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Aestuo
September 17th, 2014, 06:20 AM
Hey there.

So, at both of my last haircuts at the salon I frequent, the stylist thinned my ends out in a v cut style - from BSL to tailbone. Long story short, my hair looks ridiculously thin when it's down and I hate looking at it, but I really am terrified of the idea of losing 4 years worth of progress by cutting to BSL!

I'm wondering, what on earth should I do? I don't like it, but I don't want to lose it.

Zesty
September 17th, 2014, 06:35 AM
You could do small trims to maintain at TBL and gradually thicken up your ends. That way you don't have to lose length, you just don't grow longer, or you don't grow very quickly. For example, if your hair grows the average .5"/mo, then you could cut 1" every two months, effectively keeping you at tailbone. Or if you want to keep growing longer, you could cut off just half your growth. Several LHCers have had great luck with this.

hannabiss
September 17th, 2014, 06:37 AM
I second the microtrim idea.

Aestuo
September 17th, 2014, 06:46 AM
Microtrim sounds like a good idea, but I don't have any professional scissors to do that with - and I'm not sure I trust myself to cut it (having nightmares of the time I cut my hair as a kid and left a huge chunk missing from my fringe! That was awkward).

What's the best way to procure a pair of hair scissors without breaking the bank? I'd just leave it, but I can't stand looking at it in the mirror. Makes me want to cry since I'm oddly attached to my hair...

Zesty
September 17th, 2014, 06:51 AM
Microtrim sounds like a good idea, but I don't have any professional scissors to do that with - and I'm not sure I trust myself to cut it (having nightmares of the time I cut my hair as a kid and left a huge chunk missing from my fringe! That was awkward).

What's the best way to procure a pair of hair scissors without breaking the bank? I'd just leave it, but I can't stand looking at it in the mirror. Makes me want to cry since I'm oddly attached to my hair...
I bought these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000WI0640/ They've been perfectly adequate.

It's not that difficult to cut your own hair, and if you're cutting so little then there's even less of a chance you'll "ruin" your hair. I was nervous about that too. Look up Feye's self-trim method (not sure off the top of my head where to find it, maybe someone else can direct you if you have trouble). If you think you won't get it straight, consider buying a creaclip, they're not that expensive I don't think.

Aestuo
September 17th, 2014, 06:55 AM
Feye's method looks pretty good (just found it on Live Journal). I think it's more I'm worried about cutting in split ends now; is that a fairly common thing?

Those are nice scissors! I wonder if I can get them on the UK amazon site...

Zesty
September 17th, 2014, 07:02 AM
Feye's method looks pretty good (just found it on Live Journal). I think it's more I'm worried about cutting in split ends now; is that a fairly common thing?

Those are nice scissors! I wonder if I can get them on the UK amazon site...

You mean causing split ends with your scissors? That happens if your scissors aren't sharp enough. If you'd like to check, you could take a shed hair and cut it with the scissors you're planning on using, then hold the cut end up to the light and see if it looks like it ends in a white dot. If so, you might want to either switch or sharpen your scissors. Otherwise I'd imagine you'd be fine. Not sure about how common it is, but I've only personally heard of it when people are being paranoid (understandably so).

If you can't find those specific scissors, just look for hair scissors with good reviews in your price range. Or if you have a beauty supply store you could check there, but in my experience those are more expensive.

(I had noticed you're in Scotland, so I probably should have included the caveat that I can only speak to my experience here in the US. I hope this information helps you anyway, even if we are in different countries. :flower:)

Aestuo
September 17th, 2014, 07:04 AM
(I had noticed you're in Scotland, so I probably should have included the caveat that I can only speak to my experience here in the US. I hope this information helps you anyway, even if we are in different countries. :flower:)

Oh no, you've been very helpful! Thank you so much. : )

I guess my problem now, at the end of it all, is - can I stand keeping it like this for a few years while it grows out? I'm a big fan of thick hair, and it's devastating to see my hand through half of my hair. What do you think, should I just grin and bear it?

Zesty
September 17th, 2014, 07:15 AM
Oh no, you've been very helpful! Thank you so much. : )

I guess my problem now, at the end of it all, is - can I stand keeping it like this for a few years while it grows out? I'm a big fan of thick hair, and it's devastating to see my hand through half of my hair. What do you think, should I just grin and bear it?

