Cutting from Hip Length to Armpit Length?

[Rachxx]

So over two years ago I started lurking on this forum when I bleached my hair too many times (about 10 times over 6 months) and completely fried it. After I dyed it black (my natural colour is dark brown/black) and trimmed it once, I grew it from my collarbone to now the longest part being at hip length although with a lot of layers from waist to bsl. My roots have grown down to bsl from the nape, and almost apl from the very top of my head.
Anyways I decided to finally make an account because I need opinions on whether or not to cut it to just above apl to get rid of the damage.

Although I'm at my goal length and could just maintain the length and continue to S&D the layers, I think it might be better to cut it because the bleached ends get very tangled and take me 3 hours to finger detangle twice a week when I wash my hair and about 20 minutes every day that I don't wash it. The bleached ends also look really dry and gross and no amount of conditioner, treatments or oil will make any difference. Another main reason why I want to cut it is because the damaged parts of my hair take at least 6 hours to air dry, and feel really fragile and too soft while they're wet because of the bleach.

~~~ So anyways, If you were in my position would you maintain the length until all of the damage is cut off or would you just cut it up to apl to have all virgin hair?

[restless]

Personally I would not cut everything in one go, its quite a big jump going from hip to APL. Instead Id cut off little by little. Sometimes even a microtrim can do miracles to ends that tangle :)

[Lyv]

I personally would want to cut off the damage and start fresh if it were my hair. I just cut to pixie from almost waist a couple of weeks ago to get rid of old bleach damage so I'm a little biased lol. It was definitely the best decision for me, I didn't want to be unhappy with the color and condition of it for as long as it was going to take to grow out with microtrimming. If you think you can deal with the upkeep and detangling then just keep trimming until the damage is gone but if it's more important to have it damage free then cut. Maybe you could do a shorter chop and cut to waist so it isn't as big of a shock and won't take as long to grow then if you want more off you can just cut again.

[Flor]

How about BSL with layers up to APL? Basically cut off all the damage, but still keep the longest length possible? If you want solid hemline, you can gradually get rid of layers with regular trims from there on.

[ladyfey]

When I was in that situation, I chopped off the damage. I went from knee length dyed hair to a shoulder length bob. I loved getting rid of the damage, loved the way my hair felt and had fun with short hair for awhile. I eventually grew it out, and am now at ankle length.

[Tini'sNewHair]

I think just cutting up to waist would make your hair thank you for it - I pretty much had the same dilema BEFORE i knew of LHC, I think my hair was hip or very close to it but very layered and damaged from the same thing - I chopped it all to just above shoulders because thats pretty much where my healthy hair stood at - The chop was a very difficult one to live with, I was very happy to have healthy hair BUT hair that short didnt suit me at all and i was forced to keep my hair up at all times until it grew close to BSL. IF i could give the time back i THINK that I would of cut bit by bit and not all in one go BUT I cant look back now, im MBL and verry close to waist with virgin hair which i love so much!! My hair now is perfect (well, i wish it was curly but anyway :p) so maybe a dramatic cut was better than doing it slowly, i dont know... it was 1 year and 8 months ago since THAT drama and im now happy to forget and move on. So the decission is yours! Whatever you decide just know that your hair will grow back and it will be better than you can ever imagine! :)

[lapushka]

First choice would be microtrimming. You can always go shorter, but you can't glue it back on, and a microtrim often makes a big difference in and of itself. Second choice would be layering it up until APL. You can get rid of a lot of damage that way. Third choice would be cutting to APL.

If you're looking for layering methods, try looking into the "compact cuts" ie. ponytailing methods. One is putting a ponytail on top of your head and cutting for long layers, the other is putting the ponytail on top of your forehead and cutting for short layers.

[Kherome]

I would cut it, but probably only to BSL and work on keeping it healthy and trimming at BSL until the damage is gone.

[t_ballet26]

I would cut it, but probably only to BSL and work on keeping it healthy and trimming at BSL until the damage is gone.

I would do this too. I cut to shoulder, which the bottom half was virgin and the front damaged. I have grown all the way to APL and it is just now starting to feel like it needs a trim again. It really made a huge difference for me. I would also keep in mind what is the shortest length you could go with still being able to put your hair up easily, for me that is about 1" past APL.

[bunzfan]

I would do this too. I cut to shoulder, which the bottom half was virgin and the front damaged. I have grown all the way to APL and it is just now starting to feel like it needs a trim again. It really made a huge difference for me. I would also keep in mind what is the shortest length you could go with still being able to put your hair up easily, for me that is about 1" past APL.

Your hair is just wonderful so healthy looking , i have a bit of past damage that's why i'm not trimming till next year then i'll do a 2-3 trim to get rid of it and hopefully have nice blunt ends, after that i'll micro trim most probably and still be near classic.

[spidermom]

How about BSL with layers up to APL? Basically cut off all the damage, but still keep the longest length possible? If you want solid hemline, you can gradually get rid of layers with regular trims from there on.

