A lot of splits and white dots, best solution?

[Estrid]

I know this is a common topic, but I'm wondering how I should deal with this.

My hair did not show any signs of damage till I reached BSL, I knew it would start at some point, so I'm not that surprised. Now my hair will reach waist in a month or two and I am very happy about that, but looking at the splits and dots it would do good with a 10-15 cm "trim" (haha, more like a cut!). I've left my hair to grow without doing much to it for 2 years, a lot of it for 2,5 years due to the fact that the "cut" I did 2 years ago was mainly on one side (to even out an uneven cut). The ends since then has obviously grown at different rate, and the layers I had are so blended in that they don't show. The splits and dots are therefore all over the last ~ 10-15 cm.

I've recently been able to put my hair up without it being uncomfortable, but that won't help with the damage I've already received. I have tried to S&D but it is so many hairs that got splits and dots, and it is so time consuming to separate those from the other hairs to avoid cutting 10 when aiming for one. I try every now and then but since I don't feel like sitting for hours it doesn't seem to make any difference.

Some months ago I thought I should just wait till I reach waist and then trim away all new growth till it is all gone, but that would mean that i spend almost a year at waist. I'm not used to handeling damage, so I'm not sure if it would travel upwards if I wait with cutting it off (?). Would it do fine if I cut off little at a time? (Trying to keep it up most of my awake time in the process?)
Other option I guess would be to chop it all off now, but then I wouldn't be able to put it up comfortably again for about a year, meaning I would wear it down, but then the ends would be even and not "old" like they are now (and no damage).

Any suggestions?

[lapushka]

I grew out a perm from shoulder to hip length, while my hair was half riddled with white dots. Half of my head! And high up the strand too, which would mean a pixie cut. But I was having none of it, and I decided to grow it out. It takes force to get a white dot to break. Some break on their own, but that is no where near the "damage" you can do by S&Ding (meaning: thinning out the hair by cutting them out). So I left them alone until I reached hip. Then my mom had a massive S&D session and my hair was thinned out by half, up to BSL, so I cut back to BSL. Better than a pixie, in any case.

So I would ease up on the S&D and grow some more, and do S&D once a month or so, so you'll have room for growth. Then you can slowly microtrim and get to them that way.

[Mya]

In my experience, small trims (such as 1 cm every 2 months) are the best solution. Just letting damaged ends be will make your hair grow slower because a lot of those ends will break on the way, and you would still have damaged ends after they do. Cutting a big chunk will leave you with the same problem: as hair grows, ends become uneven and get damaged, so you will have to cut even more eventually. S&D is neverending work and kind of an overkill imo: you want your hair to be in an overall good state, you don't want perfection for every single hair, plus it will contribute to the problem of unevenness. Small trims make your ends bulkier (less prone to damage) because ends get evened out, plus let you get rid of damage AND you grow at the same time. It takes time and patience, but one day you will see hair quality you weren't used to see on your ends, it's impressive.

[Wildcat Diva]

Just letting it grow is another option. I don't think on my hair the damage is traveling too far. But it is possible, as hairs get hung up on splits and such, and the theory about blunt ends protecting itself is an engaging idea which may have merit. I have been able to grow mine just fine without micro trimming, plus I don't know how I would do this at this point and end up blunt (it would take a year of micro trimming to end up blunt as I am already fairy tailed. So off I go. We will see if it benefits me at Classic in a couple of years as I am now BCL.

[Estrid]

So, growing to waist and then microtrim every month/every other month (or something) until all is gone is the best solution? I guess I could live with that. I really dislike seeing the damage, but S&D is a bit too much for me, so I guess just leaving it be till I reach it with the microtrims is the way to go.

My 3rd hairiversary will be a boring comparasion to my 2nd (comin up in august), but I suppose it's worth it :)

Thank you both for the answers.

