Search and Destroy😁

[Gia11]

Hello Everyone ,
I was just wondering about any of you that use the search and destroy method as well as micro trimming,or even just in place of.
I only started implemmenting this about 6 months ago (but only do the very worst one's) and I am having good results with length retention , but still working out if I want to carry on doing it.

My main curiosity 🤔 is about those of you who have done this for a very long time and how it works for you.

My 2 concerns: 1-If this is done too much too frequently it could result in hair thinning/visible gaps.
2-One can end up with a very layered look.

Anything you have to share is welcome.

[spidermom]

I don't think it helped. I remember doing it for hours when I had classic-length hair, and every time I looked, I could find hundreds if not thousands of splits. Only significant trims help me.

[knobbly]

I’ve only S&D’d these past two years and my hemline is fine. I have a very recent pic in my albums and on the Tailbone to Classic thread if you want to take a look.

[Gia11]

I'll certainly have a look, thanks.

[RedIris]

I definitely find its beneficial to s+d single strand knots. I'll have a spot that feels rough or keeps getting tangled of snagged up on a brush and I'll look and there will be a ssk there. Snip it off and all better. S+ding splits seems like it couldnt hurt if you just have a few but if you have tons of splits it would be much more efficient to just trim a little

[Gia11]

Thanks :)for your input Rediris.

I guess it makes sense that it there are too many single strand knots or splits ends then a trim is the more sensible way to deal with it.

The more I hear from other the more I am coming to the conclusion that all depends on how many one has whther it will work or not. Question is how many is too many,hey? lol

[RedIris]

Thanks :)for your input Rediris.

I guess it makes sense that it there are too many single strand knots or splits ends then a trim is the more sensible way to deal with it.

The more I hear from other the more I am coming to the conclusion that all depends on how many one has whther it will work or not. Question is how many is too many,hey? lol

Hahah exactly, where is the line?? :P I think it also depends WHERE the splits are. Because if they're focused around the ends of your length then yes, a trim would be most efficient. But if they're higher up, in a spot you wouldnt want to cut to, then s+d might be your best bet. Probably better than leaving them!

[TatsuOni]

I've done it since my hair was long enough for it and quite heavily too. My ends didn't get thinner until mid thigh. Then I had done heavy S&D with minimal trims since around waist. I'm still doing my S&D (wouldn't be able to have long and healthy hair without it, since my hair gets damaged so easily), but now I'm also maintaining at knee until the ends are thicker again.

[Gia11]

Thanks TatsuOni , your story is contributing to helping me asses whether this method might be for me long term.
I guess I can stop at any time or slow down if I notice drawbacks.
Knee length is such a great achievement 👍 .

[-Fern]

Honestly, it hurts my eyes and is boring for me. But every once in a while I find it relaxing, especially if I'm sitting in a sunny spot. Benign neglect is kinda my sweet spot for hair care these days.

[Mariekeeee14]

I do both, since I'm lazy. I should s&d more often than I do, so to keep my hemline even, I trim a little every once in a while. Forgive me, it has slipped my mind what constitutes as a micro trim, so I might just be trimming and not microtrimming. I try to take off 1 cm or less, but a couple of weeks ago about 3 cm had to go since I hadn't been s&d-ing and I had breakage.

[GothicCanadian]

I S&D and notice that when I don't for a while there are many more split ends. So far I have nof needed to even out my hemline after, and I needed pretty regular trims (every 6 months or so) before that.

[Gia11]

Honestly, it hurts my eyes and is boring for me. But every once in a while I find it relaxing, especially if I'm sitting in a sunny spot. Benign neglect is kinda my sweet spot for hair care these days.

When I do it I also do it by a sunny spot (usually by my bedroom window) as I don't believe in doing it while watching television or doing anything else.As far as I am concerned this task requires complete focus.
I have to say that Benign neglect he,he,he :o can produce brilliant results as opposed to doing too much.

[lapis_lazuli]

Yes, it can definitely help, but I think it's important to know when to S&D and when to just trim. I did see thinning of my hemline because that's where a lot of splits were concentrated and that's where I was cutting hairs. Over time it changed shape, which I didn't like, and it would have been more productive just to do a trim across the board. Nowadays I do occasionally S&D when I see them or am in the mood, but I've found protective styling and gentle handling to be much more important factors in length retention over the years, with no noticeable impact of doing S&D versus not. There's no right answer; experiment and see what works for you.

[Gia11]

Yes indeed experimenting is what I will do :) ,only with time will I see if it works for me.

[Bat]

I might try this from now on see if I can keep away from trimming so I can try no trims again sure my hairs really too short but I can still do the hairs I do see

[Jonas]

I just started to search and destroy and my ends immediately seemed softer, I'm stoked on it! I have been sometimes using my work scissors but I just bought some haircutting ones on Amazon so hopefully I haven't caused too much damage so far haha.

[paulownia]

I never do it:D
My hair doesn't get split ends.

[sapphire-o]

My hair doesn't get splits, either but I've done it for my son's hair. I think it helped a lot to make it not tangly. He's at classic length now. Honestly he's got my tough and slippery hair. If he's not wearing it down all day he shouldn't have got damage at all.

I'd say try a S & D session. If it lasts more than half an hour maybe it's just easier to have a trim.

[ETJ CURLS]

I've been S & Ding the knots. The splits don't bother me so much, but the knots are awful because the more I have, the more they create which makes detangling a less than fun time. I've cut most of them out now I think, so I just have to keep up and snip whenever I notice one.