how often do you get a trim?

[lady G]

how often would you advise a trim when growing hair long? it seems a lot of salons advise 6-8 weeks but i feel its just cutting off what i have grown really i am gonn try and go a few months and hopfully hair will not suffer for it.

[spidermom]

This is my experience. I tried growing my hair for a year or so with no trims, and it stalled at a point just past shoulder length. Then I started going to a stylist who had classic length hair, and she had me on a schedule of teeny-tiny trims every 6-8 weeks. My hair began to grow again. I averaged a length increase of 4.75 inches per year during the 5 years that I saw her. Then I found LHC and started stretching out the time between trims. With trims every 3 months, I gained 5.5 inches in length. Then I tried every 4-month trims, but my ends got absolutely trashed, so I had 3-4 inches cut off and plan to go back to every 3 months. My ends always looked and felt good on that schedule, and 5.5 inches is only a little bit less than average growth (which would be 6 inches per year).

[lady G]

right thanks for the advice, every 3 months sounds ok and just a tiny trim even then, i have a stylist i trust not to cut too much off so that always helps!:) i will try that for starters and see how my hair goes on

[amaiaisabella]

It really depends- some people's hair actually grows faster after trims, and others thrive on just S&D. I used to trim every 4 months because my hair grew only 1 inch every few months. I got my last trim in February and since switching to S&D my hair has grown a lot.

If you see that after a small trim your hair seems to bounce back and grow faster, then by all means, go for it. Plus, a stylist that actually listens to your wishes is worth his/her weight in gold :)

[spidermom]

Happy growing!

[1nuitblanche]

For the past three years, I've been trimming once every four months or so. I haven't grown too much because I keep getting bangs, almost growing them out, getting my hair cut shorter to try and blend them in, and then getting bangs cut again. But, as long as I find a good hairdresser, I can get some growth this way and don't need to worry about a big mess at my hemline.

[Islandgrrl]

For the most part, I don't bother with trims unless I'm not happy with the way my hemline is looking. In the past, that's worked out to just about once a year (on my birthday, usually).

I don't really S&D at all, either. Benign neglect got me to knee length in about 7 years, and I'm counting on it to work in my favor again. I just take good care and don't do much.

I've gone as long as 5 years without a trim with no bad effects.

[brok3nwings]

I really do have a big problem about this...the last time i trimmed my hair was 7 months ago...i dont see split ends actually but i think my hair tends to dry not to split. I am noticing that it is tarting to tangle a bit more and it maybe because of that (no trim) but for now i am happy. The thing is...my hair is not one, i have layers so it would be impossible for me to trim my own hair! I dont trust any hairdresser to make me a small trim, so how could i do this? And i also dont have any friend that has long hair (just one...that when she goes tot he hairdresser she ends up crying because they always cut about 6 inches!) Any sugesttions about this? I live in Portugal

[brok3nwings]

Actually i have a hairdresser that was the one that always cut my hair since i was little girl...i always thought that she cut too much (but i used to go to the hairdresser about once a year...) so it was always a bit shoking to me to take off 4 inches or so. But she cares a lot about me, about my mother and my grandmother because in Madeira Island it is a small community and a lot of people that she atends are friends of my mothers so its her best interest to do the best. She is actually not a "good" hairdresser, she doenst know any new things about hair but for trim that may be actually a good thing. I could just say to her...about 10 times before she starts the work...just half a trim ! half a trim i will kill you if you take more eheh (yes i can say those kind of things with her) and also see if she cuts with my hair dry always looking for what she doing and saying STOPP when is too much..do you think this is my best option?