[Estrid]

Just letting it grow is another option. I don't think on my hair the damage is traveling too far. But it is possible, as hairs get hung up on splits and such, and the theory about blunt ends protecting itself is an engaging idea which may have merit. I have been able to grow mine just fine without micro trimming, plus I don't know how I would do this at this point and end up blunt (it would take a year of micro trimming to end up blunt as I am already fairy tailed. So off I go. We will see if it benefits me at Classic in a couple of years as I am now BCL.

I suppose I could leave it be, but I also have those layers that I want to get rid of since they give a lot of taper to my hair (and make my braids look silly)... so maybe it is good to just trim it all away now (or well, starting in a month or two, slowly).

I'm not sure how long it would take for me to have all my layers at the same length, but if I start in july with the trimming I suppose I'd be "done" by spring next year, maybe.


I have a feeling that it would take longer time to ger rid of it all if I waited, maybe the distance of the layered hairs would increase and I would have to get rid of more to get rid of the layers and damage?

I have no idea, I feel very slow when it comes to things like this x)


Would be nice to hear if it worked for you when those years have passed :p

[Horrorpops]

Yes! I am currently dealing with the same kinds of things. I've been good in the last few weeks, I've been trying to do weekly S+D's while I am finding a lot of splits, I've also been doing coconut oil soaks or SMTs once a week. In addition to all this I've been trying to wear my hair up more often as well, because I think that's the main source of damage for me.

Overall I've been doing this for nearly a month and I'm definitely finding less splits now than a few weeks ago! :cheer:

However if you're already contemplating a trim to begin removing layers a few microtrims would be a step on a good direction. :)

[Arctic]

Personally I would trim and refresh the old layers a bit (still keeping them blended in). This would the "the best solution" to me and in my opinion.

[Wildcat Diva]

I suppose I could leave it be, but I also have those layers that I want to get rid of since they give a lot of taper to my hair (and make my braids look silly)... so maybe it is good to just trim it all away now (or well, starting in a month or two, slowly).I'm not sure how long it would take for me to have all my layers at the same length, but if I start in july with the trimming I suppose I'd be "done" by spring next year, maybe.I have a feeling that it would take longer time to ger rid of it all if I waited, maybe the distance of the layered hairs would increase and I would have to get rid of more to get rid of the layers and damage? I have no idea, I feel very slow when it comes to things like this x)Would be nice to hear if it worked for you when those years have passed :pYeah, I hope your scenario works too. But I have been doing it a while, growing with no trims or a minimal one inch in tow years trim. I don't have layers, butnI do have a few splits and white dots. Let me find a comparison pix for you...One moment...

ETA can't get pix to load now, sorry.

[Estrid]

Yes! I am currently dealing with the same kinds of things. I've been good in the last few weeks, I've been trying to do weekly S+D's while I am finding a lot of splits, I've also been doing coconut oil soaks or SMTs once a week. In addition to all this I've been trying to wear my hair up more often as well, because I think that's the main source of damage for me.

Overall I've been doing this for nearly a month and I'm definitely finding less splits now than a few weeks ago! :cheer:

However if you're already contemplating a trim to begin removing layers a few microtrims would be a step on a good direction. :)

I think that wearing my hair down is the main reason my hair is damaged now, since it was uncomfortable to wear it up till recently I avoided it. It often stuck in car seat belts, my bags, jackets etc. And this lint that make these knots... well, done is done.


Personally I would trim and refresh the old layers a bit (still keeping them blended in). This would the "the best solution" to me and in my opinion.

Hmm, I guess that would be one way. The layers are uneven, though, or were (since I no longer see them clearly). If I tried to refresh the layers I would probably end up not cutting the short layers and instead mess with the long layers, not really brave enough to do that.


Yeah, I hope your scenario works too. But I have been doing it a while, growing with no trims or a minimal one inch in tow years trim. I don't have layers, butnI do have a few splits and white dots. Let me find a comparison pix for you...One moment...

ETA can't get pix to load now, sorry.

