Leave in and trim help.

[shockinglength]

Hi everyone! I havn't been on here for a LONG time but anyways. My hair is growing long and strong =D However its been a bit dry, so I bought the Live Clean (Fresh Water) Leave In Conditioner. I havn't used it yet. Will a leave in help my hair alot now that its gotten quite long? Also the last time I had my hair cut was April 2nd. I don't know if I should cut soon or wait until August. How can I tell when my hair needs to be cut??? Thanks!

[pinkbunny]

I microtrim about every 5 weeks or so. I may cut more to even hemline or fight split ends, but not MUCH more. lol :D My hair lets me know when it's time - my ends start looking terrible!

As for leave-ins, just pay attention to how your hair reacts to it. If it helps, use it as needed. I've gone through a few different brands to find some that work...

[SpeakingEZ]

Are you trimming out damage? If you are, I like to trim at slightly less than the rate it's growing. So I might gain an inch this year.

If you're not growing out any damage, you might be able to get away with a microtrim every 3-6 months. Really, your hair will tell you when you need it. When you just clarified and your ends feel grabby, it's time to trim.

It's all damage, though, as far as I see it. For me, extremely grabby ends happen much more frequently when I leave my hair down too often, over brush, don't oil enough, etc., but I am still growing out a massive amount of heat damage.

[pepperedmoth]

Well, it depends on your hair.

I use a leave-in- just my Mane'n'Tail conditioner than I only partly rinse out. Works for me. YMMV.

I trim when my ends get dry, crinkly, wispy, and full of splits. Again, YMMV.

[GoddesJourney]

I S&D when I get too many split ends. I can usually tell this needs to happen because my hair starts tangling and grabbing itself into little mini dreads toward the ends. When I've done plenty of S&Ds and it's starting to happen to frequently, I trim. I know a lot of people here are only willing to trim 1/16 of and inch or so, but I like to really trim, like a 1/2 inch to 2 1/2 inches. Part of this is because I'm growing out damage.

If you have just dryness but no split ends, a leave in or a hair lotion or oil will do you wonders. Protein is often good for things like chemically damaged hair, like chlorine from the pool or chemical dye. If these things don't work, trim a 1/2 inch.