Forgot to say...since i went to university i never cut my hair again with her because ive been in other hairdressers around here (Porto and Lisbon)...the first one was the one that made me cut my hair short :( :( i asked HIM to just take my split ends and a bit of layers to take out the volume and he started to cut all of my hair since almost my roots with those TERRIBLE scissors for taking volume do you know what those are?? terrible terrible! They dont make layers they just make you stay with half the hair you have... i ended up with shorter hair (that was ok) but with HALF the volume i used to have...i just passed one day touching my hair looking for it....it was really sad...but the next day i decided to cut it short. hmm...since then always different stylists...there is another one here in Lisbon that it is possible that i may trust. Im gonna tell you the story: One time i was too mad about my hair and i started to think that i could need a trim (in that time i didnt think it would be from the blow dryer or anything else...) so i went to the hairdresser i said .."my ends are terrible i want to take them off". and he said... : "your ends are good, you should wait a bit more because they really can take more time" and i wanted it cut anyway so i said...please take away the ends that are split (in my mind i had to do something to make my hair look better) and he actually did only cut about half an inch!! He really only took off what it was split , because he knew i wanted to grow my hair (one of the first things he asked me). That was a good experience also...

[SHELIAANN1969]

I havent cut my hair in a year, I used to cut it like every 2 or 3 months, or when I would just remember or think about it.

No more, the last cut I got was right before I came to LHC, and it was really a 'dusting"

I was looking for split ends yesterday while I was in the sun, in the park, and I only found a few, so I am going to wait for awhile.

[Isilme]

it depends very much on the invidual head of hair. Some can go for years without trims, and some have to trim often. But baby your hair and keep it protected and trim when you think it needs it and you'll soon figure out how often your hair needs to be trimmed.
The thing is to keep growth and the amount your cut off in blance, so you never cut off more than you grow (unless you have very much damage that needs to go)

[magicatt]

I haven't trimmed my hair (other than s&d) since March 2006. I've gotten over 10" of growth each year and have gone from chin to past waist. I have occasionally thought about getting a micro-trim but then I look at my ends and decide that they really are fine and I don't want to get an inadvertent chop so I keep letting it go. I figure that I'll probably start trimming again when I reach my length goal to maintain that length.

[brok3nwings]

Correct me if im rong but i think that FINE hair split a lot more and MEDIUM or (you know the word i cant remember :P ) dry more and split less. When i used to have my hair long i remember that i could have about 3 inches of dry hair but almost no split ends. My homemate friend she has fine hair, her hair isnt dry and she has a LOT LOT of split ends even if she cuts it!

[jel]

I haven't trimmed since before I joined LHC, so almost 3 years. I occasionally S&D to get rid of splits. Check out the No Trimming Club link in my siggy!

[florenonite]

I trimmed last summer and intend to trim again this summer. I've had five inches of growth since July, including a bit of a stall in the winter, so I figure it's pretty good growth.

[Violeta]

Last time I got a trim was last summer in august *hides* :p lol

[wintersun99]

I will be trimming once a year now, but with S&D in between.

[squiggyflop]

ok so i thought that i could go a year without trimming and ended up trimming 4 inches in 8 months... well actually it was 1.5 inches followed by .5 inches followed by 2 inches.. im starting to realize just how much damage my punk goth hair caused me.. the bottom area of my hair has been bleached over and over in order for me to achieve all the cool colors manic panic has to offer.. my hair was a neon pink color for a long time.. i didnt know how to bleach only the roots so i would do full head applications every time and leave the bleach on for longer than your supposed to to get a white blond..
i have more inches to go before i can say that ive got virgin hair under the henna...
i think that the next time i trim ill go to a hair salon to get it done... they have better scissors... im noticing that the areas of my hair that were cut with a razor dont have any splits so if i do cut my own hair next time ill use a razor...
a little off topic but i heard some people use fire to trim their hair. isnt that bizzare! :) i bet the ends would split right away

[lady G]

so i could just leave it and see how it grows for now maybe review in 3-4 months and if it looks ok leave it longer:) thanks for all the suggestions and advice you have given:)

[homeschoolmama]

I have fragile hair - it splits if I look at it sideways. With my hair, I find that 3-4 months is just about perfect. That way I can trim 1/2-1" at a time so I'm still gaining in length, and my ends stay looking healthy.

