regrowth on 19th Novemer 2013 (I have dyed blonde hair I'm growing out) to 8cm regrowth on December 9th 2013 to 9cm of regrowth today and the length was 61cm when parted down the middle and down each side of my body and is only 61.5cm today is this from s&d (obviously I think but is that too much to have needed to cut off they are immaculate now (the ends I mean)

[spidermom]

It comes down to preference. Nothing wrong with different lengths and wispy ends. I recently got my hair heavily layered because my left wrist is injured and I can't do much to up-style it. I need to be able to wear it down most of the time. It's so much easier to detangle this way; I love it!

I used to get 1/2 inch trimmed off every 3-4 months and got good growth that way. It may be that your ends are breaking off rather than slow growth.