It depends on you and what you're comfortable with, but it sounds to me like you'd be more distressed cutting back to BSL, so I would advise waiting for it to grow out. It takes a lot of patience, but at least you'll keep your length. Just put it up and forget about it until you've gotten the thin parts out would be my advice.

Aestuo
September 17th, 2014, 07:17 AM
Thanks a lot, Zesty. C: Yeah, the last time it was BSL was at my prom 4 years ago, eek. I was still growing layers out back then, wow... I COULD get away with cutting it to waist length (just looking at a picture from last week's cut), but there'd still be some thin ends and I'd probably still be distressed, so it's probably better to try and maintain around tailbone length.

... Right, time to try and source some left handed styling scissors! Thanks again.

Nebulae
September 17th, 2014, 07:19 AM
I bought these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000WI0640/ They've been perfectly adequate.

I've got these too, I think they're great. :) I was able to get them and I'm in Sweden, so you should have no problem finding them. I did order online though, but can't remember from where.. at least they didn't charge me a bunch of fees and taxes!

I would also recommend microtrimming or maintaining, if you're not ready to cut off all the thin parts yet.

Phexlyn
September 17th, 2014, 07:26 AM
Aestuo, if you microtrim, your V will slowly turn into a U shape and then into a blunt hemline. It will take a while, but you won't lose length (and probably not gain much, depending on how much you trim). If you could stand waist length, you could also ask a stylist to cut it back there but NOT touching the bits above waist. This gives you more fullness faster than microtrimming, but you'd have to sacrifice the length.

Don't worry too much about the scissors, just make sure that you don't ever use them on anything but your hair! And yes, putting it up and trying to forget about it helps not to get too scissor-happy.

Aestuo
September 17th, 2014, 07:26 AM
Thanks for the input Nebulae!

I'll give you an example of how the hair looks. In this picture it's not too bad near BSL, but you can definitely see it at waist length - I've ringed it in red to make it all the more obvious.

http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2014/260/5/d/untitled_by_samatsu-d7zi1wu.jpg

So, in reality - it looks okay? But when I'm examining it or glancing in the mirror, it goes all the way up to BSL.

Zesty
September 17th, 2014, 07:36 AM
Aestuo, your hair looks quite thick to me, from the picture!

Madora
September 17th, 2014, 07:42 AM
Aestuo, your hair looks fine. While you're growing out, you might want to do weekly S and Ding (Search and Destroying) with sharp shears. If you find any split ends or white dots, just snip them off and you're protecting your hair in the best possible way. Damage of any sort is the enemy of growing longer, so if you can head it off at the pass, you're ahead of the game.

Happy growing!

Aestuo
September 17th, 2014, 07:42 AM
Phexlyn - That's sound advice! I'm tempted to do it because the ends are especially thin compared to the rest, and it makes me really sad. But I wonder how long it'll take to grow back... probably a year or so?

Zesty - Thank you! I love having thick hair (lots of fine little strands for me!), but the straggly nature of the lower half really pulls me down. However, I have been told it's not really noticable to everyone else, so maybe it's a perfectionist thing?

Chromis
September 17th, 2014, 07:59 AM
Cutting with good hair scissors is a snap, I promise! It's really easy at your length and it didn't get fussy again until my hair was longer than my arms. (It still isn't "hard" but I have to be very careful sliding the scruncii down my length to make sure the ends are straight.)

The biggest trick is to not use those hair scissors for anything else! Ever! I bought the nicest pair of scissors in the shop I was in and really, compared to the cost of even just getting trims at a basic salon, they paid for themselves quite fast! (Plus I could never find a hairdresser that didn't want to put in layers or feathering or do that thinning thing...and they always took off more than I requested. I've heard good stylists exist, I just never found one before I got fed up and started doing it myself.)

I did find this pair of lefty scissors from a Scottish retailer, they are a bit dear, but again, think of it in relation to the cost of your normal cuts: http://www.sallyexpress.com/roseline-left-handed-scissors-55inch/

Nebulae
September 17th, 2014, 08:09 AM
Oh, that was not how I thought your hair would look like from your description! We are our own worst critics. :flower: It looks thick, with a bit of layering at the bottom. It's slow but clear progress, and it doesn't look bad to begin with, so if you feel like you're up for it, microtrimming/maintaining seems perfect for you!

sarahthegemini
September 17th, 2014, 08:14 AM
As others have mentioned, micro-trim! I went 8-9 months without trims (which really isn't long at all) and my entire growth had to be cut off (well didn't have too but I chose) because mavens were so straggly looking. I am micro trimming every 3 months and so far, no straggly ends :)

Aestuo
September 17th, 2014, 08:15 AM
Thanks again, guys!! You're really bolstering my confidence here - I thought it looked terrible! : )

Nebulae, that's a thinning razor she's used along the hair so that's why it looks layered. Personally, I can't stand it but I'm glad it doesn't look too bad! If I can hold out until October I'll see if I want to get it cut to waist length.