I've gone as long as 18 months... but had to cut a full 6" before my ends looked healthy to me, so it's just not worth it for me to go too long.

Oh, and I trim my own hair. If I think it's going to need more than an inch I beg DH to trim for me, but I haven't stepped into a salon in 4 years - and don't intend to in a LOOOONG time.
love,
mom

[alys]

once per quarter, never more.... i grow like 2 inches or so then have them trim maybe 1/4 of an each every 3-4 moths.

[spidermom]

Correct me if im rong but i think that FINE hair split a lot more and MEDIUM or (you know the word i cant remember :P ) dry more and split less. When i used to have my hair long i remember that i could have about 3 inches of dry hair but almost no split ends. My homemate friend she has fine hair, her hair isnt dry and she has a LOT LOT of split ends even if she cuts it!

I have fine, medium, and coarse hair, and they split if I give them a mean look. I think the fine ones probably split the most, but I've never actually counted. After a recent 3-4 inch hair cut, they feel great; no dryness, but still a few splits. That's o.k., it's been growing fast; almost all that lost length is back already (6 weeks).

[groque]

every 2 months a 1/4 trim. but recently it was more because I wanted a blunt line.

[cobblersmaid]

I used to trim once or twice a year, but my hair never seemed to get much past mid back. I stopped cutting it for five years. It made it almost to classic. I have trimmed several times in the past year, since I decided I prefered it at tailbone.

[lady_hero]

I trim every six months, in January and July. My hair is pretty resilient so I just don't think it's worth it to trim more often and loose more growth.

[Gecko]

I never really ever got my hair trimmed when I wasn't growing it long like I am now, I just got a different haircut. And now I just trim it when I feel it needs it. I really don't want to trim it that much though; I want long hair as soon as possible and as long as I take care of it, it should be fine.

[rubyredslippers]

I trim when I think it needs it . . . my last trim was early march, a self-trim of about 1/4 inch. before that I had 3-4 inches chopped in December. I am still finding a routine that works for me, and S&Ding for the first time in my life, but I think I will continue with at least quarterly trims.

ETA: I should mention that last year I grew my hair for six months without trims then trimmed about 1 inch between two trims with paper-cutting scissors (I know! Really, really bad) because I was afraid to go to a Japanese hairstylist who I couldn't fully communicate with, who didn't know hair at wasn't 1a/b, and who used those awful razor combs and thinning shears. So I'm still healing. I'm still hunting out the occasional higher-up split. But they're not bad enough to warrant anything more than S&Ding.

[PetiteHatter]

I trim every 3-4 months

[FrannyG]

Everyone has different hairtypes, different growth rates and different needs. My hair is so straight that it goes from freshly cut to looking a little ragged within two months, especially since it grows so quickly and every hair grows at a different length.

I've found that my hair grows at its best if I trim just a quarter of my growth every two months. I still however, average a growth above that of six inches per year.

[julya]

I went for about 3.5 years without trimming, and by the time I had my trim my ends were feeling pretty trashed. I only needed to cut about 2 or 3 inches though. I am planning on waiting a long time before trimming again.

[jojo]

I did not trim my hair at all for just over two years, after getting it cut into a pixi-bob like mess. Anyway I figured don't cut and it will grow and it did until I reached just past shoulder length; then it stalled.

So I trimmed an inch off in February this year and it began to grow again, so every month i now dust just this much off - hardly anything really but since February i have gained 2.5". I really don't know why this occurred and my only thought is my hair must have been splitting and snapping off and by dusting these minute bits off, prevent the split forming and therefore the snapping off happening.
My hair is fine and wavy so therefore is prone to damage. I believe that the finner the hair, (and I am talking individual hairs, not the thickness) the more it needs trims to allow it to grow, coarser hair can get away with less cuts.

The best thing that I have found, is to look for a member with your type hair or similar and look at what they do; washing, cutting etc to maintain and keep their hair healthy. If their hair is longer, all the better, you have solid evidence their routine works!

