Nearing hip, but my ends....to trim or not to trim?

[Larki]

I just checked my length, and I'm getting close to hip! But I'm dismayed by the state of my ends, the last few inches are getting raggedy and thin. I really don't like the look of them, and I certainly don't want to let them get worse. I was already planning on a half inch trim in November, but now I'm thinking I should take off an inch or an inch and a half, to knock out the worst of the damage - and it is damage. I wasn't kind to my hair before I found LHC. What do you guys think? (sorry about the funky color)

http://i58.tinypic.com/2cnw0si.jpg http://i58.tinypic.com/2v9ra00.jpg

[Rushli]

If it was me, it would come down to making sure I kept it long enough that I can still wear my hair up. How far up does the damage go? Is it just a little bit or do you have a lot of growing to do?

[skaempfer]

First, I don't think your ends look soooo bad. You say you think they look scraggly and that's why you're thinking of trimming, but if you're in doubt, you could always try the old 'clarify and deep condi' trick first. If you still hate them and can't wait till November (you say they are splitty so it may even be wise not to- you don't want the damage to travel up) then why start with an inch and a half? You can't glue it back on if it turns out a half inch would have been enough :lol:

Or, let me put it this way; if you're thinking of trimming more, trim .5" now and then .5" in November- then you get to enjoy fresh ends twice!

All that said, I think your hair looks gorgeous. As is.

[divinedobbie]

You might be surprised at how much of a difference 0.5" will make. Your ends don't look in desperate need of a trim so I'd be cautious with the scissors and go a little bit at a time.

[Dreams_in_Pink]

Do you have splits? If not, i'll second those who tell you to be cautious with scissors. Maybe just take off .5 and see how it looks?

[Nymphea]

If it were me, I would probably trim all the length that gets on my nerves - either because it is damaged or thin or anything, but that's just me. The only thing that makes me sad about my hair more than loosing my length is having the length which looks how I don't imagine it should look.

But your ends are not as scraggly as you described them! I second - 0.5 inch trim can make a huge, huge difference. Try going 0.5 inches at a time. Trim 0.5 inches and if it works for you, leave it like that and keep growing. If you still feel a need for trimming, trim 0.5 inches more and so on.

Good luck and let us know what you've decided! :)

[Sarahlabyrinth]

Your ends look a lot like mine. I am trying to stretch growing until Jan and then do a half inch trim. I certainly don't think you need trim more, and you will be surprised at how good your ends feel afterwards.

[Johannah]

I'd trim if I were you, definitely if it's damage. I'd cut 0.5" and leave it like that. If you still feel your ends aren't the way you want after you washed it, trim another 0.5". And again, if you still think that isn't enough after another wash, trim another 0.5". This way you won't regret your cuts and you got enough time to think about it.

[LadyCelestina]

I think your ends look good,your hair is fine so I'd expect the ends to look different at longer lengths where the hair starts to taper,more see-through than coarser hair.They don't look scraggly or what.

ETA:Aha,so you say they are damaged,well I'd trim a very small amount off and baby the rest of the damaged hair.

[bunzfan]

I've been in a similar situation for the last few years and even though going longer between cuts and then trimming 2-3 inches made my hair so much better it still splits a bit, last time I went 4 months and it wasn't half as bad so, I'm saying there is light at the end of the tunnel :)

Just a few weeks back after wanting to be rid of the worst of the damaged ends like you I cut just over a half inch even that small amount made a big difference. I think I remember you are like me wanting nice ends but also wanting to grow you could join me and micro trim.

I'd recommend half inch now and every month or every other month trim 1/4 of 0.5 you will still see some length and have nice ends while getting rid of the damage.

[leilani]

Join our microtrimming club and you will find many of us in the same boat, trying to trim out damage to get healthier hemline. Like everyone said, take half an inch every month until you feel good about it and then you don't lose any length. Plus imagine if you take 1.5" off now and in a month or two the ends don't seem much better and so you do it again and every 2-3 months is the same story and you never gain length and the ends only stay nice feeling/looking to your eyes for a few weeks and you are back to Sq 1. Ask me how I know how irritating this is. Ha! My plan, and what might work for you is to take an eighth of an inch off every 3-4 weeks, so you always feel like your hemline feels better from the last recent microtrimming and there's always a new one coming soon, and you can really feel the improvement while also gaining length.

