Should I cut these ends?

[Bitstuff]

My ends currently look like this:

https://7lcueg.dm2301.livefilestore.com/y2pnKfgnanvnwVqyIn2jDWQIzA1TUcWAKI7UsDNpnfY8DbI-6n6GZaKl4xWRSWIjMVuWjkCBbx-wDZ8EDgLJt_ERz-VndSQATSzV04SfgTDvJU/IMAG0863_BURST002_COVER.jpg
Sorry for the bad quality phone picture. How do you guys take good ones?

I washed my hair a few hours ago; by day two the ends and the rest of the hair spiral up but the ends are nonetheless long, thin, crunchy and tangly. The rest of my hair is happy.

I don't want to go back to hip length; the longest ends are a couple of inches from classic. Should I maybe take a little from the bottom and go for a U or V-shape on the sides? I don't know :sad

[bunzfan]

My ends currently look like this:

https://7lcueg.dm2301.livefilestore.com/y2pnKfgnanvnwVqyIn2jDWQIzA1TUcWAKI7UsDNpnfY8DbI-6n6GZaKl4xWRSWIjMVuWjkCBbx-wDZ8EDgLJt_ERz-VndSQATSzV04SfgTDvJU/IMAG0863_BURST002_COVER.jpg
Sorry for the bad quality phone picture. How do you guys take good ones?

I washed my hair a few hours ago; by day two the ends and the rest of the hair spiral up but the ends are nonetheless long, thin, crunchy and tangly. The rest of my hair is happy.

I don't want to go back to hip length; the longest ends are a couple of inches from classic. Should I maybe take a little from the bottom and go for a U or V-shape on the sides? I don't know :sad

If it was me i would, but then i love blunt ends...if you dont want to lose a lot of length you could look at micro trimming you could either trim half your growth a month or trim all your growth for a few months if you want to see some progress :flowers:

[Nesoi]

I agree with Bunzfan, why not try trimming a few inches (I think a U would look nice) and then maintaining until you have a thicker hem?

Your hair is a gorgeous colour and looks very soft.

[MINAKO]

If it was my hair i would cut a good 5 inches too be honest. I like blunt hemlines and also V shapes but see trough ends are another story. Of course you could do microtrims too. I just couldn't be bothered to loose a bit of length and just cut it right away to where it looks healthy.

[kganihanova]

I agree with MInako, the ends are see through. If that's your preferred look, go for it. Otherwise, id cut a good 5-6 inches. But again I'm not a fan of FTEs.

[Rio040113]

Personally I'd trim an inch or 2 but that's it, I actually really love the look of FTE's on wavy/wurly/curly hair :) At the end of the day it's your hair and I think it's lovely but the person who really needs to be happy with it is you :flower:

[woodswanderer]

Just depends on your goal look. Cut if you want blunt ends OR don't cut and see if you can get the ends improved with moisturizing if you want fairy tale ends. I don't have experience with fairy tale ends, but my experience with achieving blunt ends at long lengths is that it takes trims and time. I get my hair trimmed twice a year, and I spent a lot of time maintaining at various lengths. Maybe someone else will pipe up on caring for fairy tale ends if that is your goal.

[Dessi]

To be honest I think your hair looks absolutely beautiful the way it is! I really like it even though I'm not a fan of fairy tail ends. Yours are just beautiful! I suspect they wouldn't be that see through if you wear a black top. I would say - don't cut!

[CousinItt]

Maybe do a dusting to deal with the tangly ends, but, otherwise, I think your fairy tale ends are quite wistful and pretty.

[Cania]

I love fairytale ends, so I would keep 'em!

[spidermom]

All I can tell you is that if those were my ends, I think I'd go for a U or V shape in order to have shape and style.

[cathair]

I'm quite amazed how straight across your ends are even though they are fairytailed. They look tidy to me.