I and my secret is out now, follow spidermom's routine of regular trims and her hair likes diluted shampoo and lots of conditioner (i am not stalking you SM honestly) I do modify her routine to suit my own hair, but this works for me. Now I just have to reach her length! Watch this space!!

[Rydain]

I self-trim 1/2" every month because I am maintaining length.

[rawbabymama]

I trim once a year, usually around 3-4 inches, to maintain my hair which hits my tailbone. It was longer this year, almost past my rear, and my mom "trimmed" my hair - at least six inches gone! I told her "no shorter than the [low rise thankfully] hem of my jeans", but I meant only if it was needed. Ah well. I tried not to freak out looking at the shiny, healthy pile of six inch long hair on the floor.

I am going back to trimming my own hair from now on! I would like to trim every solstice and equinox though (so I don't forget), maybe half an inch.

[paper]

I'm maintaining shoulder length while getting layers cut off. I've been getting about an inch cut off every 3 or 4 months. I go into between for bangs only. After I get my layers cut off, I'll do the same, but just get a dusting.

[curls2grow]

I get about 1/2 trimmed every 8 weeks. Basically cutting off all of the growth at this rate, but I am also trying to grow out my permanent color and get my natural salt/pepper dominant. Also, my curls spiral better when the ends are trimmed regularly, and I maintain a little below shoulder length.

[Ponytale]

Every 10 weeks seems to be ideal right now...

[Zindell]

I stopped going to hairstylists since they always cut too much. Now I get my hair cut about every third to fourth month (when i see it's needed), and I let my 13 year old daughter cut it. She understands what "max so or so many cm" is which hairdressers doesn't seem to know. :rolleyes:

[yogachic]

I get a trim once a year, for most of my life. That's how I achieve long hair. I s&d occasionally when I'm bored

[sipnsun]

I let my mom give me a microtrim every 3-4 months. This last time (in April) I let her cut off a few inces because my ends were so damaged. I would cut more often, but my hair grows really slow.

[thankyousir74]

Then I started going to a stylist who had classic length hair, and she had me on a schedule of teeny-tiny trims every 6-8 weeks.

Wow a stylist with classic length hair, I don't think I've ever seen that. from all the horror stories I've heard about salons I guess you just have to go to those stylists who sympathize with your needs, eh?

[peachy.pudding]

My hair does a lot better without scissors, scissors are the meain cause for my splits especially s&d. My hair looked its best after 1yr of no trims.

[ole gray mare]

For the past two years, I've trimmed one inch every six months. I hope to reach waist by early 2009, and then I will trim more frequently to maintain that length. I am looking forward to more frequent trims, because I think my hair would do better that way.

[wendy645]

I only trust my mom to trim my hair, and I have her do it every year/ year and a half.

This past time (a few days ago, actually) she took off very little. I had her "even it up but leave it as long as you can!" The amount of hair she took off was ridiculously small (only a small part needed to be trimmed- if I laid all the hairs side by side in a flat row it would be as wide as a finger, and an inch and a quarter long!) but it's made a difference I can feel.

It just seems so strange that so LITTLE hair can make such a difference!

[socks]

The best hair-trimming schedule really varies from person to person. Some people are fighting a constant battle against split ends and others have even hemlines to maintain or damage to chop off. My own hair has fairytale ends and practically no damage or splits because I've always taken good care of it, so for me, trimming just means lost length and I've been doing nothing but S&D for years.

[harpgal]

I prefer a full hemline, so I trim four times a year. If I am trying to lengthen my tresses, I trim about 1/4-1/2 inch off. If I am trying to go for fullness, I trim one inch off. My hair grows very unevenly.

[LadyLongLocks]

Every 6-8 weeks for me, but it's a micro trim to even things up( I trim myself). I trimmed a few inches not too long ago and I am dusting often now. Its 2 steps forward and one step back with hair knee length. I try to thicken up the ends and its hard! I have 3.5 inches to reach my goal of 56".
Hope to get there spring of 09 even with micro trims.

