Trying to figure out how much to trim

[elfynity]

Hi everyone,

I have been deliberating for a few weeks now with regard to my hair and trimming. My ends are not bleached anymore, but they are sad from obviously the previous years of not looking after my hair, and I know it is not just going to go away. S&D worked very well and I hardly have any split ends, but I know that the last 3 inches of my hair has been compomised and not healthy like the rest of my hair. I can actually feel it too, when I run my fingers down a pony tail, it feels silky smooth until the end, at the end it feels a bit rough.

I did my first microtrim end of last month and chopped off a well needed 1½ inches. It is ridiculous how tiny the circumference was - like the size of a toothpick! Ha ha.

So now that I have explained all that - my concern is that my hair is growing well from the roots, but not at the ends. Although I don't see splits anymore, I am concerned that my ends are stopping or really slowing down my growth. I have considered maintaining at BSL, where I am at present for maybe 6 months and chop off a ¼ to a ½ an inch per month. I have also considered chopping back to APL and then babying what I have.

About 5 years ago, my hair had reached midback quite well and was a few inches longer than it is now, and that was grown from a clean pixie cut - all the dead ends were gone. (that was also just before i decided it would be a good idea to bleach it ... whatever).

What would you guys do? I cannot make a decision. I am also not going to make a rash decision, and will only cut back to APL if I think that it will be the quickest way to get length in the long run.

[Crystawni]

I reckon if you do what helps you enjoy the journey, then that's your answer. It could be a change in hemline shape, snipping delicate ends, trimming to buddyville when there's a lack of safety in numbers (more hair= protective hair buddies), or chop for a full-on refresher.

I'm not one to baby my hair (it's that journey thing), so for me, I'd trim a bit and see how it, and I, feel, then keep trimming on a regular(ish) basis (I trim every 4 months or so) to gain a bit of length while gaining buddies in the hemline. I also prefer my ends to feel nice, so yeah, I'd be off with their heads if they misbehaved (after all the usual clarifying methods had been exhausted). And by trimming regularly(ish), you keep boredom at bay with any luck. Hairtoys and new hairstyling (bunning and all that) also helps. :p As you know, growing hair can take a while. :whistle:

[lapushka]

elfynity, it is normal for hair to have a smaller circumference going down the hair. You do *not* want to measure that! You only need to measure your circumference at the base, the rest is *normal* taper!

I think continuing microtrimming should be a good fit for you if you aren't happy with your hemline. I would allow for growth, though, and not trim so much each time.

[elfynity]

Thanks so much for responding ladies.

Lapushka, just worried that if I leave the not so healthy ends that my growth will still not happen. It is so hard to tell though, but I'm growing well from the roots, definitly, just it is not being translated down to the ends. I know, it is a very slow process. My hemline actually decreased and hasn't seemed to catch up that I can tell over a month, and I didn't see any length growth at all from the beginning of the year!

There is something that is stopping my length from growing in length, and I just don't know exactly what it is.

I did have very dry ends and only started conditioning them properly and protective styling from 1 September. Even so, you would think that my hair would have a grown a little bit through the year. But it is actually slightly shorter from the trim.

I have had a full battery of test from the homeopath and have been taking excellent vits and minerals etc. I'm quite healthy.

Crystawni, yes, I don't really want too many little ends having to be on their own! I don't think I'm too worried about them not feeling nice as I am that they are not growing because perhpas they need a fresh start. I just don't know at this point.

I'm worried to leave it and carry on and still get no length growth.

[spidermom]

I'd run my fingers down the length in a few places to judge where the change in texture begins, then trim slightly above that point.

Honestly though, it's regular trimming that keeps ends on the thicker side, not babying, although babying certainly helps to maintain the good condition and prevent breaking off. Ends get thin largely because each hair grows at its own speed (and partly because some ends break off). Some hairs grow faster, some grow slower. What trimming does is hold back the fast growers so that slower growers can catch up. Also, some hairs grow for a shorter period of time, others a longer period of time. I know I have hairs on my head that grow maybe 4-6 months because they shed out at only 2-3 inches long. I also know I have hairs that keep growing for a long enough period of time to have reached classic length (bottom of bottom). The only way to find out what your hair does is take good care of it and observe.

