not trimming now causing problems for the future?

[pdy2kn6]

I was wondering if presuming you have fairytale ends at around BSL and then you carry on growing your hair without trimming, would the fairytales just travel up your hair? would this make it much harder to get a thicken hemline (more like a thick wall of hair rather than see through) when you trim you hair to a more blunter cut in the future. Is it necessary to trim often if you want a full curtain of hair, as opposed to tapering? I am considering eventually having a more thicker hemline cut making my hair ends (which are getting see through) more thicker, but i was really hoping to wait until i reacher waist length. Would it be harder to trim my hair in to a solid curtain of hair if i wait that long, now having about less than a year to wait until i reach waist. Im a bit worried if i don't trim soon (while its see through) i'll have to lose much more length when i do finally cut it when i reach length as the taper may go further up the hair layers? (taper being just natural due to shedding, and old layers tapering higher up, not damage**)

[Omens]

Well, from my understanding, fairytale ends don't mean damage. It simply means that you're allowing the natural variations in growth to show rather than trimming it into a blunt edge. I don't think it would cause an harm to not trim now; the fairtale ends don't actually travel up, they simply get longer and the difference in hair lengths becomes more apparent.

So it is not bad for your hair (not sure if that's what you meant), but I think in the long run if you just let it do what it wants, some hairs are going to grow slower than others, and to get the blunt hemline you'd cut up to the shortest part. So if you cut around waist, depending on how your ends are, you might feel like you're losing a lot of hair.

I don't think there's harm in waiting or doing it now. But to keep the straight hemline would likely mean regular trims. If you're really looking forward to waist, I'd say let it grow, trim later. Then you can grow a bit longer then waist and when you do the actual cut, you'll be right where you wanted.

P.S. I totally confused myself in the first paragraph; I hope it makes sense.

[enfys]

As long as the thin ends aren't from splits they it should be fine. If you aren't trimming it then try and regularly S&D.

You shoud be able to maintain at waist while it thickens up.

[Katahdin]

From what I've heard, how thin a fairytale endings are is as individual as terminal length. Some people have a very thin ends when grown out w/o trimming, some end up with a more even hemline. I think it's something to do with your shed cycles, but I'm not sure.

Anyways, either way you lose the exact same amount of length. You can grow it naturally w/o trimming, and then once you hit waist maintain until it becomes a thicker hemline, or you can trim along the way to your goal length and have a nice hemline the whole way. It works out to the same amount of lost inches, so you just need to decide weather reaching waist or having a good hemline is more important to you.

Of course, that depends on the condition of your hair. Fairytale ends don't creep up the hair, damage does. If you feel your hair is breaking off, then definitely trim, or it'll take longer to get to waist *and* you'll have to trim more hair.

[spidermom]

I agree with Katahdan. Definitely trim if you are getting breakage/splits. Otherwise you are safe to grow to goal length, then start trimming to maintain. Gradually more shorter hairs will grow out to that length, and the hem should gradually thicken.

Unless, and I probably shouldn't even mention this, but if you shed about as much hair as you grow, the ends will stay thin even if you trim.

[pdy2kn6]

Sorry i forgot to note.-i don't have many splits/hardly any splits, perhaps about 3 or 4 everynow and again i find when im doing SD, but i was meaning more in terms of the general pattern of growth, for example the tapering may occur naturally as it grows and thus travel further up the hair even though not damaged....if that makes sense.... I then if the taper has gone far up the hair it may lead me to have to cut further up to get that curtain look when i do decide to trim my hair.

Oh and also just wanted to mention, waist length isn't my goal, it was just my idea of never trimming (excluding SD) untill i reach waist length. And then i plan to trim, perhaps a big trim to even up and reduce layers, and then i plan to grow onwards (evenly) to terminal length, or hopefully at least floor length if im lucky

[Katze]

I wonder about the same thing. Despite many small trims (for example in March, June, August, October 08 and March 09) my ends are still fairytaling. On me, this looks bad. In Dec. 07 I trimmed more and actually got a blunt hemline at APL, but now have wispy ends again between BSL and waist. My hair has less splits than before, it feels soft even on the ends, and is overall longer and in better condition than it has ever been, but either all the S&Ds, or just the way my hair grows, means that it gets wispy.

To answer your question about taper, mine has moved down, BUT I have also been trimming regularly to get rid of layers and damage. I hope there will come a time when my hair tapers less, when braids are thicker at the ends and when my hair down doesn't look dry and damaged even though it's not.

[Unicorn]

In short taper won't travel up the hair unless you have breakage from damaged hair.

