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View Full Version : Is it possible to get rid of taper by maintaining?



Larki
September 8th, 2014, 10:42 PM
I have a depressing amount of taper for hair that is only waist length (and a short waist length, at that). Until 7-8 months ago, I was mean to my hair and didn't really care about it: I'd rip through my hair from roots to ends, left it down like all the time, and didn't take any precautions other than wearing a swim cap when I was in the pool two hours a day, six days a week. Needless to say, my hair has a lot of mechanical and sun/chlorine damage. :( My braid starts to taper after a mere three bumps, and is half its original thickness by the time I tie it off!

Anyway, I was thinking that I could grow until TBL or so, until a point when my hair feels decently long, then maintain at that point while being careful and gentle with my hair, until my taper improved significantly. I know that some taper is natural and inevitable, but I'd really like to minimize it. I'm thinking I'll maintain at TBL, and then (if I'm lucky enough to get to these points!) classic, mid-thigh, and then knee.

Does this sound like a good idea?

redtuss
September 8th, 2014, 10:53 PM
The damage already done can't be reversed and the only cure is patience :)
Being gentle is the one way to make sure that it doesn't get any more damage. As long as the damage you already have is not "spreading" - some times a split end goes all the way up to the root. Damaged hair can also be really hard to work with as I recall (I was extremely harsh on my hair in my teens, bleaching and colouring and just being horrible). I wouldn't want damaged hair down to TBL. Your hair looks good on the picture though?

If you can stand it then sure - maintain :) It will take a long time though, I wouldn't wait til TBL. Is there a reason you don't want to maintain now at waist? Waist to TBL takes a few months and if your hair is in need for maintaing already you can use those months to instead get a fuller hemline at waist maybe?

Of course it is your choice and I support you in however you choose!

Dessi
September 8th, 2014, 11:30 PM
The damage already done can't be reversed and the only cure is patience :)
Being gentle is the one way to make sure that it doesn't get any more damage. As long as the damage you already have is not "spreading" - some times a split end goes all the way up to the root. Damaged hair can also be really hard to work with as I recall (I was extremely harsh on my hair in my teens, bleaching and colouring and just being horrible). I wouldn't want damaged hair down to TBL. Your hair looks good on the picture though?

If you can stand it then sure - maintain :) It will take a long time though, I wouldn't wait til TBL. Is there a reason you don't want to maintain now at waist? Waist to TBL takes a few months and if your hair is in need for maintaing already you can use those months to instead get a fuller hemline at waist maybe?

Of course it is your choice and I support you in however you choose!

Wooow, Waist to TBL just for a few months o.o I have 10 inches between waist and TBL and I'm pretty sure it wouldn't grow that much in just a few months. Anyways, everyone's different.
Yes, I think the best way to get rid of taper is to maintain. If I were you, Larki, I would do exactly what you said.

Zebra Fish
September 9th, 2014, 12:08 AM
I'm maintaining just above waist, but I will hopefully reach waist in that period sometime (need like 1-2 cm). Also want to get rid of taper and than on to tbl :o

StellaKatherine
September 9th, 2014, 01:19 AM
Same idea I have as well. At tail bone lenght right now with extrimely tapering ends. But I decided to go for classic first (as that is my for ever and ever dream ) and maintain there untill I feel my hemline is full enough to possibly grow more :)

Ting32
September 9th, 2014, 01:56 AM
Larki, you sound exactly like me :) That's what I did to my hair too, until about a month ago.
I started taking really good care of it, conditioning, oiling, and it helps, it already looks healthier!
I'm just going to let it grow, do S&D, and at some point take off an inchandahalf to have a clean full hemline at hip.

Ting32
September 9th, 2014, 01:57 AM
Larki, you sound exactly like me :) That's what I did to my hair too, until about a month ago.
I started taking really good care of it, conditioning, oiling, and it helps, it already looks healthier!
I'm just going to let it grow, do S&D, and at some point take off an inchandahalf to have a clean full hemline at hip.

Ingrid
September 9th, 2014, 02:05 AM
I've got a huge taper happening, too. My taper is shedding and dye damage-related, and generally being rough with my hair and S&D-ing to compensate. Recently I've decided that my approach will be to trim around 3cm, and continue micro-trimming 0,5cm every month. That way I can still gain length and also get rid of the taper. I plan on doing this until all the damaged hair is gone. I cut 3cm a few months ago and have been micro-trimming since then. It will take longer than a big chop but I really want to keep my hair long. My ends are much thicker now, it's amazing how effective these small trims are :)

Marika
September 9th, 2014, 02:39 AM
Larki, I'm in the same situation and planning to grow to tbl before maintaining. I have now, barely at waist, a lot more taper than I used to have at tbl (around 3 years ago) :( I have sometimes the urge to chop but I'm trying to resist! :D And yes, it takes a lot longer to grow from waist to tbl than a few months. It would take me about 2 years without any trimming and breakage. And like that's going to happen.