It's no problem, I think I've seen pics of your hair before and you got really nice hair, no idea what the before picture would be, but yeah :o




I think I will wait till I reach waist until I start, as I said in the beginning, so that I have a place to linger. I won't accidentally end up taking too much and not be able to put my hair up again, and I will slowly get to a point where my ends are mostly collected at the hem. after that it might be easier to trim only once a year and other than that: S&D. Tbh I don't like S&D that much, I'm not sure if it is because I am lazy or because I feel like it doesn't do any good, maybe a bit of both. The ones that are split several times and waaay up the strand, though, those I cut off! :redgrin:

I think I will try to be good at taking pictures every month of the process, might help me stay motivated.

[yogagirl]

Another vote for micro trimming, especially since you said you're finally at a length where you can out your hair up. If you make a big cut now, it will take so long to get back to that point. I am in a similar boat in that I want to make a bigger cut eventually, but my slippery hair really only started staying in buns at waist length, so I don't want to go back to APL or BSL and have to fight with it again every day.

Now that you can comfortably put your hair up, just do that as much as possible, micro trim, and in a few months I bet you will feel better about your ends again. Eventually when most of the damage is gone, you might decide to S&D the remaining damage. Or not and just continue micro trimming.

ETA: oh haha you just posted pretty much the same thing :o

[Estrid]

Haha :p

But yeah, it probably is the best way for me. I really dislike seeing the damage, can't wait till this time next year, then it all should be gone!

[Anje]

Seems to me like a small trim would greatly reduce the number of splits that would need to be S&Ded, so it might not be so overwhelming. Of course you won't get all of them, but even getting some should help. But I can totally understand pushing through because you need the length for putting your hair up to stop the split process. :)

Do you oil your hair? Some people find that it can reduce splitting. A lot of people have found that catnip tea rinses seem to drastically prevent splits. I have never been consistent enough trying that to know if it makes a difference for me, but it sure sounds like a thing to try.

[Estrid]

Sadly my hair is quite uneven, even at the ends, I did do a small trim some months ago which made it a bit better, but most of the splits would not go with a 1 cm trim, not even with an inch trim. They're quite evenly spread through out the last 5 cm of hair and then a bit less over that, but still goin on till ~15 cm. I have not actually measured, but just looking at it I know that this will take some time. I hope I will have most of it gone by christmas so that I can get a neat waist length photo for the waist by christmas thread ^.^

I do not oil my hair more than in the shower (rinse out oil). I have never tried coconut or anything like that, I have used silicone serums (which is really nice, makes my hair look like normal hair). I guess the reason why I haven't tried coconut oil is that is if doesn't work well on my hair I'm stuck with a jar of that and no idea what I should have it for x)

My hair does not normally split easy, I never saw any of it till I reached BSL. I believe the lengthy neglect (constantly wearing it down) and that the last cut was so long ago, and by a kitchen scissor, is the reason. But I guess I could try to oil it.

[Anje]

Consider trying an oil that you already have in the kitchen. Canola oil? Sunflower (my usual cooking oil)? Heck, olive oil is great other than that it's really easy to overdo it and make the hair look over-oiled. It makes my hair feel very soft. :) Silicone serums work for a lot of people, but they never seemed to get along well with my hair, so I can't really say much good about them other than that anything that reduces combing friction is useful.

[spidermom]

I'm a "just cut it off and get it over with" kind of person. Part of the reason is that I need a change relatively often. Maintaining one length would make me crazier than I already am.

In March, I had about 5 inches of length cut off because there were a lot of split ends, plus I'd had a rather epic shed following the death of my father and the longest layers were thinner than I like.

Now my hair is blunter than I like, but I've resolved to leave it alone and grow it to classic length with only S&D occasionally, mostly on what sticks out of a braid and is easy to snip. I'm kind of curious about fairy tale ends since I've had all the other kinds of hems.

[Estrid]

Consider trying an oil that you already have in the kitchen. Canola oil? Sunflower (my usual cooking oil)? Heck, olive oil is great other than that it's really easy to overdo it and make the hair look over-oiled. It makes my hair feel very soft. :) Silicone serums work for a lot of people, but they never seemed to get along well with my hair, so I can't really say much good about them other than that anything that reduces combing friction is useful.