[pwettyfleur]

i agree with all the above, caution with the scissors and baby your new ends like crazy.

[kganihanova]

I'd cut a bit at a time. The only danger with cutting 1-1.5 inches at a time is that those ends May come back anyway. So small cuts make more sense here.

[Madora]

Larki, I'd trim away one inch, now. Then keep an eye on your ends for the next two months, and baby them (a drop or two of mineral oil on the ends once a week). At the end of two months, scrutinize them again. How do they look? If you are satisfied with them, then just continue growing for another two months. Check again, and then perhaps it might be time for a slight trim (length of trim depends on how much damage (or not) shows on the ends).

[lapushka]

I'd leave it alone, and hip? You're already there!

[spidermom]

I agree with trim 1/2 inch about every other month.

[Larki]

I'd trim if I were you, definitely if it's damage. I'd cut 0.5" and leave it like that. If you still feel your ends aren't the way you want after you washed it, trim another 0.5". And again, if you still think that isn't enough after another wash, trim another 0.5". This way you won't regret your cuts and you got enough time to think about it.
I like this plan, thank you! I think I'll do that.

The reason I have to wait until November is that I'm away at college right now, I don't get to go home until two days before Thanksgiving. My mother trims my hair, and there's no way I'm trying Feye's self-trim again - last time I tried that I lost almost three inches trying to make it straight, because it was super uneven for some reason!

I do have a few splits. I'd have more, but I just did a little S&D a week or so ago.

I'd leave it alone, and hip? You're already there!
Really?! You think so? :D I was thinking I had another inch+ to go.

[Monsoonu]

My ends are similar, if I start to think they need a trim I do a few deep conditioning treatments (coconut oil) as see if i still feel the same a week later, If I do, I trim 1/2 inch off and them see how I feel a month later.

This is my hair about a month ago, My hair is normally straight but had been in a bun all day so excuse the waves.

http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn288/Humbel_II/Me/IMG_20140710_223622.jpg (http://s307.photobucket.com/user/Humbel_II/media/Me/IMG_20140710_223622.jpg.html)

[Edelweiss]

I wouldn't trim to be honest.

If you reaaaally mind fairytale ends and want your ends to be absolutely perfect then trim, but I don't see the point if you're not obsessed with perfect ends :)

[lapushka]

Really?! You think so? :D I was thinking I had another inch+ to go.

No, you're definitely there. Hip is where your bones start (at the side, just past waist), not where your *real* hip is.

[LongHairLesbian]

Your hair doesn't look like it's in bad shape at all, Larki. A half inch would probably be enough, considering you had a half inch trim less than three months ago. As a fellow medium blonde that becomes a light blonde towards her ends, I think that the effect of blonde hair that becomes extremely light toward the ends gives the illusion of more thinness than there actually is. Depending on the way the light catches your hair when you take a picture, ends that aren't actually thin or wispy can look like they are. Pigmented hair tends to look more "substantial" than light hair. Regardless, it looks like you are making progress! Which is awesome. :) And makes me slightly jealous, since it's taken me nearly a year to get from can-I-call-this-waist to hip, and that's with no trims, haha. ;)

Edit: I also noticed that you have a bit of a body wave, which can effect how your hemline looks, as it looks like there are pieces that are waving inward. Did you get someone to smooth out your hemline before you took the picture?

[memeow]

Here's another vote for baby steps! I think your hair looks gorgeous and I agree with LongHairLesbian that part of it is just that your ends are lighter. If it were my hair I probably wouldn't trim it at all, but given that it's yours and you're unhappy, I'd say take off the half inch in November and see how you feel, then do another half inch in December if you decide you want more.

I'd also recommend giving Faye's method another shot. Just plan on doing a .25" trim so that if it *does* get out of hand you're not losing too much. It's so liberating to be able to trim your hair whenever you feel it needs trimming!

[Amahaitz]

I have the same question about my ends. I like my hemline to be straight across. I think yours looks beautiful!

http://s785.photobucket.com/user/amahaitz/media/photo1_zpsd09c92f2.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0