Does anyone trim often?

[sunnylove]

My hair has been around shoulder length for more than two years now. I desperately want my long hair back (I lost it due to an eating disorder). I have tried everything- giving up bleach, extending washes, different conditioning treatments and products, buying pure filtered water to wash it with, and it does not get any longer. I know it is growing due to the roots, but the ends are breaking despite being very careful and doing everything 'right.' My hairdresser suggested trimming more often- I think I may take him up on the offer, because what I'm doing is clearly not working. Does anyone else trim often and have good results? I trust my hairdresser, he's not the type to take too much off and he knows I'm trying to grow it out.

[DreamSheep]

Nah, don't trim!! Trimming just takes off more length and is a ploy used by hairdressers to keep regular appointments.

If you have a lot of damage (many split ends, white dots etc) then a trim might be good to remove them, but otherwise, I find that doing S&D (search and destroy, essentially, just cutting the hair that has a split end, and leaving the rest), making sure the tips of the hair are moist and supple, and putting it up in a bun or other protective hairstyle is what helps the most. I see trimming more as a way of taking care of your hemline shape or maintaining a length, rather than a mechanism for removing damage and gaining length. :)

That said, some members prefer to maintain a particular hemline shape whilst growing out (maybe at the cost of a slower growth) and they use microtrimming, following Feye's method. This way, you can monitor exactly how much length you gain each month, and trim off a lower amount accordingly.
I would probably discourage frequent appointments with a hairdresser unless they are a very trusted friend, to ensure they are taking off the exact amount you want off (which may be on the order of milimetres). :)

Anyway, as for me, I trim about once a year (or less frequently if I can get away with it) and get 5-6 inches of growth that year, without the trim. So personally, I'm more of a non-trimming person, but I also like having an undefined hemline.

ETA: I read that you mention you know it is growing due to roots - this would suggest that your hair is chemically treated. I know that an eating disorder can weaken the hair / make it more brittle, as would chemical processing - therefore it is possible that it is simply breaking off. In this case, you may want to assess whether there is a less harsh alternative to the dye process (is it oxidative dye? do you bleach prior? do you do roots often? is it a semipermanent?). Generally, if it involves lightening it is probably going to ruffle the cuticle and make it weaker, which may make it more likely to break off. It may be hard to get that hair to grow longer whilst dying it simultaneously (if it does coincide with the hair grown whilst having the ED) in which case, would growing out your natural colour long/switching to henna/semipermanent dyes/ a less harsh chemical dye be something you'd consider to gain more length?

[mwallingford]

Hello! I wish I could give you a ton of helpful advice, but alas, I'm fairly new to the forum. Have you tried wearing your hair in a bun much? Daily wear and tear on hair is a fairly common problem. Maybe a leave in conditioner/oil to help nourish the hair and protect it from water when washing? Not that trimming more often is wrong, but if you can avoid it I would or else you will just be maintaining a length. Best wishes! :flower:

[mwallingford]

Never mind, Dreamsheep did a much better job explaining it!

[luxurioushair]

Before you start trimming often, try to maintain your ends for longer by applying a good oil to them. Otherwise they'll always be dry and damaged and then yes, you'll have to trim them all the time.

[DreamSheep]

Never mind, Dreamsheep did a much better job explaining it!

I think you did a great job :)

The conditioner/oil point is a good one too! Especially on chemically treated hair, the hair can sometimes be protein deficient, but also dry. I admit I know a bit less on protein front (using a protein mask can fill in those bits but cannot really offer specific advice), but with regards to dryness which does lead to split ends, what was really a gamechanger for me was to do either:

A) Rinse-out oil method - there's a whole thread started by lapushka. It involves applying some baby oil to your length after shampooing and before conditioner, meaning you keep the right amount to seal in the moisture, without getting a greasy look

or

B) Applying a bit of oil to your tips when your hair is damp after washing. The oil basically seals the hair, and if there is moisture sealed on the inside (important to do on damp and not already dry hair!), it makes it more supple and less likely to split.

Finally, I don't know if you do this already or not, but I would advise against using shampoo on the entire length as that can also dry out the ends :)

HTH!

[sunnylove]

Thanks dream sheep! My ends are bleached, I've been growing out the roots. I know bleached hair breaks much more easily. I wish I could only trim once or twice a year, but my hair needs it way more often due to splits. I just had to get a good trim because after 6 months the ends looked awful.

[sunnylove]

I'm always hesitant on using excess oils in my hair- I have fine, oily hair. I would be willing to try some baby oil on the ends, but every time I've tried an oil treatment it ends up greasy and awful.

[Arctic]

How's your eating right now? It's imperative to hair's health that you get enough energy and nutrients. It can take two years for the hair to recover.

[JadedByEntropy]

if you want to see growth, you can chop back to a healthier place in your hair timeline and definitely see progress as the ends grow down. Essentially you'd start over at a short style and be able to watch the healthier hairs progress. If you want to keep your length and dont mind waiting on the breakage to leave, don't worry about trimming so much. Let it grow as much as it can.
Ive gone through EDs myself and it is really hard to quit them. The best hair growing method is to feed yourself well and nourish the insides. :D <3

[sunnylove]

I've been recovered since 2012, but I'm also pregnant for the second time in three years, so my body has been through a lot. My growth is nice and healthy, it's my ends that are the problem. I've considered a big chop- I'm terrified of short hair because of my round face! But it's something I go back and forth on. I may try the micro trimming method on my bleached ends and see if that helps at all.