Johannah
September 9th, 2014, 03:49 AM
I'm going to grow my hair until January and I'll be maintaining in 2015 as well. If you treat your hair gently you can grow it to TBL first and then maintain with some S&D and maybe some small microtrims in between.

martyna_22
September 9th, 2014, 04:15 AM
I see that you're going for super long hair, in which case I'd say keep growing. Maybe you could microtrim? This way you'd gain some length, maybe not as much as without any trims, but your hemline would be thicker and thicker. I know this is not ideal, but you get both fuller hemline and length at the same time.

veryhairyfairy
September 9th, 2014, 05:48 AM
Heya, you've already received a lot of good advice, just wanted to jump in as someone who was where you are 2 years ago, and just grew instead of trimming.
The taper will get worse. Depending on your hairtype and the way you wear/handle your hair, it may get MUCH worse (I'm super gentle and always wear it in a bun and the taper still got worse). Now I'll be maintaining at TBL for at least 2 years to get rid of the damage and taper, and I almost wish I had done some microtrimming while growing out.

There are three options as I see it:
1. Maintain at current length and grow out taper
2. Microtrim while growing to TBL, then maintain if necessary
3. Sprint to TBL and maintain

I went for 3, but I think most people would be happier with 2 because you improve while you grow instead of watching it degenerate. :shrug:
Good luck in whatever you do! :)

bunzfan
September 9th, 2014, 06:08 AM
I can say maintaining does work :D i did it for a few years and i got rid of layers and quite severe taper from a hairdressing disaster , of course you can just get there a little slower and micro trim depends what is more important to you.

lilin
September 9th, 2014, 07:32 AM
I have exactly the same problem. My hair is layered in addition, so it's even worse. Combination of ripping through my tangles (which I often created myself, by knotting my hair up in a messy bun), and cutting vertically into the hair to create a feathered effect with dull scissors (yikes!). The lower few inches of at least half of the hair in my bottom layer is just shot, especially in the back where I tend to get the biggest knots. I've got it all -- white dots, regular splits, feather splits, shredded tapered hairs, the works. The upper layers are ok though. They didn't get caught up in most of the knots.

Assuming you're not near terminal, the taper should reduce if you just maintain, slowly trimming off the damaged bits. It probably won't completely disappear, because you're still going to be losing hairs in the later stages of their growth cycle, but it should thicken up.

Personally... I've decided to tough it out until waist. I did a 1/2 inch trim this month, just because I didn't want the worst and ugliest of my hairs to spread the damage up, but I'm gonna try to leave it alone and just baby the hell out of those ends. I'm just not ready to give up inches of length!

Larki
September 9th, 2014, 08:18 AM
Heya, you've already received a lot of good advice, just wanted to jump in as someone who was where you are 2 years ago, and just grew instead of trimming.
The taper will get worse. Depending on your hairtype and the way you wear/handle your hair, it may get MUCH worse (I'm super gentle and always wear it in a bun and the taper still got worse). Now I'll be maintaining at TBL for at least 2 years to get rid of the damage and taper, and I almost wish I had done some microtrimming while growing out.

There are three options as I see it:
1. Maintain at current length and grow out taper
2. Microtrim while growing to TBL, then maintain if necessary
3. Sprint to TBL and maintain

I went for 3, but I think most people would be happier with 2 because you improve while you grow instead of watching it degenerate. :shrug:
Good luck in whatever you do! :)
Thank you for this! I was already planning on getting a 1/2 inch trim every 3 months - would this count as microtrimming? Or perhaps an inch, and only keep half an inch of growth.

The reason I'm not keen to maintain at waist is that I've had roughly waist-length hair for years - not by design, just by asking my mother to take off an inch or two every few months, because I felt like my hair needed to be trimmed to keep up the blunt hemline, and I didn't really have any concept of how slowly hair grows. I had been getting my growth trimmed off for years without realizing it. :p So I'd really, really like to grow to a "new" point and then maintain there.