I have fairytale ends too. I might maintain at some point, but at the moment I would only consider cutting them if they were unbearably tangley and I couldn't fix it with S&D or clarifying, or if my hair was breaking off so much I was loosing all of my growth. If your ends aren't any of those things and you don't want to lose length, I don't see why you should cut :shrug: you could always maintain when you get to classic if you want thicker ends.

Unless of course if you are fed up with it and want thicker ends or a change of shape :)

[xoChesleyy]

If you want to keep your length, maybe you could just periodically micro-trim every month until you get rid of the tangly ends. Or, if losing a little bit of length doesn't bother you that much, you could also consider cutting off a few inches to get rid of the ends. The great thing about hair is that it grows! So if you trim, it always comes back. :)

Always do whatever you want based on your personal preference and what makes you happy!

[martyna_22]

It depends how you feel about them, if you like FTE, don't trim! If you don't particularly like them, go for a V-hemline - you won't lose much length this way. Your hair looks nice anyway :)

[Beatnik Guy]

No cutting required. :)

[lapushka]

If it's really tangly, you might try the LOC method (link is in my signature) - it helps for moisturizing the hair, for LOCing in moisture. Try that first before cutting a bit off.

[HairFaerie]

I love faerie tale ends too, so I would say no! Your hair is beautiful!

[Bitstuff]

Wow, so much good advice :D. I'm glad everyone isn't horrified :P Thanks very much. I'm a scaredy cat so I won't trim now. I just can't. I'll get to classic first in a few months and then maintain until the thin bits are shorter -- that feels better. I'm OK with FTE, I've seen some gorgeous FTE in their own thread so that's something to which to aspire :)

I'm already trying LOC and the first time I used too much of things but this time I could have used a bit more moisturiser. I S&D so the hair isn't bad up close. It's actually shiny and soft in real life; the ends are less soft and stick to each other. Maybe I'll give them something with protein; more cones?

[ravenheather]

I also say don't cut. Microtrim if you can't sort out your ends.

[Tall Blond(ish)]

I would cut them, because I prefer a neat hem, but if you like them, there's nothing wrong with them -- they don't look bad.

[Darkhorse1]

What do YOu want to do? Are you happy with your hair? your ends? If you are, then keep them as is. If you're not, try a small trim to start. It's your hair and the lovely thing about hair is it grows. I trim when my ends are see through because I prefer a blunt look. however, you're not me----if you like this look, then it's yours! :D

[Carolyn]

If this was my hair I'd cut at least up to where that dark area in the back ground to your right is. I'm a big fan of thick neat ends. You could do a gentle U shape.

[queenieheather]

I think your hair is very pretty! If this was my hair, I'd do a 1 inch trim(with a very slight U shape), then clarify/deep condition. Don't cut too much; your fairy tale ends are wonderful.

[longhairedlady]

I love fairy tale on curlies! You could cut the sides to give you a more shaped fairy tale look, or leave it as is. I think it is very pretty though!

I would readjust your hair care routine though. Figure what is causing the crunchy ends and fix that.

[Dreams_in_Pink]

If it was mine, i would cut back to hip. If i were you, i'd do microtrimmings, trim a tiny bit every month so that you maintain the length while thickening the ends in time.

[Ingrid]

I wouldn't do a drastic cut if it was mine but I would micro-trim a tiny amount every month to thicken up the hemline. If you like the look of fairytale ends, then there's no reason why you shouldn't just keep it as it is.

[Katyusha]

If you want thicker hem line you could maintain length at this point and cut any hair progress. Your hair will stay the same length but it will become thicker. If you'll cut a lot your hair will taper again and afterwards it will look the same. I have been reading a thread about this but I just can't find it :confused: It was written really good and if someone knows what I'm talking about could you please post it here?

If you don't like thicker hem line than leave them as they are :)

[woolyleprechaun]

I think the fairytale ends are very pretty. I can't add any advice to the above comments, except that if I were you, I'd just microtrim. It'd be a shame to lose 5-6 inches. Oh, and when I get annoyed with my thinner ends, I tend to damp them down and put some Fox's shea butter cream on- voila! Little whimsical curls ;)

[clioariane]

I'd cut a few inches to make your ends look thicker, but it's totally up to you of course :)

[LadyCelestina]

If MY OWN hair was this tapered,I would cut it,but I'm weird...I adore fairytale ends on others,but when my hair starts fairytailing,it's just a matter of time before I trim.
But I like your hair as it is.I wouldn't trim it.