If you imagine all the hairs traveling down towards waist length, then random occasional hairs shedding along the journey. The bulk of hair overall, will be longer, but the area of tapering will also be longer. Almost like stretching what you have now in photoshop :-) everything becomes an elongated version of what you have now including the taper.

So your choice (if you want an even hemline) is to either cut it in one go after growing to the required length, or cut the same amount of hair over the course of several trims. E.g. three X 1" trims or one single 3" trim after a longer period of growth.

I've seen many longhairs with gentle tapering (like Spidermoms sig pic) so they have the length they want but not the very wispy fairytailing. It's a lovely effect in its own right. (would that be a deep 'U' hemline?)

Unicorn

[BlackfootHair]

As long as the ends are healthy I wouldn't worry about it. If they're damaged then I would trim the ends.

[spidermom]

I've seen many longhairs with gentle tapering (like Spidermoms sig pic) so they have the length they want but not the very wispy fairytailing. It's a lovely effect in its own right. (would that be a deep 'U' hemline?)

Unicorn

Mine was cut into a U-hemline last July; no trim since then.

[Unicorn]

It does look lovely Spidermom . One of the lovely things about LHC is that its like the equivalent of the biggest hairdresser 'sample' catalogue ever :D

Unicorn

[Rebelkat]

:ponder:
That depends on what is causing the fairytelling. For me, I started with a distinct natural taper and various health issues caused my hair to thin out significantly, so the fairytelling DID travel up the length of my hair. BUT, it wasn't because of damage or not trimming, because there is almost no damage to my hair and I've been trimming regularly. Damage and thinning of the hair can cause fairytelling to travel up the length, but not trimming on its own should not, IMHO. I don't know if this helps but I hope it does.

[spidermom]

:ponder:
That depends on what is causing the fairytelling. For me, I started with a distinct natural taper and various health issues caused my hair to thin out significantly, so the fairytelling DID travel up the length of my hair. BUT, it wasn't because of damage or not trimming, because there is almost no damage to my hair and I've been trimming regularly. Damage and thinning of the hair can cause fairytelling to travel up the length, but not trimming on its own should not, IMHO. I don't know if this helps but I hope it does.

I think this was caused by shedding out lots of hair. The spaces between hairs got wider, causing fairytaling to appear to be traveling upward. This is what I was talking about before when I said that if you shed about as much as you grow (or more), you will get fairytaling even if you trim.

You should be seeing lots of baby hairs sticking out everywhere soon, Rebelkat. My hair did that in 2005; I cut from nearly waist to APL so that my hair would be thicker.

[HairColoredHair]

My fairytales have moved down the hair as my hair has grown, for the most part.

If you compared my most current length pic: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=1286&pictureid=34529 at almost knee to my length pic at classic http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/member.php?u=3943 You'll see that the bulk of the hair has moved down.

The fairytale section has gotten a bit longer, though. :( Aw well.

[pdy2kn6]

:ponder:
That depends on what is causing the fairytelling. For me, I started with a distinct natural taper and various health issues caused my hair to thin out significantly, so the fairytelling DID travel up the length of my hair. BUT, it wasn't because of damage or not trimming, because there is almost no damage to my hair and I've been trimming regularly. Damage and thinning of the hair can cause fairytelling to travel up the length, but not trimming on its own should not, IMHO. I don't know if this helps but I hope it does.

Hey, its mainly just the fact that i havent trimmed in so long causing my layered hair to taper further up, plus every now an again the old damage i have on the end of my layers may spur on the tapering a little bit. I dont have many split ends, but some of my ends are a bit crunchy. Perhaps a trim is in order. But thenagain, i feel like it would be such a step back now that i am inches from waist.

[lora410]

I started slight fairytailing after bsl (see below pict) I did have alot of splits, though, so I ultimately trimmed off 1" to even it up. I am happier this way.

[pdy2kn6]

yeah, mine is starting to get really thin at the bottom now. i think maybe i should trim before my layers grow up further and the bottom bits also start tapering. Arghhhh the dilemas of hair!!!

[Slug Yoga]

I then if the taper has gone far up the hair it may lead me to have to cut further up to get that curtain look when i do decide to trim my hair.

Unless not trimming is leading to huge amounts of damage or something (which I doubt it is), you would not actually be cutting your hair "further up," or slowing your growth more, than you would be doing with regular trims, you know? It would just seem that way, because the difference would be more dramatic if you didn't trim and then cut a bunch off all at once. :)

I suppose it's a matter of what you'd prefer psychologically: feeling like your length is increasing more slowly but maintaining a certain desired hemline, or growing "fast" and then losing a few inches (or whatever) all in one go. Personally I think I would rather grow it out and then cut all at once to a desired hemline--it would be "refreshing," if that makes sense! It would be up to you, though.