S & D Questions

[swords & roses]

I really ought to do a search & destroy on my locks. My hair splits if I look at it funny, it seems! I think I'll always be plagued with the halo of short wispies that refuse to reach my ponytail, but all the spriggles that poke out of my braid drive me crazy! And my hemline just always looks so much nicer after a trim. It's time to stop putting it off, & do a S & D. I wanted to ask all you experts a couple questions before I dive in.

1. How much time should I plan for a S & D to take?

2. I've been hesitating, for fear that after I S & D, my hemline will be all jankety & haphazzard. (I've got splits several inches up the hair shaft, not just at the ends.) Should I be worried about this? Or will it not be that bad/noticeable? Or should I plan to do a round of Feye's Self Trim after I S & D to even things out?

3. Where can I find good hair-trimming scissors in the US, preferrably without spending an arm & a leg? I'd bought some from Walmart a while back for my first Feye's Trim, and I thought they were ok, but when a friend used them for my most recent trim (and only the 2nd trim they'd ever been used for), they weren't cutting my hair worth a darn, even though they'd never been used on anything else.

If answers can be found on other threads, I'd love a link! (I hunted, but couldn't find the answers on my own.) Thanks in advance for any wisdom you can offer! :blossom:

[Madora]

You can use as much or as little S and Ding as you wish. Be sure you do it in good light!

Shears can be found at Sally's Beauty supply..or at other beauty/salon retailers. Be sure to use your shears only for your hair, and that they are always SHARP. Dull shears make white dots.

S and Ding out the damage (as much as you can find) is better than leaving it "as is". If you don't trim out the damage, it only gets worse. Splits travel up the strand (or down) and white dots become splits.

To help combat splits, you might want to investigate using catnip rinses: info: http://ktanihairsense.blogspot.ca/2009/11/part-3-of-4-on-innovative-approaches-to.html

[AmyBeth]

I had tried a pair of Goody hair shears, but they only lasted a few months, even though I only used them on hair. I imagine a really good pair are going to start at somewhere around $20.00. Over a period of years, I think S&D is going to result in fairytale ends if you don't do a real trim every now and then. I think fairytale ends are beautiful, especially on very long hair, so that's a choice you have to make. It's impossible to say how long a session of S&D will take for you. It depends on how thick your hair is, and how many splits you really have. If you could commit to 1/2 hour sessions once weekly, then see if you start seeing fewer splits. Of course, that will depend a lot on how you treat your hair on a daily basis. You can create new splits faster than you can S&D, easily!

[MeowScat]

1.) Your S&D sessions can vary a lot. For awhile, I did a little everyday, during soap operas. :) Then it was once a week, then every few months, sometimes for several hours, then back to everyday for a few minutes. It changes a lot for me. I created a post late last year because I had not done an S&D for a while, and I ended up doing it for 5 hours straight. The only reason I stopped after 5 hours was because my hand was killing me from holding the scissors for that long. I learned that waiting too long wasn't a great idea for me. It changes, sometimes I have very few splits and dots, sometimes there's a lot.

2.) Don't worry about your hemline, you have tens of thousands of hair strands. Just get rid of the splits and white dots. Also, your hair follicles don't grow at the same rate and some follicles shed sooner than others so no one can grow a completely blunt hemline. There were times I blamed my fairytale ends on S&Ding, then I wouldn't S&D and my hair fairytaled the same way. Fret not. It's easy to obsess over it, so I've learned to check my ends every week or so, and if I feel like snipping off a few, I do. But I find those snipping sessions to be very satisfying and relaxing, so I lose track of time, especially if I have the TV on or music playing. It's fun busy-work for my hands. I don't know how to crotchet, so I S&D. Hahaa!

3.) Like Madora said, Sally Beauty sells hair scissors (shears) or other beauty supply stores. If you don't have a Sally, etc. near you, check amazon and read the reviews on different scissors.

OMG, I just typed you a book, I'm so sorry!

[ichosethis]

I trimmed my hair using Feyes method three weeks ago. Today I sat down and did a S&D on myself during a TV show. It took me 30-45 minutes or so but I wasn't rushing it. I sat with a lamp behind me and the overhead light on for better lighting. Most of the bits I trimmed off today were higher up on the shaft and on shorter layers than a trim would have gotten anyways. I'm working on growing out the shorter layers, especially the forward ones and I want to keep them healthy. I haven't had layers cut in since September (maybe June, I know I had a pro cut both times but I can't remember if I got the layers touched up the second time) and I've done two self trims and a couple S&D now.

[melomane]

Is their a way to sharpen dull shears?

[LauraLongLocks]

Yes, upper end scissors can be sharpened professionally. I'm not sure how lower-end shears do with being sharpened. I get my scissors at Sally's for about $20. I have done a lot of mini-S&D sessions for 15-30 minutes several times a week, and still find the buggers, but I think I am making progress. I've only been doing S&D sessions since October, but so far, my hemline hasn't noticeably thinned. When/if it does, I won't mind microtrimming and maintaining a while until it pleases me.

[swords & roses]

Thank you all!

I prefer my hemline blunt rather than having fairytale ends. Maybe I'll start with a solid trim of a half inch or an inch, then go back through routinely with a S&D.

The catnip link says it's coloring. Is there a way to avoid that aspect? I like my color the way it is. :)

[GoddesJourney]

From what I understand, catnip is only coloring on very light hair. I would suggest you S&D every day for about a week and then taper off as you finder fewer splits. A lot of what you find will be further up. That shouldn't noticeably affect your hemline for many months. When that happens, go ahead and trim. If S&D can't keep up, go ahead and trim and check what is causing all the damage. Even if you have a good routine now, you might be affected by damage from a couple of years ago that is now finally giving to breakage.