I have argan oil that I bought for my hair some years ago, I don't think it has expired (has to check), else I don't have any cooking oil, I use butter (or whatever you call that in english). I know that I stopped using the argan oil since I didn't really see any difference, but then I didn't use it for that long.

[Estrid]

I'm a "just cut it off and get it over with" kind of person. Part of the reason is that I need a change relatively often. Maintaining one length would make me crazier than I already am.

In March, I had about 5 inches of length cut off because there were a lot of split ends, plus I'd had a rather epic shed following the death of my father and the longest layers were thinner than I like.

Now my hair is blunter than I like, but I've resolved to leave it alone and grow it to classic length with only S&D occasionally, mostly on what sticks out of a braid and is easy to snip. I'm kind of curious about fairy tale ends since I've had all the other kinds of hems.

Sorry about your father and the shed that followed.

I was a person that would chop off all hair as soon as it got to the awkward past-collarbone-length, I did not care about my hair that much. I guess a big fear is that I will fall back if I cut 15 cm off. It would just be such a big difference to what it is now, and then I would not be able to do anything with it for almost a year.

I am also curious on fairy tale ends, I have not had all hemlines but that one seems so different to the others. Will be several years till I am at a point where I can have that, but anyway :o

[Deborah]

If it were me I would trim off a good two inches right now, then see how the hair looks and feels for a little while. If it still showed splits, I would do it again until the ends were all nice, even and healthy. I think hair quality is a very good goal. Gaining the length back is easy; you just live and wait for it to grow.

[kganihanova]

S&D killed most of mine :) but I didn't have too many

[Jumper]

I understand. I have a ton of white dots and a ton of splits high up both from old layers and just general damage. Way too many to s&d.

I've done one microtrim myself and enjoyed the way my ends felt after that.

I do think there are two ways to go about this. Either big chop or just leave it (microtrim if you want). I do think using silicone serums helps to smooth the hair strand and protect my hair on a regular basis. On top of using a heavy leave in conditioner.

I get tempted from time to time to do a big chop but I resist. I could understand someone doing that though. I don't know that my situation will get much better than it is now because it's starting to hurt to wear my hair up, my braid takes some damage as it rubs anyway, and for the first time in my life I enjoy wearing it down. And I decided to point of this is to enjoy it, so in spite of some damage I wear it down quite a bit more than I used to.

[meteor]

This stuff is very individual and depends on things like personal aesthetic preferences and personal goal lengths... I think would go for microtrimming/dusting or a multi-phase microtrimming/dusting schedule (e.g. quarter of an inch every couple months or something like that, until it looks good to you).
I think I'd go for this rather than S&D because you mention that your ends grew out unevenly anyway (so might as well correct the hemline while taking care of splits - two birds with one stone ;) ), also you mention that there are lots and lots of split ends (S&D can emphasize unevenness because the snipping is done at different lengths) and you mention that you used kitchen scissors for your cut.

Just a heads up, really dull scissors can cause rough edges that can develop split ends faster, so using really sharp scissors (used only on hair) is important. :flower:

I think one can grow out hair with splits, white dots, etc... but they can seriously complicate detangling process (cause grabbiness and even knotting at the ends), so if splits are really numerous, it's a good idea to get rid of them and rethink the hair care to minimize their formation. For example:
- wearing hair up almost every day,
- keeping it contained in silky smooth materials (bonnets/scarves...) while sleeping,
- covering hair with hats/scarves/buffs when it's sunny/windy,
- using oils, cones and other slip agents while detangling,
- very smooth detangling tools without very dense tines (seamless wide tooth combs/rakes, for example), you can check for seams by running nylon pantyhose along the edges.


