New - damaged hair?

[Toulouse]

Hi! I just found this community after having an upsetting haircut (on the 18th) at Great Clips. I went there to get my hair trimmed just a little because I always worry about having split ends, but the hair stylist told me a part of my hair was damaged somewhere in the middle (??) She was telling me the part was thinner compared to the rest and asked if I ever do anything harmful to my hair... and I answered no to everything! I always leave my hair down and never dyed my hair in my life. Never use heat either... so how did it get "damaged"? I have been looking and the middle looks kinda wavy but my hair isn't perfectly straight either.

She told me I have no split ends but said my hair would look better if I cut it shorter... so.. I agreed. It was right above my butt and now not even at my elbows (not at my shoulders though). I'm upset because I have to wait it out for my long hair to grow back and it has always grown quickly but... ugh.

I'm just wondering is it possible for my hair to really be damaged without ever doing anything to it? Also, I am thinking about growing it out and just asking about the damage next time I get a trim. Is this smart? I'm so worried my hair will get worse and not grow.. like I have been thinking about this nonstop. (I can take pics if anyone wants to help out)

[Aphra]

Hairdressers seem a bit fixated on cutting back all the way to a completely even point!

Yes, it is possible to get damage without doing anything obvious. If you take a look at the photo in my album (there's only one album and one photo), you can see a shorter broken off bit to the mid right of my back (which my hairdresser wanted to cut back to). It frequently gets damaged there for no obvious reason (it was the cause of my 2015 1 inch trim turning into a 6 inch big chop back above APL because I didn't argue with the hairdresser). I can only assume it is where historically it used to get rubbed against something / caught in my coat / caught in my bag strap etc.

Your best bet might be to wear it up in non-damaging styles as much as you are comfortable with, and see if that helps. The good news is that if it was tailbone, it can almost certainly grow back to tailbone.

[starfire]

Yes, it is possible that it was damaged. But it doesn't mean it was. It could have just been thinner or have a different texture (not reasons to cut IMO). Next time, instead of just agreeing to the cut, you can always ask someone else (you trust) for a second opinion. If you want long hair, don't let hairdressers talk you into going shorter than you want!