[spitfire511]

Agreed with spidermom - the hemline thickness will come with some routine microtrimming and care.

Maybe think about too, you might be getting more 'spring' our of your curl as you trim - so it looks even shorter! I personally go for updo's of whatever type you can manage (claw clips are great here) and benign neglect. Try to ignore it (while still taking good care of it) for a while and see if you don't get some of the progress you're looking for.

[elfynity]

Thanks ladies for your feedback.

My hair feels rough over the last 3 inches. That is alot to cut off and will set me back to APL'ish. A big step. I do wonder though, if I don't cut it that it just wont grow.

I'm not sure what I am leaning towards yet! Perhaps maintain BSL for 6 months to get rid of the 3 inches of rough hair and then it might grow from there. Perhaps just microtrim a ¼ inch and hope for the best.

EDIT: I was looking at past photos and I noticed that my completely healthy hair didn't change in length much in 2010, and then the next year it grew about 6 inches. I may have a very strange growth cycle!

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

Honestly I deal with this still myself.
It has taken me an incredibly long time to reach milestones because my hair grows so slow, and then my ends are constantly breaking off. I quit doing s&d because it started to become fruitful. Lol. I would trim and the thin breaking ends would just come back. Then I did micro trimming and that helps keep the ends blunt but it felt like I was hardly growing ANYTHING. It made me focus on my hair too much. Then I did 6 months of no trims, and my hair was a lot longer. My ends were brittle but they have always been that way. I don’t think any amount of trimming or pampering will get rid of it.
So right now I’m just enjoying the journey. Trimming when I feel like it. If I can go a long time without the itch then I don’t cut. My ends look the same no matter what I do so I’d rather the hair be long and at terminal because at least at that point I could slowly cut breaking hairs off while remaining at a long length that I want.

[lapushka]

Lapushka, just worried that if I leave the not so healthy ends that my growth will still not happen. It is so hard to tell though, but I'm growing well from the roots, definitly, just it is not being translated down to the ends. I know, it is a very slow process. My hemline actually decreased and hasn't seemed to catch up that I can tell over a month, and I didn't see any length growth at all from the beginning of the year!

There is something that is stopping my length from growing in length, and I just don't know exactly what it is.

I did have very dry ends and only started conditioning them properly and protective styling from 1 September. Even so, you would think that my hair would have a grown a little bit through the year. But it is actually slightly shorter from the trim.

I have had a full battery of test from the homeopath and have been taking excellent vits and minerals etc. I'm quite healthy.

Thickness takes years to travel down, not a month or so, I'm afraid. :flower: So you are mostly going to have to be patient with your new growth.

[amiraaah]

I dealt with this , your ends remind me of my ends a year ago.(based on my own experience)what i can advise you to do:
-microtrim half an inch every 2 months,by doing this your hair will still grow.
-be patient don't expect drastic changes in the first 2 months.give it a year at least and if you're not pleased with your results you can cut more at the end of the year.
-never s&d it will thin your ends out.
if you want to see my hair progress i can post pictures here for you:)

[nycelle]

What do you want more? thicker ends or a longer length?

For me, thick ends are a must and I will sacrifice length to get them. I'm an anomaly here though, most on LHC won't.

[elfynity]

Thickness takes years to travel down, not a month or so, I'm afraid. :flower: So you are mostly going to have to be patient with your new growth.


What do you want more? thicker ends or a longer length?

For me, thick ends are a must and I will sacrifice length to get them. I'm an anomaly here though, most on LHC won't.

I just wanted to know if anyone knows why my hair is growing well at the roots but doesn't get longer at the ends. Perhaps as Rebecca said, my hair could just be growing so slowly. I wanted to get everyone's opinion on whether trimming it would work to get it growing again or if that would be a waste of time.

My hair is shorter than it was in January of this year.

[nycelle]

I just wanted to know if anyone knows why my hair is growing well at the roots but doesn't get longer at the ends. Perhaps as Rebecca said, my hair could just be growing so slowly. My hair is shorter than it was in January of this year.

If it doesn't get longer at the ends, that would mean they're breaking, especially since your hair is now shorter than January (provided of course you didn't get a major cut in between then and now.)