Sadly my hair is quite uneven, even at the ends, I did do a small trim some months ago which made it a bit better, but most of the splits would not go with a 1 cm trim, not even with an inch trim. They're quite evenly spread through out the last 5 cm of hair and then a bit less over that, but still goin on till ~15 cm. I have not actually measured, but just looking at it I know that this will take some time. I hope I will have most of it gone by christmas so that I can get a neat waist length photo for the waist by christmas thread ^.^

I do not oil my hair more than in the shower (rinse out oil). I have never tried coconut or anything like that, I have used silicone serums (which is really nice, makes my hair look like normal hair). I guess the reason why I haven't tried coconut oil is that is if doesn't work well on my hair I'm stuck with a jar of that and no idea what I should have it for x)

My hair does not normally split easy, I never saw any of it till I reached BSL. I believe the lengthy neglect (constantly wearing it down) and that the last cut was so long ago, and by a kitchen scissor, is the reason. But I guess I could try to oil it.

If coconut oil doesn't work, no problem, there are many other oils worth trying. ;) Specifically for preventing split ends and increasing combability, I'd recommend mineral oil, for example. Silicones can be protective and helpful for slip as well.
I think oiling just the braid tassel every other night or before bunning hair for the day can do wonders for preventing splits in the long run. ;)

Here is an interesting study that might be of help:
Brazilian oils and butters: the effect of different fatty acid chain composition on human hair physiochemical properties - http://journal.scconline.org/pdf/cc2009/cc060n02/p00273-p00280.pdf (or summary: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19450426)

SPLITS:

Treatments using oils reduced the formation of split ends in the hair compared to reference. Tresses treated with Brazilian nut and mineral oils gave the lowest formation of split ends which was around 4 split ends per gram of hair.

COMBING:

Oil treatments rendered about a 60% reduction of combing force at wet conditions. The reduction of combing forces is a combination of water wetting and the lubricant effects of the oil on the fibers. Butters, however, increased the combing force giving negative values for the reduction of combing force percentage. As expected, butters in raw state are not as fluid as oils and do not spread easily along hair tresses. The Brazilian nut, passion fruit seed, palm olein, buriti and mineral oils (control) produced a combing force reduction statistically different from the reference (hair tress before treatment).


Indry condition combing analysis, the reduction of combing force percentage is around 19% and statistically different after treatments with Brazilian nut, passion fruit seed and mineral oil. Once again,butters rendered negative values of reduction of combing force percentage. This results point that the lubricating effect of oils is less pronounced to dry tresses.

[Estrid]

Thank you all for the answers, thet sure help me think ;)

And meteor, thank you for the long informative post! I've spent money on a good scissor, the kitchen scissor was what touched my hair 2 years ago, but hasn't touch it since.

I think I will try to leave the splits alone, and have them go away by the trimming, will take time before I am split free, but I think it might be best.

Keeping it up most of the time? I will sure try, now that I actually can put it up without it hurting or falling down after 5 minutes!
Protecting it with silky materials while sleeping and covering it when it needs to be (or when I feel like I want to)? I am actually looking at a silk scarf that I've been planning on buying for months, might as well do it now. I have a bonnet but that thing just falls off all the time xD
Smooth detangling tools? I have a wide tooth comb from the body shop, not sure if it is smooth enough, but I like it more than everything else I've tried.
Oils? well, I do have mineral oil that I use as rinse out oil, but I suppose I could put some in my hair when it is dry as well. Might as well use that instead of buying coconut oil. (no idea why I forgot that that was an oil as well, I mean, I even mentioned it before, that I did rinse out oil x) )


Thanks again :o

[meteor]

I think I will try to leave the splits alone, and have them go away by the trimming, will take time before I am split free, but I think it might be best.

Keeping it up most of the time? I will sure try, now that I actually can put it up without it hurting or falling down after 5 minutes!
Protecting it with silky materials while sleeping and covering it when it needs to be (or when I feel like I want to)? I am actually looking at a silk scarf that I've been planning on buying for months, might as well do it now. I have a bonnet but that thing just falls off all the time xD
Smooth detangling tools? I have a wide tooth comb from the body shop, not sure if it is smooth enough, but I like it more than everything else I've tried.
Oils? well, I do have mineral oil that I use as rinse out oil, but I suppose I could put some in my hair when it is dry as well. Might as well use that instead of buying coconut oil.