Phexlyn
September 9th, 2014, 08:41 AM
I had been getting my growth trimmed off for years without realizing it. :p So I'd really, really like to grow to a "new" point and then maintain there.
I totally understand this wish. I had the same problem at MBL, and I was really sick of never getting to waist!
As for the original question, if you're not at terminal (or some parts of your hair are), yes, maintaining will help with the taper.

veryhairyfairy has summed up the different options nicely. I'm just piping in for saying you don't have to follow option 1, 2, or 3 all the way. If you want to sprint to TB and then realize the damage is bugging you too much or slowing your progress, by all means get a trim. It's not fun growing out badly damaged hair and you might not be happy about the way your new length looks. So I'd advise you to go by your gut feeling. If you think your hair needs a small trim, then trim it. If you can take care of the ends and the damage doesn't spread, grow it.
Most important of all: enjoy the journey towards TB!

bunzfan
September 9th, 2014, 08:41 AM
Thank you for this! I was already planning on getting a 1/2 inch trim every 3 months - would this count as microtrimming? Or perhaps an inch, and only keep half an inch of growth.

The reason I'm not keen to maintain at waist is that I've had roughly waist-length hair for years - not by design, just by asking my mother to take off an inch or two every few months, because I felt like my hair needed to be trimmed to keep up the blunt hemline, and I didn't really have any concept of how slowly hair grows. I had been getting my growth trimmed off for years without realizing it. :p So I'd really, really like to grow to a "new" point and then maintain there.

In that case you could still micro trim and grow, micro trimming is really when you almost just dust the ends so they stay nice but dont lose all your growth, some have said on the scissors it would look like dust of hair on the scissor blades a lot do this monthly or every other month check out emi's video her story is very inspiring

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWRJ57j1AyI&list=UUyQCb7Z3QkyPzaAOBru6kdg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZjIKfSmPwI&list=UUyQCb7Z3QkyPzaAOBru6kdg

schnibbles
September 9th, 2014, 09:08 AM
^^^ This! I dust monthly just like Emi does in the video. It does yield results, it's just a long road. I've been doing it since December of last year.
(A 1/2 inch trim for me would be what I'd consider a major trim... I take millimeters)
I have damage from years of using the hairdryer.

Edit - To clarify, I don't think you need to take that much.. Your hemline looks absolutely fantastic to me...I just read LLL's edit below, I totally agree.

LongHairLesbian
September 9th, 2014, 09:08 AM
As many folks here have already said, maintaining really works for thickening up your hemline; I've never maintained, but it's nice to know that it works, for when I do want to maintain. :) That being said, I would gently, and respectfully, suggest that you get a bit closer to your goal before you start trimming off all your new growth/micro-trimming every month. Having half your original thickness at your last braid bump doesn't sound bad to me at all; mine is probably slightly less than that. I am much taller than you, but it was the same when I was at BSL, which is probably close to your waist length. If your avatar pic is any indication, it looks like you already have a very full, thick hemline. It isn't as thick as the very start of your hair, but that isn't realistic for long hair anyway. ;) I think your original OP is a great idea; get to tailbone before you start maintaining or micro-trimming. Being a petite gal means that you will get there in no time (not that I'm bitter haha :P). From what I've observed, it can be easy to get pre-occupied with getting the perfect hemline, at the expense of getting closer to your length goal. It's all down to personal preference, of course, but I feel that you have all the time in the world to maintain your goal length/a length that's close to it once you get there. I would rather get there first, to prove to myself that I can do it, rather than take a year or more to hit a new milestone, and feel like I'm never going to reach my goal. I'm in the same boat as you; I never used dye or much heat, but I use to handle my hair very roughly, always wore it down, blow dried it on high for 5 minutes after every wash. My ends definitely aren't perfect, but 10 months of gentle handling, oiling, no heat and protective styling have helped a lot. You don't have to have 100% damage free ends in order to continue growing. Again, if your avatar pic is any indication, it looks like your ends have forgiven you and are cool with you going longer, haha. Your hair is lovely, and it will look lovely no matter what you chose, fellow blondie. :)

edit: I just read your post about trimming 1/2 an inch to a full inch every three months. That's a lot of growth to trim off. Totally up to you and whatever you are most comfortable with, but if your goal is to get past waist, trimming that much will keep you there for an inordinate amount of time. Unless you have very fragile or very damaged hair, that much trimming doesn't seem necessary, especially for someone with relatively strong, well cared for hair.