[Crystawni]

It could be breaking off when you groom it. This was something I found a few years back when I was using my "trusted" Lady Jayne plastic wide-toothed comb. The plastic had very slight seams and had worn over the years, and ended up shearing my weaker (old damage) ends off, but it wasn't something I noticed until I saw the few inches of shorter hair bits flying off in the sunlight and having a party on the tiled floor. I've now got seamless wide-toothed hair tools, a sandalwood comb being my absolute fave, and haven't had any flying bits since.

[nycelle]

If it doesn't get longer at the ends, that would mean they're breaking, especially since your hair is now shorter than January (provided of course you didn't get a major cut in between then and now.)

eta: Actually, if you just went Curlygirl, then you may have "lost" length that way as opposed to true breakage. Were you keeping your hair straighter then? And when you measure it now, did you measure it while curly, or did you pull out the length?

[elfynity]

If it doesn't get longer at the ends, that would mean they're breaking, especially since your hair is now shorter than January (provided of course you didn't get a major cut in between then and now.)

Hi Nycelle, I only did the 1 and a half inch trim. I think it may be breakage too. I know some people here just trim that out slowly and keep growing. The growing part here is the issue here for me. I have a sneaky feeling that I may have to cut off this damage to actually see any growth. But obviously I really want to be sure before I do something drastic like that.

[amiraaah]

[QUOTE=amiraaah;3599487]I dealt with this , your ends remind me of my ends a year ago.(based on my own experience)what i can advise you to do:
-microtrim half an inch every 2 months,by doing this your hair will still grow.
-be patient don't expect drastic changes in the first 2 months.give it a year at least and if you're not pleased with your results you can cut more at the end of the year.
-never s&d it will thin your ends out.
if you want to see my hair progress i can post pictures here for you:)

[TheLuckyLurker]

You have to do what you think is best, but here's how I see it. Worst-case-scenario if you chop 3 inches off now: you've lost 3 inches of length, but the hair you have left will be healthy, and easier to care for because it's healthy. Worst-case-scenario if you only take a little at a time: you might gain some length, but the existing damage would worsen and travel up the hair shaft, ultimately forcing you to cut off even more than originally, setting your journey back that much further. When I had to make that choice, I grit my teeth and chopped 4 inches off, for the sake of not having to fret over it anymore. In hindsight, I think it was the right thing to do.

[elfynity]

You have to do what you think is best, but here's how I see it. Worst-case-scenario if you chop 3 inches off now: you've lost 3 inches of length, but the hair you have left will be healthy, and easier to care for because it's healthy. Worst-case-scenario if you only take a little at a time: you might gain some length, but the existing damage would worsen and travel up the hair shaft, ultimately forcing you to cut off even more than originally, setting your journey back that much further. When I had to make that choice, I grit my teeth and chopped 4 inches off, for the sake of not having to fret over it anymore. In hindsight, I think it was the right thing to do.

If existing damage is travelling up my hair shaft, it would explain alot. Just curious to know, did you look after your ends, are they good now and how long did you manage to grow well from that point of cutting it off?

[Dark40]

I second lapushka. Only trim off a little a time not so much off all at once. Stick with the microtrimming. Because, that fits you most, and be patient with new growth. My hair grows slow too. Mine only grows a half an inch per month. I have a friend who's hair grew a inch or 2 per month! I remember one time she went through the big chop, and chopped off all her hair from HL to BSL, and within a 3 month period her hair had grown all of the way back down to HL again!

[elfynity]

I second lapushka. Only trim off a little a time not so much off all at once. Stick with the microtrimming. Because, that fits you most, and be patient with new growth. My hair grows slow too. Mine only grows a half an inch per month. I have a friend who's hair grew a inch or 2 per month! I remember one time she went through the big chop, and chopped off all her hair from HL to BSL, and within a 3 month period her hair had grown all of the way back down to HL again!

Thank you Dark40 - the problem is that my hair isn't growing longer at all. Not even a milli inch! in a year. I would love to have slow growth - however, I have no growth.

[MusicalSpoons]

I second lapushka. Only trim off a little a time not so much off all at once. Stick with the microtrimming. Because, that fits you most, and be patient with new growth. My hair grows slow too. Mine only grows a half an inch per month. I have a friend who's hair grew a inch or 2 per month! I remember one time she went through the big chop, and chopped off all her hair from HL to BSL, and within a 3 month period her hair had grown all of the way back down to HL again!


