Trimming for a Slow Grower?

[Sweet_Decadence]

Hey, I probably overthinking it but I'd love some opinions.

My hair is fine and sitting about a 2c/3a curl, just past APL. My hair is averaging about 1/4" growth per month, which is rubbish but I don't think i can do much about it. I've been looking at the options, no-trim, S&D, microtrimming etc and I'm just not sure how to chose whats best for my hair at all. I do get split ends, I've been doing an S&D each month rather thoroughly and there's always a good amount of new splits, some of them over an inch long...that's a lot of growing getting the snip there!

With so little growth, every millimetre is precious, you know? If it's even possible for me to grow to waist, it's going to take about double the time of the average grower. Has anyone with similar hair managed to get to there goal length and if so, did you trim at all or have any tricks to prevent the splits?

[MusicalSpoons]

How do you wear your hair? What's your washing routine? Have you had blood tests at all recently that would have shown up anything deficienct or borderline low?

Not wantin to interrogate, of course, but these are important things to know where to start with possible advice :)

[draysmir]

Hello. :)

Make sure you are using sharp scissors. Dull scissors don't give clean cuts, and will make the hairs more prone to splitting again.

In my opinion, f you get a lot of splits quickly, then doing an overall trim would probably be more beneficial for your hair. Maybe try out microtrimming 1/4" every other month or every three months. I only S+D hairs that I know will get too damaged before reaching my hemline to be trimmed. If the split is near your ends, wait until your trim for the split to be taken out. Microtrimming may be slow for your growth, but I wonder if your slow growth is partially due to breakage, and your "average growth" may eventually increase in time? :confused:

Another thing to focus on would be trying to maintain the length you currently have. One way is to try some protective styling that keeps your ends tucked in, like buns if your hair is long enough.

If your ends feel more dry, give them extra moisture or oil to help protect from damage. Your hair gets damaged more easily if it is too dry (or vice versa).

Good luck with your journey! :)

[Sweet_Decadence]

How do you wear your hair? What's your washing routine? Have you had blood tests at all recently that would have shown up anything deficienct or borderline low?

I wash my hair about once every 7 - 10 days. I could probably go longer but it's usually looking a bit crap and dry by the 10 day mark.

Bloods - no can't say I have, I got tested for a zinc and B12 deficinacy about a year ago and I came up fine.

Hair varies. I tend to prefer a crocodile clip, which I know isn't the most protective but it's easy and quick to fix and maneuver when I'm working, If I have to wear a hart hat though I'll usually go for a tucked braided bun or a low bun, depending on how much time i have. When I sleep I usually alter between a pineapple and a french braid.


In my opinion, f you get a lot of splits quickly, then doing an overall trim would probably be more beneficial for your hair. Maybe try out microtrimming 1/4" every other month or every three months. I only S+D hairs that I know will get too damaged before reaching my hemline to be trimmed. If the split is near your ends, wait until your trim for the split to be taken out. Microtrimming may be slow for your growth, but I wonder if your slow growth is partially due to breakage, and your "average growth" may eventually increase in time?

Another thing to focus on would be trying to maintain the length you currently have. One way is to try some protective styling that keeps your ends tucked in, like buns if your hair is long enough.

If your ends feel more dry, give them extra moisture or oil to help protect from damage. Your hair gets damaged more easily if it is too dry (or vice versa).

My hair is dyed so when I measure, I measure just the regrowth and not the full length. Maybe this is just something I'll have to accept with having dyed hair but idk. Protective styles are great but I find them a bit tricky to implement practically with my lifestyle and job. A tucked french/dutch braid works well but me curls have a mind of there own and will jail break and the tucked hair constantly seems to break free of the bobby pin jail I put it in haha!

My hair is pretty dry, it always has been, my skin too! I am where moisture goes to die! I could get a job as a dehumidifier haha!

[BleachedBerry]

Hey, I probably overthinking it but I'd love some opinions.