Bottom line is though,do trim if the fairytailing bothers you,it's not ugly or something,quite the opposite,it's very pretty with the taper.

[kitcatsmeow]

Personally I would cut at least a couple inches and then you could micro trim until your satisfied with the hem. I have a v hem now that I am trying to correct by microtrimming. Its a slow process but I know it will be worth it.

[julee]

Maybe try clarifying, it might take care of the crunchiness and tangles. If it was me I'd trim just a small amount (0.5-1") and see how I felt, and go from there. Either way, you have a beautiful colour and waves! :)

[Medievalmaniac]

I would take your own advice....grow until you hit solid Classic, and then maybe an inch or so off followed by microtrims to remove the crunchy ends gradually until you are happy with the hemline. For what it's worth, you are rocking those fairy tale ends. :flower:

[jacqueline101]

It depends if you want your fairy tail ends or not. If you do keep them if not micro trim them away. If you micro trim them trim a half inch every two months.

[Monsoonu]

I it was my hair I think I would trim an inch off the ends, it would neaten them up so much - But I prefer blunt ends.

[Lyv]

If it were my hair I would probably cut 5 or so inches but I prefer a thicker hemline and I obviously am fine with cutting large amounts at once lol. You don't seem to be the same way so I'd say microtrimming and maintaining at classic when you get there would be better for you.

[RavennaNight]

I like the fairytale ends on wavy hair like that. Maybe just a trim of an inch.

[Robot Ninja]

If it were my hair I'd trim an inch or two, then cut the rest into a deep V. Most of your thinner ends are on the sides so a V-cut would take care of that. Then I would microtrim regularly; it would take longer to get to classic but you'd still be making progress and thickening up your ends at the same time.

[Elettaria]

If you want fairy tale ends, cut off about 3". If you want a thick, neat hemline, cut off twice that. There really is a way you can compromise and still have fairy tale ends while making it look neater. Most of your hair looks really beautiful, but the ends just look messy, I'm afraid.

I was scared of cutting my ends properly for years, partly because of this forum. Then I had a few inches off. To my surprise, I have beautifully thick hair. It still looked really long, but it looked a lot nicer. When you get to a really blunt hemline, I find it's harder to get the hair to stay in a bun, but you're a long way away from that, and can experiment with lengths in the middle. Also I stopped being so ridiculously afraid of a small haircut, which was good for me.

[Sharysa]

Gaaaaaaah fairy-tale ends! I advise maybe one or two inches off at a time or micro-trimming, but please no blunt cut!

[Darkhorse1]

The cause of crunchy ends is usually lack of moisture. The ends of our hair are the oldest. These have been stripped by life---sunlight, smog, chlorine--no matter how much we pamper our hair, daily life (wind even) will damage the outer layer. When my ends get crunchy, I know it's due to splits. in my line of work, with dirt, dust, bugs, extreme hot/cold, wind, horse goobers and cats attacking my hair, it doesn't surprise me.

First thing I try is olive oil. This is known to moisturize. Coconut oil strengthens (And for me, wrecked my hair). I would slather on olive oil on wet hair, then clarify, then use a heavy moisturizing conditioner after. If the results were of soft, smooth hair--ahhh. However, if not, I went and got a trim. Even a 1/4 inch helped.