Sounds like an awesome plan, Estrid! :thumbsup: This should make a difference in reducing split end formation. :pray:
And about that Body Shop wooden comb, I think it's perfectly fine (it's seamless and teeth aren't densely spaced). ;) (I use it, too, by the way)

[Estrid]

Sounds like an awesome plan, Estrid! :thumbsup: This should make a difference in reducing split end formation. :pray:
And about that Body Shop wooden comb, I think it's perfectly fine (it's seamless and teeth aren't densely spaced). ;) (I use it, too, by the way)

Alright, great ^_^ Question: do you ever oil that comb? I have not done it, but I've thought about it a few times when oiling my wooden hair toys.

[meteor]

Alright, great ^_^ Question: do you ever oil that comb? I have not done it, but I've thought about it a few times when oiling my wooden hair toys.

Personally, I don't oil it, but when I lightly oil my hair, I pass my comb over it, so it probably gets tiny amounts of oil. I've had it for around 5 years now, and it's darker in color (as always happens with wood when it absorbs oils). I don't know if regularly oiling wood is all that critical, but keeping it away from water and high humidity conditions (e.g. steamy showers) is definitely important. ;)

Oh, and another thing I forgot to mention about split ends. If you aren't planning on S&Ding/trimming them soon, but they still bother you, there is this PEC complex technology that might temporarily help: it works by a combination of positive and negative charges within a single complex having an ability to stick to damaged sections of hairs and to itself.
Look for combo of PVM/MA copolymer (a negatively charged ion) and Polyquaternium-28 (a positively charged ion) on the ingredients lists. Some examples are Tresemme Split End Remedy, Nexxus Pro-Mend, Joico K-Pak Reconstruct Split End Mender, etc...

I have no personal experience with this, so I can't judge the effectiveness, but I'd recommend reading up on this if split ends bother you, but trims have to wait.

Here is the full study on the technology:
Semi-permanent split end mending with a polyelectrolyte complex - http://journal.scconline.org/pdf/cc2007/cc058n04/p00451-p00476.pdf
And a short overview: http://thebeautybrains.com/2012/02/hair-repair-new-technology-really-works/

[Estrid]

Alright ;)

Sounds interesting with the products for split ends, not sure if I will try any of them but I might.

[Estrid]

I think I've changed my mind, I will cut off about 8 cm now and try to do a big s&d session, it's so depressing to see all the splits so I just feel like I have to do *something*.

[Moonfall]

In my experience, small trims (such as 1 cm every 2 months) are the best solution. Just letting damaged ends be will make your hair grow slower because a lot of those ends will break on the way, and you would still have damaged ends after they do. Cutting a big chunk will leave you with the same problem: as hair grows, ends become uneven and get damaged, so you will have to cut even more eventually. S&D is neverending work and kind of an overkill imo: you want your hair to be in an overall good state, you don't want perfection for every single hair, plus it will contribute to the problem of unevenness. Small trims make your ends bulkier (less prone to damage) because ends get evened out, plus let you get rid of damage AND you grow at the same time. It takes time and patience, but one day you will see hair quality you weren't used to see on your ends, it's impressive.

I've been wondering if I should quit S&Ding. I have been doing it for about four years now. I'm quite patient and I find it kind of relaxing, so I sometimes spend hours on it and I do notice my hair feels better (softer, probably healthier) after a long session. I have also noticed the individual hairs are in better shape than before I began to S&D. I wonder if it is what has made my hemline messy, though. I would love to have a blunt hemline and I used to have this until I reached BSL. After that it got messy (you can find some recent pics in my photo album on my profile). Your explanation sounds very logical, so maybe I should give up on S&Ding (although I wonder if I could leave damaged ends alone).

[kuroi]

I recommend not cutting a big chunk of (if you haven't done so already) because being able to wear up is a great way to prevent new damage and you can hide your ends so they don't bother you either. I recommend trimming of half your growth per month so you can keep growing towards your goal, even up your hemline and reduce splits at the same time. Also microtrimming the layers with the compact cut might catch even more of the splits if most are in your layers. S&d is not really a great way to use alone if there that many splits but alongside microtrimming it can be helpful if you feel like doing it.

