Achieving blunt ends

[qvbit]

I have wispy ends right now and I personally prefer my ends to be blunt, but since I did a no trim 2020 and I've grown out layers in the past they're quite uneven. Blunt-enders who have been in a similar situation, what do you find is the best way to achieve/maintain them? Did you trim regularly until your ends were the same length, or do one big chop when your hair got long enough and then maintained that?

[Shorty89]

I haven't done a year with no trims, but I think you could easily get blunt ends by doing micro trims every month.

[lapis_lazuli]

I prefer to do microtrims and let my hemline gradually fill in. I think both have relatively the same effect, it's just about whether you want it sooner or later.

[midbackorbust]

I don’t have the patience for microtrims so I prefer getting it cut by about half an inch every year or so. I love the feeling of freshly cut hair, it feels so blunt and thick!

[illicitlizard]

It depends what you prefer, microtrimming or big chops. The benefit of microtrimming is it never really feels like losing length, but it means that the blunt ends will happen more gradually. Benefit of big chops is you have blunt ends immediately, the only problem is usually you lose a lot of length which can suck if you're trying to maintain long hair.

Seems to be a priorities thing. Though I have seen some people say microtrimming didn't work for them because the ends were actually damaged (rather than just naturally tapered) so leaving them there carried damage up the hair and never really resulted in blunt ends. I don't really have experience with either, I just trim semi regularly and usually end up with pretty blunt ends.

[SnowSpot]

I did a big chop two years ago. My hair used to be somewhere around BSL and the ends were quite tapered and maybe also damaged (I don’t remember so well anymore). I cut them between SL and APL and have been microtrimming since then. For me, the key to achieving length has been both the microtrims and conditioning the very ends regularly. At some point I used to condition the ends every day to keep them from sticking to each other to prevent breakage. :)

[Cg]

I microtrim every 6 weeks. Sometimes a little, sometimes quite a bit, it varies. Evidently my hair grows fairly fast. If you microtrim you will learn the optimum interval for your own hair.

I did start early on when growing out the layers with a big chop as soon as I could, maybe shoulder (?), absolutely no regrets ever.

What you do depends on how much you want blunt ends now versus whether you're willing to use that as a goal for some nebulous future.

[lapushka]

Seconding the microtrims.

Technically I don't do microtrims. After growing, and being on the challenges for a number of years, I am now maintaining my length. I last took off an inch and a half, which means I take my growth of, which comes down to some odd 6 inches or so a year.

Feye's self-trimming is lovely for blunt ends, and you can take off however little of much you like. And I would go slowly. Take half an inch or a cm and then see if you like it. You can always take more, but you can't put it back on.

[Belgrade Beauty]

It depends what you prefer, microtrimming or big chops. The benefit of microtrimming is it never really feels like losing length, but it means that the blunt ends will happen more gradually. Benefit of big chops is you have blunt ends immediately, the only problem is usually you lose a lot of length which can suck if you're trying to maintain long hair.

Seems to be a priorities thing. Though I have seen some people say microtrimming didn't work for them because the ends were actually damaged (rather than just naturally tapered) so leaving them there carried damage up the hair and never really resulted in blunt ends. I don't really have experience with either, I just trim semi regularly and usually end up with pretty blunt ends.

I completely agree with this. It really depends on what you prioritize. I personally prioritize nice ends, so I took off some growth this year because I couldn't handle how my ends looked. If length is more important to you than ends, you go with micro, if you prefer ends over length than regular trim :)

[harpgal]

I am a big believer in trimming. I trim every 3 months and take off anywhere between 1/4 to 1 inch. This allows the slower growing strands to catch up and it does keep somewhat of a hemline all the way down. Because I do this, I was able to have a hemline at ankle.

If your taste runs toward more of a taper then do not trim. However, if you would like to keep a hemline, trimming is very important.

[cat11]

Trimming is the way to go. I slowly trimmed away at a layered chin length cut when I started growing, eventually it became blunt and one length.

[Saldana]

I get blunt ends by having my sister do microtrims every 3 months. Basically, she just snips off 'runners', leaving everything else. The hemline thickens, and the length grows, just the odd hair out gets snipped. :)

[qvbit]

Thanks all!!!! Sounds like lots of you had success with microtrims, which is awesome because I don't want to lose too much length if I don't have to ;)

[qvbit]

Update: I compromised - cut a little less of an inch off as my ends were really ratty and crunchy. Feels amazing, and I haven't lost too much length! Then I'm going to be patient all next year doing only microtrims and trying to be patient with the short, thin bits that I so desperately want to thicken up at the front!

[Dark40]

Before I joined here 10 years ago when my hair reaches to the point it's long enough I went through the big chop. Not a big deal of a chop but more like an inch to make sure that it's all even. Then, since I've been a member here I wouldn't trim anymore for the whole year.

[GordonMurphella]

Before I joined here 10 years ago when my hair reaches to the point it's long enough I went through the big chop. Not a big deal of a chop but more like an inch to make sure that it's all even. Then, since I've been a member here I wouldn't trim anymore for the whole year.

Sorry if I'm being dense, but I don't understand your answer?

And to answer the OP, I microtrim as well. Works a treat.

[0xalis]

I personally did a big chop. And I mean an actual big chop. Several inches.
Since I was growing out a buzz cut there were a LOT of layers, even after a super short bob with an undercut I did when my hair grew to a shag.
I went from bottom-of-neck length all the way back to chin length so everything would be the same length as my shortest layers.
It was a lot of length to lose at once but I don't regret it one bit, I've already grown back to where I started in 5 months.

BUT that's just me. It was a fun excuse to get a big-deal appearance-changing haircut while still being on my hair growth journey.
I think if I had to grow out from a buzz again, god forbid, I'd probably do the same thing all over again. That's just what works best for me.

I think micro trimming sounds like the right answer for you, from what I've read.

[Dark40]

Sorry if I'm being dense, but I don't understand your answer?

And to answer the OP, I microtrim as well. Works a treat.

That's okay. All I'm saying is before I joined here 10 years ago I used to always cut off an inch per month, and I didn't mean a big chop like 2 or 3 inches, or more. That's all I was trying to say.

Yeah, to also answer the OP, I also used to microtrim as well. Yes, it does work a treat.

[Todd]

I agree with all of the above. My growth has slowed considerably but an annual trim lets the ends fill in nicely, slowly but surely. Because of the trims, I can't seem to get past BCL but happily for me the ends are thicker and blunter now (I need to take a new photo!)

[OUKess]

Great Hair Todd!! Hope to get mine to your length some day!!

[Ada-banana]

I am a big believer in trimming. I trim every 3 months and take off anywhere between 1/4 to 1 inch. This allows the slower growing strands to catch up and it does keep somewhat of a hemline all the way down. Because I do this, I was able to have a hemline at ankle.

If your taste runs toward more of a taper then do not trim. However, if you would like to keep a hemline, trimming is very important.

Wow! It is possible then. Maybe I will start micro trimming.

[qvbit]

I get blunt ends by having my sister do microtrims every 3 months. Basically, she just snips off 'runners', leaving everything else. The hemline thickens, and the length grows, just the odd hair out gets snipped. :)

Runners! Such a great way to put it :D