If cutting is out of the question, try a deep moisturizing, and at work, since you will eventually cut these ends off, curl them under. That will give you a thicker appearing hemline without cutting. you could do some rag curls at night, just flip under the ends, and whammo, even hemline for work! :D

[ChloeDharma]

I have to say I think your hair is STUNNING! I love the way it tapers and the curl pattern works so nicely with it. I'm actually quite surprised so many people advised cutting away all that lovely whispiness. It looks worthy of being painted by one of those artists centuries ago or something that might have inspired Mucha. I really could gush for ages about the beauty of your hair as to me that is fairly much what I consider ideal.
If my hair faery tailed like that I'd be very happy, unfortunately it doesn't and these days won't maintain the density far enough down my back to look nice uncut, it used to and I'm making another attempt to get that back but that's another story. In terms of the ends....wow I'm wracking my brains trying to remember what worked for me when my ends were really dry....I'd follow some of the advice like clarify initially so you know what you are dealing with is hair and not build up. If your ends are still not feeling good I'd just do regular S&D's, damp bunning, a mix of aloe vera gel and oil after misting daily oh and a DT using plain natural full fat yogurt would work wonders on my hair. If you try that one I would advise being VERY thorough with rinsing, one time I did it and wasn't as thorough in one section as I normally am and though my hair was super soft and shiney I kept noticing a baby vomit smell...not good.

Good luck :)

[Feathered]

If it were me I would probably cut them and make the hemline even, but for some reason when I see your hair I wish you wouldn't. I just think it looks so pretty and well, for lack of a more original description, fairy tale like. I would like this to help, but I'm pretty sure it won't! Good luck with it, though.

[Bitstuff]

Everyone's so good with advice :o Tomorrow is wash day so I'll try to sort out the ends. Sometimes they're fine but other times they're not. I wish I could remember what I've done when they've been fine. This week they're just not happy. I'll oil & clarify. My shower head water filter arrived today so I get to install that (so excited). It should help with build up, I have hard water. NightBlooming's salves arrived too; I put some in my hair when it was dry but of course it didn't improve anything then. I can't believe I'm looking forward to washing hair these days, haha :rolling:

[BroomHilda]

I personally wouldnt cut more than 3-4". I like the way your hair tappers but trimming away the finest of the ends would make it look even better. Don t cut up to a super blunt hemline. Just enough to make it a bit fuller

[Kherome]

I'd cut it back to a U at waist.

[Katrine]

I think your hair is beautiful as is. Maybe you could micro trim for now and just work on babying the ends.

[Darkhorse1]

What's really happened here as well is our growth of our hair is not even---you can see which hair has grown and which needs to catch up---when mine got this way, I did a little trim to help it out and it worked well.

Keep us posted and don't give up hope! :D

[rosance]

My ends were tangly and rough about 2 weeks ago but not anymore. I have been using l'oreal total repair 5 damage erasing balm (http://www.ulta.com/ulta/browse/productDetail.jsp?productId=xlsImpprod4950049) during every wash, which is about 2-3 times a week for me with diluted shampoo. I apply after shampooing and leave it on for about 5 minutes. I have never left it longer and yet it has done a tremendous difference in my hair. Now my hair is so soft from roots to ends and much less tangly than I can remember. As a matter of fact, it is so much less tangly that I find myself having to tame the flowy hair with argan oil. I definitely recommend this product.:D

[Katyusha]

I have FINALLY found thread I was looking for you Bitstuff

Here is link: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=75468

And here is link to the things I was referring to in my previous post about tapering and how you'll go back to where you're at now, if you cut to much.

http://longhairedatheart.blogspot.de/2010/03/even-hemline-without-loosing-length.html

[queenovnight]

I gotta say.. Your hair is absolutely beautiful. If it were mine, I wouldn't trim at all. You've got a gorgeous head of hair. - Now, if it feels unhealthy.. I'd say to trim about 4 inches. But honestly, I think you hair is soooo pretty, and doesn't appear that it needs to be cut. You've got beautiful fairytale ends! - Hope im not too late Lol.

[pinchbeck]

When my ends get unmanageable I get them trimmed because it makes my hair easier to comb, however I sport a blunt hemline. Since your preference is not to loose much length I don't know what to suggest. A microtrim may not solve your problem right now, but over the course of time microtrimming will.