My hair is fine and sitting about a 2c/3a curl, just past APL. My hair is averaging about 1/4" growth per month, which is rubbish but I don't think i can do much about it. I've been looking at the options, no-trim, S&D, microtrimming etc and I'm just not sure how to chose whats best for my hair at all. I do get split ends, I've been doing an S&D each month rather thoroughly and there's always a good amount of new splits, some of them over an inch long...that's a lot of growing getting the snip there!

With so little growth, every millimetre is precious, you know? If it's even possible for me to grow to waist, it's going to take about double the time of the average grower. Has anyone with similar hair managed to get to there goal length and if so, did you trim at all or have any tricks to prevent the splits?


Hi there,
I can say from experience that I have been able to grow my hair longer after trimming. Trimming enough but not too much. Having my hair cut into a nice shaped style that doesn't look awful as it grows help too.
I did not trim for many years after a bad haircut and a few bad trims thats that year . It took years and never was longer then mid back. I hated my hair because it looked terrible down. I wanted long hair so I couldn't dare sacrifice an inch without crying. I tried micro trimming every 6 weeks and still nothing.
I finally got my haircut by a woman who did an amazing job. She took off a few inches so I lost some length but the new shape made all the difference for me because it brung out waves and curls and looked amazing, even air dried with no product. I was able to feel good about my hair as it grew.
When it was time to trim (about 6 to 8 weeks weeks or so) my hair had grown almost back to mid back and I did not need as much trimmed. There for allowing my hair to grow longer over time.
In one and half years I was close to my butt. Before deciding to start over at APL.

I could not see the ends enough to do SD before waste length. That meant even less trimmed.

Hope this helps.

[BleachedBerry]

Hi there,
I can say from experience that I have been able to grow my hair longer after trimming. Trimming enough but not too much. Having my hair cut into a nice shaped style that doesn't look awful as it grows help too.
I did not trim for many years after a bad haircut and a few bad trims thats that year . It took years and never was longer then mid back. I hated my hair because it looked terrible down. I wanted long hair so I couldn't dare sacrifice an inch without crying. I tried micro trimming every 6 weeks and still nothing.
I finally got my haircut by a woman who did an amazing job. She took off a few inches so I lost some length but the new shape made all the difference for me because it brung out waves and curls and looked amazing, even air dried with no product. I was able to feel good about my hair as it grew.
When it was time to trim (about 6 to 8 weeks weeks or so) my hair had grown almost back to mid back and I did not need as much trimmed. There for allowing my hair to grow longer over time.
In one and half years I was close to my butt. Before deciding to start over at APL.

I could not see the ends enough to do SD before waste length. That meant even less trimmed.

Hope this helps.

Also finding the cause of your splits will help. Brushing too hard, Washing to frequently, Hard water, cold dry weather, and a number of other tings.

I've done research on growth phases of the hair
and it is true some people just won't grow long hair. Each individual Hair on your head will go through the growing, resting, and shedding phases, with different hairs in different phases at all times, this is why we shed daily but don't loose all of our hair at once. Hairs on legs, eyebrows and eyelashes have a much shorter growing phase.

The growth phase can be anywhere from to 2 to 10 years. 10 being rare. Say you average 1/2 inch per month at 2 or 3 years, each individual hair will most likely never grow past 12 to 18 inches before it sheds.

Ive learned A supplement called msm short for a long word of some type of sulfur, This supplement is often used for joint problems but has been said to lengthen the growth cycle of your hair, so over time your hair could grow you could grow your hair longer. Though it will not change how fast the hair grows. And there side effects that some be may not like to continue use.

[Bat]

Bobby pins probably won't help,don't they cause a bit of damage when taking them out? When I had longer hair I was forever ripping out hair trying to get them out

[draysmir]

I wash my hair about once every 7 - 10 days. I could probably go longer but it's usually looking a bit crap and dry by the 10 day mark.