Anje
September 9th, 2014, 09:39 AM
It took several years, but I've grown out quite a lot of taper by maintaining at tailbone. My buns have easily gained an inch in diameter while keeping my hair the same length, and I can comfortably use things like large Ficcares that were formerly too big and heavy for my puny bun. It does take time, trims, and commitment, though. For me, that was several years, and I still need to accept that my hair is not as thick at TB as I wish it would become. It may be that it'll thicken more there as I grow past that point, but it may also be that I've been maintaining my length a couple inches north of terminal. Time will tell.......

Larki
September 9th, 2014, 10:06 AM
Thank you for all the suggestions! I would feel ridiculous asking for anything less than half an inch at a time, and I think keeping an inch of growth from every three months would be fine (I'm assuming my hair grows at the average rate of 1/2 inch per month). I'd really prefer to let my hair grow long sloooowly, and keep it looking nice, than allow it to grow willy-nilly and then be unhappy with the hemline. I have patience. :p

dogzdinner
September 9th, 2014, 03:14 PM
If thats you in your avatar pic then I think your hemline looks great!
I took a half and half approach to mine. I have a tapering hemline coz its growing out from a short crop. I just waited til the worst of the stragglers were below waist then chopped them off so it tidied things up abit, then I might do the same at TBL. That way it wont involve too much loss of length at once.

veryhairyfairy
September 10th, 2014, 08:34 AM
I love the idea of 1/2" every 3-4 months because it's easier to tell the person cutting for you, and you still get to grow quite a bit.
I would maybe try to space it out just a little bit more than every three months so that you get a bit more growth, and to account for accidental over-trimming (my mom used to trim for me and always cut just a tiny bit more than the amount I requested to even things up).

Looking at your hair, as others have said it really isn't bad at all! If there was bad damage and tangles I'd go with a more frequent trim schedule, but there's no need to be super trim happy if you want to grow past waist, and you can always step up the trim schedule when you get to a new milestone like hip. :)

Agnes Hannah
September 19th, 2014, 09:51 AM
I also have taper and am facing the same issues as you Larki. At present I'm at Can I call this waist,http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4/agneshannahtaylor/4d1636a4-df61-44af-955e-432a4f1bb45b_zps8689951d.jpg (http://s36.photobucket.com/user/agneshannahtaylor/media/4d1636a4-df61-44af-955e-432a4f1bb45b_zps8689951d.jpg.html)
My plan is to microtrim and keep growing as I want to get to hip as my next goal. Then I want to grow to tailbone. I put it up everyday, and baby my fine ends. They have been damaged by hairdye and hairfrying from my pre LHC days, but I want to keep as much length as possible and every mm is vital. My hair has never been this long before, and is very fine, however, I have very few if any splits, and I believe that it will grow longer.

ladonna
September 19th, 2014, 10:00 AM
My dd10 hair used to get a serious taper, puberty is changing her hair to thicker and more coarse) I cut her tbl hair to hip and she's maintaining there until the bulk of her hair grows. For awhile she had curls or braid waves to disguise the taper.

ExpectoPatronum
September 19th, 2014, 10:02 AM
Man I hope maintaining will get rid of some of my taper. Mine is ridiculous from my hormone related massive shedding. My hair is a little over 28", and it goes from being about 3.75" in thickness to....half an inch at the very bottom. :( It'll take a long time to get rid of it, but any improvement would be welcomed.

I suppose it's worth noting that maintaining won't work if you don't fix why you have the taper in the first place.

AmyBeth
September 19th, 2014, 11:51 AM
I started growing out when I was just shy of BSL with a very layered V shaped haircut and I grew to TBL with a nice even hemline using regular microtrims along the way. It's the best of both worlds, because you can get length and even the hemline out as you grow. I think it's a little faster than no trimming at all, because the damage is going to spread up through the hairshaft and break the hair before it has the chance to catch up anyway. I would suggest lots of S&D and microtrims. I think you make better progress that way, in terms of both length and health.

Macaroni
September 19th, 2014, 12:13 PM
I'll assume that's you in your avatar so I'd continue growing. It looks thick at the ends and I would only micro-trim if there's any damage.

Panth
September 22nd, 2014, 01:13 AM
Yes, you definitely can grow out taper by maintaining - even at very long lengths. It may take a fair amount of time, but it works. Check out CinnamonHair (http://www.beyondclassiclength.com/).

I was going to write something inspirational about how I've grown out taper despite not maintaining and just storming on until knee. However, I seem to have "grown out" my taper the bad way - by having enough hair loss that the top is now skinny too. Try not to do that one if you can help it. (Protip: avoid grad school. It's bad for the hair. ;) )