[Estrid]

I recommend not cutting a big chunk of (if you haven't done so already) because being able to wear up is a great way to prevent new damage and you can hide your ends so they don't bother you either. I recommend trimming of half your growth per month so you can keep growing towards your goal, even up your hemline and reduce splits at the same time. Also microtrimming the layers with the compact cut might catch even more of the splits if most are in your layers. S&d is not really a great way to use alone if there that many splits but alongside microtrimming it can be helpful if you feel like doing it.

That was my idea earlier, but the damage is so visible and it bothers me greatly by this point, I think I will cut off 5 cm to start with and then take a bit more if it doesn't feel like enough. 5 cm is a tad longer than 3 months of growth to me, I just need to get rid of some of it.

[MINAKO]

I know the most recommended thing for this is S&D and microtrims, but i personally prefer a blunt cut to get rid of anything unwanted, may that be wonky layers or damage. That's what i did when i was a little bit past waist, chopped off 4-5 inches and freaking loved how healthy it was.

[lapushka]

That was my idea earlier, but the damage is so visible and it bothers me greatly by this point, I think I will cut off 5 cm to start with and then take a bit more if it doesn't feel like enough. 5 cm is a tad longer than 3 months of growth to me, I just need to get rid of some of it.

5 cm - 2 inches. That's a pretty good amount to cut, to the point where it will make a difference, even if you have damage left! Happy trimming! :)

[Betazed]

I haven't read the whole thread but I would go with microtrimming. I have a lot of heat damage from years of flat ironing. I trim 1/2 inch every month (or every other). I started this last spring (when I first joined LHC!), I still went from waist to hip in that time. I plan on continuing until I reach classic and maintaining there. So, I vote microtrims because it's helped me get rid of a ton of damage.

[Estrid]

Yeah, I keep thinking like "if I wait 3 months I can cut off 5 cm and be at this length again!", but seriously, I'm getting so tired of this damage, I don't know if I can wait. I am slightly afraid of it not feeling better after I cut 5 cm, but I don't know. I'm kinda craving the feel of aaaaall healthy hair, but I know that won't happen by cutting 5 cm off, that would need probably 10-15, like I wrote in the OP. My buns stay up for 4-6h now (depending on what I'm up to), when I made this thread they fell down after 1 or 2 hours... so maybe I should just hold on and stick to the original plan of starting to microtrim once I hit waist (in a month or so). Maybe I should just quit wearing my hair down at all so that I can't see the damage?

Probably good that I didn't bring the scissor with me to this place, yesterday afternoon I felt more than OK with removing a good 10 cm! Seeing all the splits and dots shining in the midsummer sun was enough. Now I just wonder if I dare to do it, it would be neat to reach waist by my anniversary in august...

UH!

[Betazed]

Wearing it up helps a lot with not seeing damage. Its just MHO but I think your plan of waiting til waist seems reasonable. Whatever you choose, not being impulsive will keep you from regretting something later on. Isn't there a "2 week rule" on LHC? (Not making a big hair related decision without waiting 2 weeks? Or something like that?) So, you're already on the right track with putting a lot of thought into your decision. And no matter what you choose, I'm sure you'll find a lot support and encouragement from LHC'ers! :)

[Estrid]

Haha, I've been thinking about this on and off since before I made this thread :P so that 2 week thing is a bit... well. But I might try not to touch it, OR I will try to s&d instead just to feel like I've done *something* (even though this is too much for s&d to fix).

I can take up one small section of hair and find a bunch of splits on the strands 10 cm up... whatever I decide to do this will be a long and annoying year, by finding other ways to wear it up nicely (if I cut it), or to stand seeing this damage for a long time on.

[lapushka]

Probably good that I didn't bring the scissor with me to this place, yesterday afternoon I felt more than OK with removing a good 10 cm! Seeing all the splits and dots shining in the midsummer sun was enough. Now I just wonder if I dare to do it, it would be neat to reach waist by my anniversary in august...

UH!