[Jemoiselle]

Ok I am learning I am the strange one around here lol when it comes to my hair, I like to have it "spiral cut" every 4 weeks! It is baby fine and very delicate, but with this schedule it grows like mad and looks great root to tip. Besides, it feels GOOD having someone pamper my hair so often! It reminds me of why we do the things we do for the length to remain healthy. I LOVE how everyones routines are so diverse, it is all so beautiful to me. All of us are so different, and yet, the same in one very special way *wink*

~Jemoiselle

[Zombiekins]

Whenever it's too stringy at the bottom (fairytale ends are.... unappealing to me), the ends are too crappy (lots of snags and tangles), the length is bugging me, or I just feel like it. That can either be several times a year, or not for over a year. However, I do have a very small pair of sharp scissors that I periodically use to snip off any splits that I happen to come across. Which, incidentally, have dramatically decreased since my major trim several months ago.

[Silver & Gold]

I have fine, medium, and coarse hair, and they split if I give them a mean look.

Why give such lovely locks a mean look? Every time I look at your siggy I look at your hair and smile lovingly. And I believe, although I'm not quite certain, that your locks look back at me, sigh and say, "At least somebody appreciates us".

*Pulls yer pigtail and runs away.*

[vindo]

Its hard to say.

I have had intense trimmig periods in which I trimmed off all growth and then 1 intense growing period with no trims.

But overall, since 2003 the majority of the time I have trimmed 1cm every two months.

[sapphire-o]

I grew it for 3 1/2 years without trimming. There was no splits or any damage I can see. I only started trimming at tailbone length. I want to maintain this length for a while. If your hair is not easily damaged and you don't mind taper, there's no need to trim.

[SweetPea88]

At the moment I'm trimming every month to help grow out my layers. Before then I never really trimmed, just got big cuts and then grew them out for 1+years.

Once my hair is at one length I'll probably do a dusting every 3-6 months.

[winter_star]

I trim about twice a year. It's roughly every six or so months.

I was trimming more often, but my ahir grows really slow and I wasn't getting anywhere. Now that I trim less, I have notice a significant difference.

[Elbereth]

I have very fine hair, and used to do tiny trims four times a year. DH trims my hair, and he is better and more gentle than any stylist I ever had. :inlove:

This year I have gone easier on trims, and think I will hit an all-time low with getting just two trims. I am close to my goal length and want to reach it as soon as possible. Once there, I might keep my hair in that length for some time so it doesn't matter if the ends get thin.

[bte]

Salons make their money by encouraging their customers to keep on coming back regularly. The last thing they want is for you not to be dependant on them.
Whether or not you get trims depends on you - there are people in this community who have regular trims, others who do not (my last trim was in 1994).
I would suggest trying no trims for a few months, and then deciding whether to have one or to go longer without, depending on how good your hair looks after the amount of time you have chosen.

[Samikha]

What hairdressers quote as "maximum time between trims" is usually "maximum time before hairstyle needs to be reshaped" which is different. If you have a cut, particularly a layered one, that isn't all blunt but has certain sections which are to fall in certain ways - then yes, you do need to trim every so often to keep it looking good. Hair itself, at least most hair, doesn't require cutting that often to remain undamaged. Not if you treat it gently. But as has been said, some experience no growth whatsoever without trims. You have to work out what is right for you. Myself I'm not trimming other than s&d and my bangs at the moment, and those I do myself.

[yogachic]

Back when i was going to the beauty shop to get a trim, only once or twice a year. Now that I trim myself, once every 4-6months. The trim I do myself is very tiny.

[Tapioca]

I go in for a dusting every 8 weeks. That's also how often I redo my cassia/henna and go in to donate at the Red Cross. Helps me remember if I do all those things on the same weeking.

[HairyCarrie]

I hope to join the infrequent trimmers club. My new goal is to get a 1/2 inch trim in Jan and again in July. I'd like to get 5 inches of growth a year and figure this way it might happen.