Great idea; I second it.

[Avital88]

cut it in phases, i strongly disagree in cutting it all in one go.. a few inches can already make a lot of difference .(i have my own trauamatic hair cutting experience in my head now, i cried for weeks after doing it)

[EvelynMay]

if you are comfortable with doing it, then I say why not! Do it! But if you are questioning whether or not you could "handle" this, this maybe you shouldn't do such a big change. The only time I did something similar was when I was in the beginning of high school and I chopped off damaged, dry, dyed hair from I'd say BSL up to my chin! HUGE change. I think I only "survived" because I was so young honestly, haha. I could NEVER do that again. BUT, it worked. If I ever had to do something like that again I would do it in like 2 big chops over the course of a year or so, like get 5 inches chopped off now, let it grow for how ever many months, and then get another 5 inches chopped off in like 8-12 months (or however you want to do that). But, if you want to chop it off all in one sitting, then more power to you! It'll grow back :)

[millyaulait]

Gosh, hip to APL is such a long, long way! I agree with the BSL suggestion.

[Lady Bug]

I would cut it, but not all in one sitting. It's a lot of hair. I would cut like, 10cm at each time, maybe 2 or 3 times in a year so that it's not a great shock. Try to do some search and destroy in between cuts, it helps with the tangling. Another thing, which I personally do, try to only detangle it when it's almost dry. It saves me a lot of stress and breakage. I also only use a tangle teezer for that task. Good luck =)

[door72067]

I recently went from nearly waist to BSL (cutting out old, dyed hair, going virgin...my virgin line was around shoulder) and a month later taking off most of the rest of it

I went from roughly 32" to 17" in two stages

I miss the length terribly but I gained really healthy hair for it (everything I have now, save maybe 2" in spots, is LHC cared-for)

I think it depends on how you are feeling about your hair..I was loving the length, but could *only* wear it up since I hated the line of demarcation when it was down so I traded length for health

taking a bit off at a time is good advice...then you can see just how short you are willing to go in stages and not end up going too far and hating it

[Nightshade]

I had a somewhat similar dilemma when I first came here and I opted for cutting half my growth a month. In your case you could do all your growth and therefore cut even more.

Check out the damaged hair article in my siggy, it explains how I did it and might give you a few more ideas to try!

[Macaroni]

I'd cut to remove most of the damage but not all, if possible.

[Magalo]

I would cut to waist then microtrim! Waist is a great length. :)

[Anje]

I would cut to waist then microtrim! Waist is a great length. :)
I was thinking exactly this. Cutting off a few inches should make a drastic difference in how difficult it is to deal with your hair, while not being such a shock as chopping it all at once. Or go to BSL if you prefer... Pick a length that you know you'd like, cut to it, and maintain it until the rest of the damage is cut out.

[fairview]

Drastic changes are usually, nearly always, 110% of the time regretted the following morning. I'm assuming that you are using a quality detangler and rinsing your hair with the coldest water possible before stepping out of the shower.

Is your hair that damaged at the ends or is it that you have too much weight at the ends that is causing the snarls. If you are going to take off some length, decide where it will be then try this experiment before cutting.

Take a section of dry hair and using the wide tooth end of the comb, start combing to the ends. When the comb stops near the ends, take one swipe with a set of texturizing shears slightly above where the comb stopped. Comb that very same section again to remove the cut hairs. Again comb through this same section and I believe you will find the comb will travel farther to the ends before it stops or it may not stop at all. If it stops again just take another swipe with the texturizing shears. Depending on what you want, you can repeat this with the fine tooth end.

So many stylists forget about looking at the weight at the ends and asking the guests if they ordinarily use a comb or a brush and if they use a comb, would they like to be able to comb all the way out through to the ends without snarls. If you're going to cut the hair off anyway, you might want to try this first to save your investment.

[Mainesongbird]

I would get rid of the damage. I would rather have hair that you feel good about than hair that doesn't make you feel good. It'll all grow back healthy and when you get to hip, you'll be twice as excited.

[Vrindi]

So over two years ago I started lurking on this forum when I bleached my hair too many times (about 10 times over 6 months) and completely fried it. After I dyed it black (my natural colour is dark brown/black) and trimmed it once, I grew it from my collarbone to now the longest part being at hip length although with a lot of layers from waist to bsl. My roots have grown down to bsl from the nape, and almost apl from the very top of my head.
Anyways I decided to finally make an account because I need opinions on whether or not to cut it to just above apl to get rid of the damage.

Although I'm at my goal length and could just maintain the length and continue to S&D the layers, I think it might be better to cut it because the bleached ends get very tangled and take me 3 hours to finger detangle twice a week when I wash my hair and about 20 minutes every day that I don't wash it. The bleached ends also look really dry and gross and no amount of conditioner, treatments or oil will make any difference. Another main reason why I want to cut it is because the damaged parts of my hair take at least 6 hours to air dry, and feel really fragile and too soft while they're wet because of the bleach.