Maybe it's good to set yourself goals first. Wait until your anniversary and hitting waist, then allow yourself to trim back a little. I didn't know this was coming, otherwise I would have probably said to wait until you hit that milestone before doing some trimming.

[Estrid]

Yeah.

It's only little more than a month left till my anniversary, I will hit waist if I don't touch it. I could start trimming after that to maintain at waist... but that would mean ~1,5 cm a month and not cutting of 5 cm, unless I wait till november or december to do the first trim, which I don't know if I want to do. Or I trim so that I'm not at waist anymore after my anniversary, but could I let it hover over waist for 6 or so months while I trim away the rest?

I don't like this situation :p

[lapushka]

Give it some TLC in the mean time. It's only about 2 months away, and after celebrating (letting us celebrate with you) that milestone, you can go ham and cut away whatever is necessary. At least you'd have had the satisfaction of making a goal length after so long - and that is amazing, you know!

[Estrid]

I'm not sure how to take care of my hair while waiting to cut the growth every month, I have bought a silk scarf to use while I sleep and I will try to wear it up when I am awake. I am considering combing it only in the shower with conditioner because I really don't see any point of detangling it when it is dry anymore, it's like it tangles because I try to detangle it (if that makes sense), very frustrating. (and then it doesn't feel any better when I am done doing it).
My hair has been looking weird lately, I'm not sure if it is because it is soooo humid or something else, but atm I don't feel like it's a good time to try new things, maybe the damage got a part in it and then it will just be time wasted. Would be nice to just fast forward to next summer, when I'm over this part x)

I think I will wait till after my anniversary with deciding how to go about this.

Thank you all for the help, talk, advice...yeah.;)

[01]

Stop the damage. Or else it will happen again even if you cut. Look into your detangling method, if it's not ripping your ends. I think that's what kills ends most. Try gentler washing. Maybe protecting your ends with small amounts of oil.

[lapushka]

Stop the damage. Or else it will happen again even if you cut. Look into your detangling method, if it's not ripping your ends. I think that's what kills ends most. Try gentler washing. Maybe protecting your ends with small amounts of oil.

You don't have to be in that much of a hurry, at least not with white dots. I grew out white dots from shoulder length until hip, and they stayed with me all that while, sure some broke off, but the bulk (half of my hair) stayed in. And I did my S&D session when I was good and ready, at hip length, at which point I had it cut back to BSL due to damage, but at least I reached hip. And I wouldn't have suited a pixie cut, that's for sure (those times are gone).

[Estrid]

Stop the damage. Or else it will happen again even if you cut. Look into your detangling method, if it's not ripping your ends. I think that's what kills ends most. Try gentler washing. Maybe protecting your ends with small amounts of oil.

Well, I already wear it up (probably the main reason I got all this damage, I wore it down all the time for 2 years without trimming or caring). Detangling is from bottom up, but I am (as I said) considering only doing it in the shower with conditioner from now on since doing it while dry hasn't been a hit recently (or ever, really).

I'm not sure what you mean with gentler washing. I use shampoo on my scalp and conditioner on my lengths. I don't rub it all together if that was the concern :p


I guess that what I need the most right now (and for a long time forward) is patience. A lot of it.

[Stepo_NiNha]

In my experience, small trims (such as 1 cm every 2 months) are the best solution. Just letting damaged ends be will make your hair grow slower because a lot of those ends will break on the way, and you would still have damaged ends after they do. Cutting a big chunk will leave you with the same problem: as hair grows, ends become uneven and get damaged, so you will have to cut even more eventually. S&D is neverending work and kind of an overkill imo: you want your hair to be in an overall good state, you don't want perfection for every single hair, plus it will contribute to the problem of unevenness. Small trims make your ends bulkier (less prone to damage) because ends get evened out, plus let you get rid of damage AND you grow at the same time. It takes time and patience, but one day you will see hair quality you weren't used to see on your ends, it's impressive.

I second that! I have now an almost solid blunt waist length by trimming 1/2 inch every 3 months. It still grows and more even. I gave up s&ding because my hemline was getting uneven.

[Dark40]

Get rid of the splits and the white dots.