In the end you're going to do what you want with your hair and may find some of the suggestions you get go against what you want to do. As we try to reach our hair goals (or maintain them) loosing length for some is a nightmare and for others it's not.

[noludoru]

I agree with Bunzfan, why not try trimming a few inches (I think a U would look nice) and then maintaining until you have a thicker hem?

Your hair is a gorgeous colour and looks very soft.

This. My personal opinion, if you want it, if to cut off 5-7". That's what I'd do if it was my hair. Keep the V shape, keep a bit of the fairytale ends, but overall make it thicker.


Wow, so much good advice :D. I'm glad everyone isn't horrified :P Thanks very much. I'm a scaredy cat so I won't trim now. I just can't. I'll get to classic first in a few months and then maintain until the thin bits are shorter -- that feels better. I'm OK with FTE, I've seen some gorgeous FTE in their own thread so that's something to which to aspire :)

I'm already trying LOC and the first time I used too much of things but this time I could have used a bit more moisturiser. I S&D so the hair isn't bad up close. It's actually shiny and soft in real life; the ends are less soft and stick to each other. Maybe I'll give them something with protein; more cones?

If that's what makes you happiest, do it! Have you tried chelating? or something harsh like that? It might help the ends to be a bit less stringy and crunchy. I've had mine get like that, and it feels awful.

[Majormiles]

It depends how you would like your hair to be! It looks lovely, Maybe just take 3 inches off to improve the health of your hair? (As you said its tangly)

[fiðrildi]

I would cut off 4 inches, but if you are ok with fairytale ends (and you don't have splits), then I would just microtrim. Your hair is beautiful, and looks healthy, so it all depends on the hemline you'd like to have (thick, or fairytale).

[Hrtchoco]

If you don't like it, cut it. Hair will always grow back.

[HumanBean]

I think pretty fairy tale ends are hard to come by....in my opinion they need to be thicker than that to look nice. If it was me, given the condition you described them to be in, I'd cut them off and do a deep U hemline.

[Bitstuff]

Sooooo...I cut off a little bit. Maybe 1.5 inches? About 20 hairs it was, haha :D Then I went and took more than 4 from the very front, at an angle.

I also oiled, clarified on Tuesday; did a treatment with hydrolysed wheat protein today (the smell!) and had better luck with products. Hair feels good today. Ends not sticking together :cheese:.

I must say I absolutely love the variety of opinions on this board; I really do. I may shape the hemline ever so slightly more now that I can see it better in the photo.

Here's the hair before & after. Finally managed to get a decent enough picture outside!

https://public.dm2301.livefilestore.com/y2pSd97srFUa7v3KEFmi1cuKilJriOmczcMTcd6PiHYPU1bQhD IdeiYu-9ZgN6qlaND7NtfT9kQTFK_GRZVXFmbGy0nfHTkflnVCBh8cBNk 04M/29-06-2014_sc%201.png

Thanks again, everyone. You're the bestest.

ETA: Fixed the link.

[CarpeDM]

I can't see the picture?

[Dessi]

Sooooo...I cut off a little bit. Maybe 1.5 inches? About 20 hairs it was, haha :D Then I went and took more than 4 from the very front, at an angle.

I also oiled, clarified on Tuesday; did a treatment with hydrolysed wheat protein today (the smell!) and had better luck with products. Hair feels good today. Ends not sticking together :cheese:.

I must say I absolutely love the variety of opinions on this board; I really do. I may shape the hemline ever so slightly more now that I can see it better in the photo.

Here's the hair before & after. Finally managed to get a decent enough picture outside!

https://public.dm2301.livefilestore.com/y2pSd97srFUa7v3KEFmi1cuKilJriOmczcMTcd6PiHYPU1bQhD IdeiYu-9ZgN6qlaND7NtfT9kQTFK_GRZVXFmbGy0nfHTkflnVCBh8cBNk 04M/29-06-2014_sc%201.png

Thanks again, everyone. You're the bestest.

ETA: Fixed the link.

Beautiful! I'm glad you're happy now.