[DreamSheep]

Thanks dream sheep! My ends are bleached, I've been growing out the roots. I know bleached hair breaks much more easily. I wish I could only trim once or twice a year, but my hair needs it way more often due to splits. I just had to get a good trim because after 6 months the ends looked awful.

In that case a trim might work better in this case if there is more damage :) But I would only do it until the damaged bits are trimmed out (or you could go short - I noticed your comment in the shorthaired ladies thread so maybe it could be an experiment if you were willing to try? That said, if you prefer keeping longer hair out of preference or commodity, trimming it gradually may be easier :) )

If you find your hair gets oily easily, you could try to see if the natural oils spread to the ends of your hair. Otherwise, the tiniest drop of oil, spread over both hands and applied only to the tips could help with providing equal coverage with low oiliness.

[sunnylove]

Thank you again, dreamsheep! You've been very helpful!

[Arctic]

Good to hear you are on the mend! I personally do trim often, and I like how my ends always stay really nice this way. Of course, how ever little I try to trim, it is always away from my length gains, but for me that's ok.

If you are at shoulder length, and wear your hair down a lot, putting it up might help. I have always found that the rubbing against shoulders is quite taxing to my ends.

Then in general just gentle care; most damage happen with normal everyday life. If you can find the old article section from Internet Archives website (a link should be at the current article section, which is quite empty ATM), there are several fantastic articles about gentle handling.

[DreamSheep]

Thank you again, dreamsheep! You've been very helpful!

You're very welcome! <3

[TR]

It's a myth that round faces can't look nice with short cuts, you just have to be very careful in researching the styles that are possible for the length you would end up at if you cut off all your damage at once. All bobs are not created equal, lol. I'm not advocating cutting off all the damage in one go of course, just pointing out that it is entirely possible to have a flattering shorter cut regardless of your face shape. Gentle care and protective styles could help you a lot. Maybe give them a try before cutting even more? You seem to prefer the length, and if your damaged ends are tucked away in protective hairstyles maybe they won't bother you as much. If you try that for a month or two with zero trims and see no change in length or if the ends actually get worse, you can always cut it then.

[Kwantslonghair]

I use Argon oil. It takes very very little on ends. It soaks into the hair...I don't feel it after a couple hours

[lapushka]

A) Rinse-out oil method - there's a whole thread started by lapushka. It involves applying some baby oil to your length after shampooing and before conditioner, meaning you keep the right amount to seal in the moisture, without getting a greasy look

The link to that is in my signature!

Definitely come up with a method to "pamper" the ends. Put a serum/oil on damp ends after washing - and that should help you a great deal already.

[spidermom]

When I first started growing out my hair, my stylist had me come in about every 8 weeks for a trim, and my hair grew longer. If your stylist is supportive of your goals, it is completely false that frequent trimming won't allow you to grow out your hair. Since you have damage on the ends, I think your stylist may be correct.

However, once the condition of your hair improves, you can go much longer between trims.

[meteor]

Sunnylove, there are a few aspects to this, so I'll try to address them separately:

1) The eating disorder and pregnancy - make sure your diet is very nutritious now. :flower: Pregnant women require more iron (in many countries doctors automatically prescribe multivitamin with iron if you are pregnant), and limited diets often hit ferritin (iron store) and B-12 and B-6 levels very hard. Anemia and malnutrition very often result in hair that either thins out or breaks off. Make sure the doctor knows about your ED, check your iron levels when you do your bloodwork and if needed, supplement.

2) The bleach damage - you can't undo it, but you can help patch-repair it temporarily with penetrating oils (e.g. coconut), ceramides and hydrolyzed protein treatments (e.g. Aphogee 2-Step, Joico K-Pak Reconstruct, gelatin masks).

3) The trims - I completely agree with DreamSheep, they are just for cleaning up the hemline or maintaining/reducing length. Do not expect trimming to help grow out hair. Instead, focus on preventing breakage, split ends, white dots... I really recommend hydrolyzed protein and oil treatments (try pre-poo oiling, oil rinses, adding oil to conditioner, sealing with oil and LOC) for damaged hair. Porous, damaged hair loves penetrating oils to increase hydrophobic nature and elasticity of hair and reduce its porosity temporarily.

4) General haircare advice (more important for compromised hair):
- no heat styling (check beautyklove on YouTube for heatless curls/waves);
- sleeping on silk/satin (pillowcases, bonnets, scarves);
- put hair up in low-manipulation protective styles as much as possible;
- contain hair at night (braids, buns, wraps);
- do not brush damaged hair; detangle gently with fingers and/or wide-tooth combs;
- do not over-wash, do not over-groom; diluted shampoo is usually enough;
- condition intensely and oil hair when it looks/feel dry-ish;
- no rough towel-drying or twisting of hair, gently squeeze out water;
- cover hair with hats/scarves when it's windy and/or sunny outside...

Great article by Nightshade that I want to recommend:
Damaged Hair: Understanding, Preventing & Rehabilitating: http://web.archive.org/web/20120125071723/http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=79

Best of luck to you, Sunnylove! It may seem daunting at first because there are lots of factors all playing at once, but I promise you it will get so much better, and your hair will thank you for all the TLC! :smooch:
Happy growing! :cheer: