Split ends - should I get a trim? Or wait for a little...

[serabelle]

My hair is just now sitting on top of my shoulders, about an inch longer than the latest picture in my signature. It's finally at the length where I can do a very tiny French twist, which I'm absolutely in love with. (I was getting VERY tired of my ponytails, they still stick out instead of curving down, so they're kind of goofy looking.)

I haven't had a trim since mid-September, and I'm starting to notice a lot of split ends. I'm afraid that if I get a trim now, that I won't be able to twist my hair up. On the flip side, I'm nervous that if I don't get a trim, my split ends will get worse.

Thoughts, opinions, suggestions on this? Should I wait a little longer so that when I *do* get a trim, I won't be limited to my styling, or should I bite the bullet and get it done now to avoid further splitting?

*sigh*

I still feel like I'm in the "awkward" stage - not really "long" and not really "short." I can't wait to be somewhere other than the middle...

[Kimberly]

Well, if you have ever taken a close look at your split ends, are they usually just a little frayed at the tips of the hairs, or do your splits tend to get worse and extend up the hair shaft? If they do the latter, then it's more urgent to cut them. Also, do your split ends cause you any trouble? When mine are bad they pick up lint and stick together and tangle like Velcro. If yours don't do that, it's not as important to cut them. And I guess the third thing that I take into consideration is my hair looks better without the split ends, but mine get really awful. If yours are slight, and don't make your hair look bad, and if they aren't going to lead to a lot of tangles and increasing damage, you could leave them alone for now, I bet.

[serabelle]

Well, if you have ever taken a close look at your split ends, are they usually just a little frayed at the tips of the hairs, or do your splits tend to get worse and extend up the hair shaft? If they do the latter, then it's more urgent to cut them. Also, do your split ends cause you any trouble? When mine are bad they pick up lint and stick together and tangle like Velcro. If yours don't do that, it's not as important to cut them. And I guess the third thing that I take into consideration is my hair looks better without the split ends, but mine get really awful. If yours are slight, and don't make your hair look bad, and if they aren't going to lead to a lot of tangles and increasing damage, you could leave them alone for now, I bet.

Thanks for this. They seem to be mostly at the very end, although I've seen some that extend up about 1/4 inch. They're most noticeable in direct sunlight I haven't noticed any problems in tangling, even though I'm not really using a conditioner at the moment. Perhaps using a conditioner on the ends would be wise at this point?

I'm tempted to wait another month before a trim, that way I know I wouldn't lose too much length. Even just a few more weeks and I'd probably still be able to do my twist..

I think part of my problem is that I used to have my hair cut once a month! I'm so used to having blunt, healthy ends, that these splits just feel weird.

[Kimberly]

If it were me, I'd trim, but that's because my hair splits travel up the shaft. Conditioner has never really helped me with splits, unless I used some silicone-containing stuff that just glued the split ends together temporarily (and in the long-term, cones don't serve me well). Someone else may have other advice about this, though! My hair is much more fragile than most and maybe not the best example for someone with a different hair type.

You could trim your hair, just less than the amount it grows in a month, and still have blunt ends. I did that for a long time.

What has worked best for me was giving up the brush, using a comb only once or twice a week, lopping off the ends when they start to Velcro up lint, and keeping my hair up or braided when it might get damaged. I think the worst of my damage actually does come from detangling.

All that said . . . since you're just starting out on the road to long hair, being able to do a cool updo is especially inspirational. So even if it may not be the healthiest thing ever for your hair, I would probably suggest not trimming til it's long enough to still put up in your new French Twist even after a trim. :)

Edit: you could just cut off the worst ones!

[inspiral]

try serach and destroy!! just cut off individual hairs above the split, you will stop them from splitting more up the shaft, and you wont lose any length. you might need someone to help you with the back of your hair, and then in a couple months get a dusting~teeny tiny trim.

[pariate]

Agh! I remember being at that length and it felt like it would never get long. :D Having curls made it twice as bad. If it were me, I'd just trim off the worst and try to weather the storm. Really it's own to you to assess the damage I guess, because you know your hair better than anyone.

And that advice is about as much use as a chocolate fireguard, right?! :rolleyes:

[lora410]

I have splits galore. I do mini self trims but them my hair splits if I look at it long. I have no plans to trim until I hit my goal.

[serabelle]

try serach and destroy!! just cut off individual hairs above the split, you will stop them from splitting more up the shaft, and you wont lose any length. you might need someone to help you with the back of your hair, and then in a couple months get a dusting~teeny tiny trim.

Hehe - I wish I could do S&D - but I could barely do the front, let alone the back! I don't think I trust myself to do this on my own just yet. I definitely plan to do this in the future though. And I definitely don't trust my BF with scissors. LOL! I need some girl friends in this area!


Agh! I remember being at that length and it felt like it would never get long. :D Having curls made it twice as bad. If it were me, I'd just trim off the worst and try to weather the storm. Really it's own to you to assess the damage I guess, because you know your hair better than anyone.

And that advice is about as much use as a chocolate fireguard, right?! :rolleyes:

Mmmmmm.. chocolate! Not necessarily helpful, but definitely tasty.

But truthfully, thanks for the input, it's really helpful to hear how everyone else deals with this.


All that said . . . since you're just starting out on the road to long hair, being able to do a cool updo is especially inspirational. So even if it may not be the healthiest thing ever for your hair, I would probably suggest not trimming til it's long enough to still put up in your new French Twist even after a trim. :)

This is kinda wear I'm leaning - I'm just so happy that I can actually put my hair UP and it looks GOOD. I may try to hold out for another few weeks, and just baby my hair in the meantime. That would mean no more pincurls or other potentially damaging styles for a month - but I probably wouldn't have time for those right now anyway!

If I wait three weeks, I could get it done the day before Valentine's Day - that might work out timing wise.

[Elphie]

I'd just snip off the individual splits and leave the length as it is.

[Bene]

i'm not sure if this is the best advice, but i'd say leave it alone. stop looking for split ends. if you can't reach them to do anything about it, leave them alone. if you can see them, you can snip them, so do the ones you can see, but don't worry about the rest of your hair. when it grows long enough, you can do all the damage control, but unless you're willing to get a real trim, there's nothing you can do about it at this point.


i'm more curious about you having split ends at that length. are you blow drying or anything?

[serabelle]

i'm more curious about you having split ends at that length. are you blow drying or anything?

I don't normally blow dry, maybe once every couple of weeks if I'm pressed for time. The split ends come mostly from styling, specifically pincurls and some heat styling. Over the past month I've started to be more gentle with my hair, and have learned how to do pincurls with less damage. (Recently I haven't done them at all..)

I also think I notice it more now because I used to get my hair cut once a month. I was so accustomed to blunt ends, that seeing any splitting seems bad to me.

I guess it comes down to this: I'm still working on the healthy hair routine. And thank you for the advice, I think you're right - I just need to stop thinking about the split ends, they're probably not nearly as big of a deal as I think they are.

[rapunzhell13]

I had this same dilemma just this past weekend and I decided to trim. I don't regret it at all! It looks and feels sooo much better now. My strategy is to try to ignore it for as long as I possibly can and then get a trim to tide me over when I can't stand it any longer. If I leave it too long I start to contemplate a Big Chop, so obviously it's better to just get a trim and be done with it. My goal is a blunt hemline anyway, so trims are inevitable. HTH!

[joyfulmom4]

I probably would wait. When my hair was shorter, the splits didn't cause the kind of trouble the do with longer hair. When your hair reaches waist and beyond, splits tend to give you velcro ends that lead to breakage and excess shedding. But when hair is shorter, it doesn't tangle much so I think it doesn't traumatize the hair too much to have a few splits around.

When you get your next trim, ask the stylist to do just a really small trim of the ends. And ask her/him not to use a razor. You want the ends blunt b/c razoring leads to more splits. You won't be able to do S&D yourself now, but if you have a trusted friend, they might be enlisted to help.

[Linda K]

And ask her/him not to use a razor. You want the ends blunt b/c razoring leads to more splits.

Oh! Nothing like paying to get a 'damaged' look! UGH!
:(

[spidermom]

It sounds like you've decided that you want to wait, and there's nothing wrong with that. Practice the best hair care habits that you can to avoid creating new splits. Even at your length, they can and will travel up the hair shaft.

[Pierre]

Try to S&D by feel. Look for rough ends, then when you find one, bring it over your crown and look at it. If it's split, snip.

If you do decide to trim, bring a ruler along and say "I want 5 mm off, no more."

Are the splits mostly at the back of the head, or are they evenly spread?

[Chickadee]

If you get a trim, just be very careful! I went for a "shape-up" at about your length, and ended up short again. I'd just baby it for now, I think.
Can you tell I'm scissor-shy now? ha!ha!

[kdaniels8811]

Read the threads regarding catnip for split ends. Cheap (I get it at the pet store) easy (steep a teaspoon in a teacup of boiling water for a half hour or until it cools) and effective. I sincerely think my ends are better since I have been doing this - but it only has been a couple weeks. But I can run a comb through sopping wet hair with no tangles - and it does not weigh my hair down as conditioning normally would. I cut my hair for years to get rid of the split ends and ended up with no growth at all. Go figure - I was getting it all cut off! So I am in the no cut and wear it up every day until I see if it is helping. Good luck to you!

[serabelle]

Try to S&D by feel. Look for rough ends, then when you find one, bring it over your crown and look at it. If it's split, snip.

If you do decide to trim, bring a ruler along and say "I want 5 mm off, no more."

Are the splits mostly at the back of the head, or are they evenly spread?

I think most of them are actually toward the front, but I have no way of actually checking most of the back - it's too short to bring around! lol I tried maneuvering around in the mirror and just ended up being frustrated!

I definitely don't trust myself with scissors yet, as my hair is at a length that would look horribly awkward if I made even slight mistakes. Luckily I have a very good relationship with my stylist (8 years!) so if I go in for a trim, she'll do her very best to only take off the absolute minimum.


It sounds like you've decided that you want to wait, and there's nothing wrong with that. Practice the best hair care habits that you can to avoid creating new splits. Even at your length, they can and will travel up the hair shaft.

Thanks - I'm trying to avoid any type of heat styling until I get a trim a few weeks from now. I'm also babying the ends with a little conditioner, they seemed to enjoy that this morning.


Read the threads regarding catnip for split ends. Cheap (I get it at the pet store) easy (steep a teaspoon in a teacup of boiling water for a half hour or until it cools) and effective. I sincerely think my ends are better since I have been doing this - but it only has been a couple weeks. But I can run a comb through sopping wet hair with no tangles - and it does not weigh my hair down as conditioning normally would. I cut my hair for years to get rid of the split ends and ended up with no growth at all. Go figure - I was getting it all cut off! So I am in the no cut and wear it up every day until I see if it is helping. Good luck to you!

I have catnip in my cabinet - I may give this a try. I don't know what I'll do with the cats during this process! I'll be quite popular afterward! Hahaha