~~~ So anyways, If you were in my position would you maintain the length until all of the damage is cut off or would you just cut it up to apl to have all virgin hair?

I cut my hair from almost hip to APL about 3 years ago. I didn't like the way it looked with the damage, and although it broke my heart to cut it so short, it does grow back. My hair is now tailbone length, and that's still after some major trims. I bleached my hair 2 years ago, and now I'm growing out damage, but the damage isn't much. It's to the point where I just have to watch out for splits, so micro-trimming is all I need.

If your hair is getting to the point where it's impossible to comb it, and you just don't like the way it looks, I would say go ahead and cut. But cut a couple of inches at a time, until you reach a point where it feels better. Maybe don't go all the way to APL, just BSL, and then micro trim from there.

[Emanuelle]

I think I would not be able to cut it all at once. I think I would cut back to waist or possibly even mid back and see from there.

[Rachxx]

Wow, thank you so much everyone for all of the suggestions. Now I will consider cutting it to waist or bsl instead of just cutting it all at once, I'm planning on waiting another week before cutting it so I will have to make my decision before then. :)

[Rachxx]

Sooo, I cut my hair today. I ended up cutting it to about an inch below my bra strap, although It looks a lot shorter than that.. I think I have a short torso or something. I cut it all blunt into a U shape hemline, and now it's all the same length except for one random short layer on the right side that was already there and also some long wispy bits I cut to blend it into the front. Now 1/3 to 1/4 of it is dyed and the rest is natural ^_^. The only problem I have is that now when I braid the 3 strands end up different lengths at the end and each length is blunt, so it looks kinda funny.. but I don't wear my hair in a braid outside my house anyway so I guess it doesn't really matter, and they will hopefully taper a bit more when they grow? As for cutting to bsl, when my virgin hair grows a bit longer I will probably go to the salon to get it cut because it was really stressful cutting my own hair evenly, although i'll be dreading them combing my wet hair with a fine tooth comb :scared:

[karenpetal]

I cut my hair from mid waist to shoulder to get a healthy start. I absolutely missed my length the next morning. Felt sad but glad I did it.

[ravenreed]

I disagree with this statement. Plenty of people here on LHC have made drastic changes and not regretted them. Drastic, sudden changes, perhaps, but that is where the two week rule comes in. Personally, I haven't ever regretted a drastic hair change. Not once.

OP- I think that waist is one of the most flattering lengths on everyone, followed by BSL. I think if I were to make a drastic change, it would probably be back to waist. I loved that length! I could wear it down every day, washing every day was not a problem, drying time was much shorter... Two things are stopping me. One, that would put me right back to where I was when I found LHC, and two, I couldn't do any nice updos, so all my hair toys would be neglected. The best I could manage at that length was a lazy wrap. Ah well! Anyway, another vote for waist, and then after a few weeks see how you feel.


Drastic changes are usually, nearly always, 110% of the time regretted the following morning. I'm assuming that you are using a quality detangler and rinsing your hair with the coldest water possible before stepping out of the shower.

Is your hair that damaged at the ends or is it that you have too much weight at the ends that is causing the snarls. If you are going to take off some length, decide where it will be then try this experiment before cutting.

Take a section of dry hair and using the wide tooth end of the comb, start combing to the ends. When the comb stops near the ends, take one swipe with a set of texturizing shears slightly above where the comb stopped. Comb that very same section again to remove the cut hairs. Again comb through this same section and I believe you will find the comb will travel farther to the ends before it stops or it may not stop at all. If it stops again just take another swipe with the texturizing shears. Depending on what you want, you can repeat this with the fine tooth end.

So many stylists forget about looking at the weight at the ends and asking the guests if they ordinarily use a comb or a brush and if they use a comb, would they like to be able to comb all the way out through to the ends without snarls. If you're going to cut the hair off anyway, you might want to try this first to save your investment.