Wow, thanks Chromis! They aren't THAT expensive at all! I'm going to try and hold off to pay day - hopefully all the overtime I'm doing will allow for those! Such a great find, hopefully they work! Heck, I even have a Sally's in my town centre so that's even better.

Madora, thank you very much for the compliment. : ) I'll give S & D a shot when I can get ahold of some sharp lefty scissors - until then, looks like I'll need to use the right handed pair and get someone to help me under strict supervision.

Guys, this board is so great. I'm glad I finally joined up after watching it for a while, you're all the best :)

Zesty
September 17th, 2014, 08:37 AM
Guys, this board is so great. I'm glad I finally joined up after watching it for a while, you're all the best :)
Welcome, and we're happy to have you! Happy growing! :)

Chromis
September 17th, 2014, 08:42 AM
Happy to help!

In the meantime, I don't think the ends look thin, but I certainly understand perfectionism *glares at own ends*

Keeping it up more will help keep it in the best condition and keep the pesky ends out of sight. (Plus then you have the fun of learning new updos and playing with pointy sticks, yeah!) Microtrimming works great for slowly thickening the ends back up and you might even land up with thicker ends than before in a year or two!

Rosetta
September 17th, 2014, 09:00 AM
I was going to say "just cut them", that's what I do, but then I saw the photo, and yours don't look thin at all! :)

(I just cut about 6 cm of ends last month after a Colour B4 type treatment, it's so strongly clarifying that after it I could see so clearly how thin the ends were... mostly due to multiple chemical dyes on them. So there was no way but to cut :D)

spidermom
September 17th, 2014, 09:12 AM
Your hair looks perfect in the picture, but if you want the bottom to be thicker, then I agree with doing small trims. A little can make a big difference. I had a V-cut at waist this year. I trimmed the bottom once (between 1-2 inches), and now I have a U-cut at hip. (waist and hip are not far apart on me)

Here's my trimming method; it's easy!
1) Part back of hair straight down the middle and bring half the hair to the front of each shoulder. If you part your hair the same way all the time, leave that part at the top. If you don't, you can part the top straight down the middle, too. (that's what I do)
2) Comb each side smoothly forward and combine into a single ponytail right under your chin. Check with a hand mirror to be sure that each side comes smoothly and evenly forward. If there's a scrunched up area, take out the ponytail and do it over again. The hair must come evenly forward on each side. It will cover the ears on each side. (I threw that in because someone asked me about ears in the past.)
3) Comb the ponytail straight down and close a book over it. Keep the book level and slide it towards the ends until you're at the point you want to trim off. Cut off the hair straight across, using the bottom of the book as your straight edge.

So easy; such reliable results!

Gertrude
September 17th, 2014, 11:47 AM
Perfectionism (-; definitely. Your thinned ends are way, way thicker than my hair. You have amazing hair.

I got my left handed styling scissors from Anything Lefthanded .co.uk as many left handed scissors aren't truly left handed. As in with the blades completely reversed. They're not cheap but I have found them to be excellent quality. http://www.anythinglefthanded.co.uk/acatalog/hair_cutting_scissors.html

ghost
September 17th, 2014, 12:39 PM
Your hair looks really good to me! I can't even really tell where the shorter bits are. S&D and microtrims will make a difference in no time :)

spidermom
September 17th, 2014, 12:48 PM
P.S: I don't see a V cut.

Aestuo
September 17th, 2014, 12:51 PM
You guys are so nice! : O I'm really flattered, thank you! I'm definitely taking all this advice on board and I'm going to S&D and Microtrim when I can! Thanks, guys!

spider-mom - it's a thinned v cut, if that makes sense? She thinned all the way down the edges from BSL to tailbone. So it's hard to see unless I hang my head sideways. But I'm glad it's not noticable to you guys at all!