I'm at that awful short growing-out stage that is hard to deal with. But I'm trying my best and can't wait to get to the next goal of shoulder length.

[Anje]

The last few months (since I hit the top of "tailbone" length), I've been trimming every month or two. I plan to continue trimming roughly every 2 months or so for a while, because my ends have gotten too thin for my taste (because I went about 6 months between very small trims for several years), and I'd rather have them thicken and gain only a little length until it has improved.

Then, I think I'll let it grow more, trimming a small amount maybe every 3-4 months to keep the ends thick.

My hair rarely splits at the ends -- the only reason for me to trim as opposed to only S&Ding is to keep the ends thick. (It splits easily enough, but throughout the length, usually away from the ends.) The ends do have potential to get dry, but SMTs and SBCC do more to fix that than trimming does.

[lora410]

I get a trim every 6 months or so.

[Jamie Lynn 40]

Spidermom-
How much do you take off when you trim every 3 months? Do you color your hair at all? You have very pretty hair & it looks really thick. Do you use any kind of oil? Thanks for your time.
JamieLynn40

[Jamie Lynn 40]

magicatt-
How many years did it take you to get past waist? Do you use any oil? Thanks for your time.
JamieLynn40

[Honey39]

I trim every three months. Because I'm trying to grow my hair, I'm going to go for about 3/4 inch each time (my hair usually grows about two inches in three months). That kind of feels about right, it's not drastically shorter, barely noticeable, and is creeping down slowly. I kind of like the fact that I have no split ends because of the regular cutting, and my hair does seem to grow pretty fast, plus it keeps the ends even.

[EbonyCurls]

I haven't gotten my hair trimmed since May '07. The plan was to trim it every 6 months, then every year. I am still trying to get up the courage to get it trimmed and I will continue to be nervous each year until I get passed my longest length (which is BSL).

[ladyshannonanne]

I cut my hair off last November and I haven't trimmed the length since. I've had teeny tiny trims in the layers (I have an awesome stylist who actually gets it!) but I haven't even done that for six months.

I'll probably get a trim in November, but for now, my hair is doing just fine at 10 months without any real trims. Luckily, I always wear my hair up. My hemline is totally wonky, because my original haircut was a graduated bob. Oh well.

[Arctic_Mama]

I am planning on trimming every three or four months, maybe 1/4 of an inch? I am growing it out AND growing out layers so I want to trim my bottom layer up gradually until it meets my top layer, which may take awhile. I am tempted to not trim until I hit waist length in about 16 months but my hair tangles and mattes up so easily that the ends really need it. If they weren't color treated it'd be a different story.

[NeilTheFuzz]

I don't normally have a "scheduel" for trimming to stick to. I ask my girl friend to check the ends of my hair every now and then and this means I normally get a trim between 9 months and 18 months apart from each other.

Neil

[Addy]

My last trim was in May 08. The one before that was in Aug 07. I may consider a trim sometime in the new year.

[SarieQ]

I trim an inch every six months.

[gav616]

since i started growing it, never, 2 years with zero cuts.

*pats hair*

[sexyjacksparrow]

I get mine done about every six months as my hair grows slowly. If I leave it too much longer than that it gets really manky though and I end up having to have loads cut off.

[Miuku]

I don't trim when growing hair out. Not even S&D.

Nowadays I am keeping my current length and I trim once every 3 months.

[Speckla]

I last had my hair trimmed professionally in April '08. I cut my bangs and the sides of my hair too short and ended up with a mulletish cut in August. I haven't touched it with scissors or gone to a hairdresser since. I have neither the time or the money to see a stylist so I guess that is a good thing towards gaining length.

My hair is 3A/B and no one really knows how to cut it in my area.
________
Zb50 (http://www.cyclechaos.com/wiki/Honda_ZB50)

[Speckla]

Did I answer the question?

I was going every 3 months and now trying to stretch it out to every 6 months.
________
Buy grinders (http://www.vaporshop.com/grinders)