I'm having a tough time deciding if I should cut my hair or not

[Laurel32]

First off my hair is BSL, layered to APL, and damaged on the top. If I gather the top section off I can see my natural hair is a darker brown, frizz-less and straight (why did I straighten for so long???:confused:). The top layer is a fake icky brown, wavy (I think from damage) and dry. I have around 4 inches of new growth.

I don't know if I want to have a major cut to my shoulders, annual 1 inch trims, or just leave it be. The layers and the damage are what bothers me the most and I would like to see them gone.


Does anyone have any suggestions? I will be leaving shortly so I can check when I return. Thank you in advance.


I'm sorry I don't have any pictures to show you guys...

[Addy]

May I suggest the two week rule?

You sound so iffy and it would give you time to decide whether you want to cut it all off to shoulder, just trim an inch at a time or leave it be. If after two weeks you are still undecided, you can wait another week or so. The two week rule helps keep you from doing something you really don't want to do, especially if you don't know what you want to do.

[abritta3]

Hi. I totally agree with the post above! 2 weeks is a great amount of time to think it over.
I would do some microtrims. I had a dilemna similiar to yours and when I asked the LHCers the best reply I got was to microtrim before doing anything drastic.
I was so surprised how different my hair felt after just trimming a half inch! It was crazy.
Good luck with thinking it over ;)
Happy growing...oh! and let us know how it goes.

[coolbreeze212]

I agree with Addy about using the 2-wk rule. It's better to think it through then to act impulsively and regret it later. (Been there, done that.) Best wishes.

[jera]

I always trim off any damage s-l-o-w-y. :o I'm such a coward when it comes to haircuts. But of course, you may feel differently.

[kam984420]

If i was doing it i would do a series of annual 1 inch trims to avoid losing all of the length.:(

[Nevermore]

2 WEEK RULE!!!

That said, in your place, I would definitely do two semi-large cuts. The first to APL, then when you're back to BSL, cut up to APL again.

[Silver & Gold]

The thing is, cutting it all back to nearly one length will do nothing to remove the damage from the crown. If it were me, first invoke the 2 week rule as many have already suggested, then begin a dusting or micro-trim. If that makes you temporarily happier then you can continue doing small trims on a regular basis while your hair is growing out without having to make a drastic change.

[lizzyjo]

Have you thought about doing oiling or other deep conditioning treatments? It wouldn't hurt to try.

[eternallyverdan]

I'd jump on the bandwagon and say go with the 2-week rule. During that time I would try to moisturize as much as possible, maybe try a protein treatment or something to see if you can minimize the damage down to something you can live with on a day-to-day basis.

[Ryanne]

Mhh, since the damage is at the crown, I don't think a huge cut will help that much.
I agree with the rest about the two weeks rule, and DTs might help too.

[Fifty-Five]

At the very least, go with the 2 Week Rule. You may want to look through the articles, as well. I think I remember something about an article by Nightshade that could help. =3

[Laurel32]

Thank you all for the wonderful advice. I will get a trim and then use the two week rule to decide if I want a major cut

[redneckprincess]

I agree wait at least 2 weeks and if/when you do decide to cut it a little bit at a time maybe you wont have to go as short as you think...I wish someone would have told me to think about it for 2 weeks when I cut off some damaged layers last Feb...

[feralnature]

How about the two week rule.

Micro-trim at the most.

Coconut oil the damaged ends of the layers, very lightly.

[ericthegreat]

I agree with the two week rule. Actually for me I abide by the two year rule or even the two decade rule!:cheese:

Again, if your true goal is to have much longer hair, then of course cutting so much off will set you back even further. For now just keep your ends well oiled, for me personally I love coconut and avocado oils. Use a richer, creamier conditioner if you aren't doing so already, and for the moment just do your own search and destroy method of hunting down the splits.

[HisForever]

I think what i would do is just do little trims every couple months and be very gentle, because then you wont be losing your length, at least not a lot of it.

[longhairedfairy]

I would recommend a lot of S&D.