[spidermom]

Yes I would cut from hip to APL. There are so many fun styling possibilities you can enjoy while growing out again from APL, and you will enjoy your hair more without the damage. At least that's how I would feel.

[pri108]

So over two years ago I started lurking on this forum when I bleached my hair too many times (about 10 times over 6 months) and completely fried it. After I dyed it black (my natural colour is dark brown/black) and trimmed it once, I grew it from my collarbone to now the longest part being at hip length although with a lot of layers from waist to bsl. My roots have grown down to bsl from the nape, and almost apl from the very top of my head.
Anyways I decided to finally make an account because I need opinions on whether or not to cut it to just above apl to get rid of the damage.

Although I'm at my goal length and could just maintain the length and continue to S&D the layers, I think it might be better to cut it because the bleached ends get very tangled and take me 3 hours to finger detangle twice a week when I wash my hair and about 20 minutes every day that I don't wash it. The bleached ends also look really dry and gross and no amount of conditioner, treatments or oil will make any difference. Another main reason why I want to cut it is because the damaged parts of my hair take at least 6 hours to air dry, and feel really fragile and too soft while they're wet because of the bleach.

~~~ So anyways, If you were in my position would you maintain the length until all of the damage is cut off or would you just cut it up to apl to have all virgin hair?

I had that problem when the hairdresser burnt my hair with colour and bleach. i knew i wated to get rid of teh damage so i was growing my hair like normal and i used to trim every now and again. obviusly the main intention was to get rid of teh damaged hair. once i got rid of all the golden bits then i slowed down on trims.

i agree with everyone else, you should cut the damaged bit. but if getting rid of the whole of it is emotionally distressing, do it bit by bit,.
But make sure that you don't have any split ends that travel up the hair shaft.

[pri108]

Hair is dead protein so the dead part that has also been damaged cannot be revived. so you can't do much about it. you have the option of cutting it all of, if i could have done it without going bald i would have done it too :p

go for it, i am excited for you!

[Rachxx]

Hehe, I think everyone missed my last post from yesterday. I cut It to just below bsl, but I will soon get it cut to apl at a salon because it was difficult to cut it straight by myself. Although I'm also thinking of maintaining it myself at this length, but I'll see next time I wash my hair if the damaged ends left are still too weak and stretchy. :) But i'm still super happy now because I can actually get my tangle teezer through my hair, and I can do a french braid now because the sections don't mat together at the ends when i'm trying to grab sections! yayy

Btw, in my post on the last page I made a mistake.. I meant to write that I would cut it to APL at the salon, not BSL. oops

[restless]

Hair is dead protein so the dead part that has also been damaged cannot be revived. so you can't do much about it. you have the option of cutting it all of, if i could have done it without going bald i would have done it too :p

Its true that hair is dead but I disagree that its beyond help once its damaged. A little kindness (deep treatments, cut out the harsh chemicals, no heat, gentle handling, S&D/microtrimming) can make small miracles to the look and feel. Its true that it´ll never be as virgin hair again as it´ll most definitly be more prone to tangles and weaker when wet but the overall quality can get much, much better. Thats why Id personally never cut anything off before at least trying to "revive" it. Im a firm believer as its worked on my own damaged hair.

[lapushka]

Its true that hair is dead but I disagree that its beyond help once its damaged. A little kindness (deep treatments, cut out the harsh chemicals, no heat, gentle handling, S&D/microtrimming) can make small miracles to the look and feel. Its true that it´ll never be as virgin hair again as it´ll most definitly be more prone to tangles and weaker when wet but the overall quality can get much, much better. Thats why Id personally never cut anything off before at least trying to "revive" it. Im a firm believer as its worked on my own damaged hair.

I agree with you. Damaged is damaged, but if you take care of it, you can learn to live with it. I had about a half head full of white dots, all the way from shoulder length to hip length, but still grew all that way without much hair breaking off. Why? Because it received tender loving care.

[ravenreed]

Happy growing to you! It is nice to have fresh ends, isn't it? I love how much better my hair feels after a trim/cut.


Hehe, I think everyone missed my last post from yesterday. I cut It to just below bsl, but I will soon get it cut to apl at a salon because it was difficult to cut it straight by myself. Although I'm also thinking of maintaining it myself at this length, but I'll see next time I wash my hair if the damaged ends left are still too weak and stretchy. :) But i'm still super happy now because I can actually get my tangle teezer through my hair, and I can do a french braid now because the sections don't mat together at the ends when i'm trying to grab sections! yayy

Btw, in my post on the last page I made a mistake.. I meant to write that I would cut it to APL at the salon, not BSL. oops