Bloods - no can't say I have, I got tested for a zinc and B12 deficinacy about a year ago and I came up fine.

Hair varies. I tend to prefer a crocodile clip, which I know isn't the most protective but it's easy and quick to fix and maneuver when I'm working, If I have to wear a hart hat though I'll usually go for a tucked braided bun or a low bun, depending on how much time i have. When I sleep I usually alter between a pineapple and a french braid.

My hair is dyed so when I measure, I measure just the regrowth and not the full length. Maybe this is just something I'll have to accept with having dyed hair but idk. Protective styles are great but I find them a bit tricky to implement practically with my lifestyle and job. A tucked french/dutch braid works well but me curls have a mind of there own and will jail break and the tucked hair constantly seems to break free of the bobby pin jail I put it in haha!

My hair is pretty dry, it always has been, my skin too! I am where moisture goes to die! I could get a job as a dehumidifier haha!

If both your hair and skin is dry, maybe implementing more moisture in your diet will help increase the strength and resilience of your hair. Make sure you are drinking enough water everyday. I've found my new regrowth somewhat more brittle and my skin more dry recently, so I started taking fish oil supplements again. Maybe look into that if you don't consume a lot of omegas in your diet naturally. (I also started taking a vitamin D and K vitamin because my dad insists it for bone health... but I've also heard vitamin D deficiency can lead harm hair health, so maybe another thing to look into?)

And speaking of dehumidifier, I notice my skin and hair is much more dry if it is colder or less humid weather. Is your house dry? A humidifier may help... I used to have one in my room to help alleviate dry eyes, and I feel like it also helped keep my whole body more moisturized overall. It might be a stretch to recommend a humidifier, but you reminded me of the concept so I thought I would mention it just in case. :)

And for protective styling... could you wear a bandana or a thicker hair band with a tucked or crown braid under your hat/helmet at work? That would help keep your stray hairs from escaping. If you can, try to have softer materials be against your hair. Silk/satin would be the best option, but I think a cotton banana could also be helpful. I don't imagine a hart hat material is gentle on the hair?

I agree with Bat. I find bobbypins rip my hair out personally, so check for damage when you are using them. :)

I hope you are able to find the culprit for your split ends!

[MusicalSpoons]

I wash my hair about once every 7 - 10 days. I could probably go longer but it's usually looking a bit crap and dry by the 10 day mark.

Bloods - no can't say I have, I got tested for a zinc and B12 deficinacy about a year ago and I came up fine.

Hair varies. I tend to prefer a crocodile clip, which I know isn't the most protective but it's easy and quick to fix and maneuver when I'm working, If I have to wear a hart hat though I'll usually go for a tucked braided bun or a low bun, depending on how much time i have. When I sleep I usually alter between a pineapple and a french braid.


...

My hair is pretty dry, it always has been, my skin too! I am where moisture goes to die! I could get a job as a dehumidifier haha!

Gha I read your reply in lurking mode then totally forgot to come back :doh: sorry about that :oops:


It sounds like your styles are fairly protective for the ends, which is good. In that case your hair probably needs more moisture, tbh, especially if it's chemically processed. It probably needs washing - or at least conditioning - more often than your scalp does by the sounds of it; I guess you could look at it as refreshing your hair maybe. Is your growth rate based on what you see of your roots growing, or by overall length?

The reason I asked about blood tests was because the usual culprits for artificially slow growth are lack of iron, vitamin D, or low thyroid. It's virtually impossible to get properly tested on the NHS though (I'm assuming your stats are up-to-date and you are indeed in Scotland) unless you have multiple symptoms of any of those. [Of course the average half inch is just that, an average, so a quarter of an inch may very well be your natural growth rate; it's just always good to be able to rule out any possible things slowing it down.]

Oh, what material do you sleep on? Cotton can really dry out hair even when it's in an otherwise fairly protective style.