Thank you Dark40 - the problem is that my hair isn't growing longer at all. Not even a milli inch! in a year. I would love to have slow growth - however, I have no growth.

Just to clarify here, half an inch per month is *not* slow growth, it is average growth (and when you have, or go through a patch of slower-than-average growth, half an inch per month send a bit like the holy grail). 2 inches per month is most likely an anomaly in hair growth statistics and most people would recognise that as a very fast growth rate!

elfynity, I wonder like another poster whether increased curliness accounts for at least some of the not-gained length?

[TheLuckyLurker]

If existing damage is travelling up my hair shaft, it would explain alot. Just curious to know, did you look after your ends, are they good now and how long did you manage to grow well from that point of cutting it off?

I discovered that in my case, once it gets past apl it starts splitting no matter how gentle I am with it, so I did lots of s&d's or trims. I did manage to get past waist length before I did some big chops, because caring for it at that length felt like a huge burden after a while. They're good now, while I'm growing it back to apl after chopping it into a shoulder-length bob. For me personally it's easiest to trim a half inch off every couple months, and then I'll do it every month once I reach my goal length.

[elfynity]

I discovered that in my case, once it gets past apl it starts splitting no matter how gentle I am with it, so I did lots of s&d's or trims. I did manage to get past waist length before I did some big chops, because caring for it at that length felt like a huge burden after a while. They're good now, while I'm growing it back to apl after chopping it into a shoulder-length bob. For me personally it's easiest to trim a half inch off every couple months, and then I'll do it every month once I reach my goal length.

I think that s&d and trim is just going to be so essential for me to remove the damage I have previously done. Hopefully I can rid my hair of the last few inches of damage. Usually it grows out fine and is healthy, It is just that bleach job that was done to my hair 2 years ago, and not looking after it after that that really caused damage, and I am on the last legs of that - thankfully. What is your goal length btw?


I wonder like another poster whether increased curliness accounts for at least some of the not-gained length?

Hi MusicalSpoons, thank you for your reply. I think it was Nycelle that mentioned about curliness. I should try measure my hair straight and see if there is a difference then? My hair certainly is growing half an inch per month from the roots, but doesn't seem that way at the tips - curliness really could be hiding this.



and benign neglect. Try to ignore it (while still taking good care of it) for a while and see if you don't get some of the progress you're looking for.
I also like what spitfire said about benign neglect. Over the last few days, I am still taking good care of my hair, wearing it up, keeping it moisturised, but otherwise I am not fiddling with it and fussing with it - just letting it be most of the time - I think i have just chilled out.

Hey everyone, thank you so much for all your kind comments and help so far - I really appreciate all of them. I am going to just be a lot more patient and keep up with good hair care and I may microtrim or chop off all the damage in one go, and I don't think it will matter that much - in the long run I know I will see results, and I am just going to enjoy my hair as it is now, and if it just feels like not growing for a while, well then, I'll just be holding the candle at the APL to BSL thread! Ha ha!

I am not sure when, but I have decided that I am going to do a 1" trim. It will help me to keep track. After that I will assess the condition of my ends over the next few months and decide if I need to do another trim. I will at least be able to cut off a big part of the damage but not change hair length too much. Also, I will straighten my hair (not with heat!!!) and measure and then do a comparison measure apart from the trim - then get a proper length difference.

[Ylva]

My hair grows slow too. Mine only grows a half an inch per month.

That is not slow growth, that is average.

edit: Delayed comment.

[lapushka]

That is not slow growth, that is average.

edit: Delayed comment.

Totally agree. 1/2 inch is a lot/average. So you can be happy with that. Some people get this much but others aren't even that lucky!

[TheLuckyLurker]

elfynity, my goal is apl. That's a good length for me.

[elfynity]

Hi everyone, I am quite excited! I did a photo comparison, same shirt, same position, same curliness - all that, and my hair has grown in length. It is such a small amount over the last month and a half, perhaps only about a quarter inch, but as clear as day it is longer! OMG, having the best day!

[Crystawni]

:cheese::cheer::joy::disco:

Yay! Great to know there's a bit of weight lifted off your shoulders (as your hair visibly travels doooooooooooown).