I've decided not to trim my hair until I reach my goal length, how bad is this?

[rosieex3]

So my attitude has always been "I'd rather have long, damaged hair and get micro-trims at my goal length then short and healthy hair." Yes my hair is damaged, but without heat styling I manage to make it look healthy and cover up the damage. My ends feel damaged (they feel very rough), but I don't necessarily see too many split ends. My last trim was two months ago after damaging my hair pretty badly. I want my waist length hair to get to at least belly-button length until i start trimming it and maintaining it, but what worries me is how people say that split ends will keep on splitting upward. So if I don't trim my hair, eventually my whole entire head will contain split ends, and even my virgin hair coming in will become damaged? Would there even be a point in getting micro-trims if I have splits that would require me to cut off a lot of hair? This whole concept worries me, has anyone ever not trimmed their hair for awhile, has split ends, but the condition of their hair didn't worsen? Thanks!

[Barniie]

Well, i'm not much help, but i would suggest that you cut off a good half inch, maybe in the next few months time, then not trim for about 4 months, and micro trims onwards. That would destroy all current split ends, and stop them coming in later on. Hope i could help!

[HintOfMint]

I'm afraid, I'm going to have to corroborate the "damage spreads upward," story. When hair is damaged or rough, they fray and tangle, if they don't break off entirely leaving more frayed ends, and as they are untangled, break further, fray further... you get the picture. I once didn't trim for 9 months and I had damage up to my collarbone. The underlayer of my hair had spontaneously layered itself from splits and breakage.

Try S&D, if you don't want the trims. That should stave off any damage before it gets worse and that should help you put off trims before your goal length.

[Oskimosa]

Totally subjective.

I do one every year; have done it that way for a long time. How easily does your hair get damaged? Mine doesn't travel up so much; the only damage I have apart from some splits is from heat. Bubbles don't travel up, really. So, I don't know that it's such a bad thing. I was reading on an anniversary thread that Hypnotica gets one only 4 years, if I'm not mistaken, and she has ridiculously gorgeous hair. And there HintofMint had damage spread way on up the shaft in just 9 months. So, again, subjective.

Go with it and see if you can hold out. You might be fine, or you might get so much damage you cave and do a huge trim; but I doubt you'd lose more length that way than if you trimmed all along.

[HintOfMint]

Ah, I guess I should add that during those 9 months, I did not S&D either.

Oskimosa is right about the individuality of each head of hair. Much of my damage was from friction and tangles from wearing it down, so I can see how that particular damage feeds into itself and accumulates. I can see how this is different from the heat damage that Oskimosa describes, granted, if the damage doesn't lead to more tangles and fraying.

What would you say has caused the damage you have now?

[lesbia]

I do exactly this. When i was at bsl I decided not to trim until I'll reach tailbone which is my goal, and then trim a bit every mounth...this means avoid trim for years. I think this is the faster way to have long hair, but also we have to pay an enormous attention to split ends. I avoid them with search&destroy when necessary and with updos 90% of time.

After a year I can say that this is the best method for me to have long hair. Of course I'm not layered or blunt but I can just have fairytale ends, but i love them and it's not a problem for me!

Try to cut off all your split ends with s&d(in this way you don't modify your lenght), and then take care of your hair. In this way you have not damaged ends and you can let them grow without cut for a long period of time!

Good grow! :)

[Long_hair_guy]

I believe I went 3 or 4 years without getting a trim. After those four years I only had around an inch of damaged hair which I had cut off.

I didn't think about my hair all those hairs (most of you would be shocked on how badly I dealt with my hair)

[Angeletti]

I haven't trimmed since 2007, I only do the search and destroy method and so far I just have thinner fairytale ends, nothing drastic that I can't fix when I reach my goal length. I haven't noticed splits traveling up or anything, so hopefully it will work for you if you start going without a trim

[HairColoredHair]

I only do S&D (Search and Destroy, picking out individually damaged/split hairs and snipping them). And I only do this when my hair is noticeably damaged. But it's kept my hair in perfectly decent condition despite not having an actual trim/cut for... um... six years?

[Henrietta]

I do the same. I decided to trim when I will be at TBL. So it will be two and a half year without trimming. Meanwhile I decided to grow to knee, but the trim time didin't change.
It's not that bad, I think. But the most important thing it to don't let the splits to go up. Find a good thing. Magic condish, BBB, some oils... This way you won't have much more damage when you will be at your goal langth.
I prefer to cut 3 inches once when I will be at TBL than 1/4 inch every month through 2 1/2 years.

[mellie89]

Judging from your profile picture, your damage doesn't look too bad. You should be fine as long as you trim the split hairs. (I get half-inch trims every 3 or 4 months because my ends get too thin for my liking if I don't. I just like to have a blunt hemline.)

[rosieex3]

Thank you all very much for your replies! So, I could probably get by with S&D it seems? Which is taking a little chunk of hair, looking at each strand individually, and cutting off the split end that I see on it? Sounds like a lot of work, but worth it! LOL. My damage is from color and color removers, definitely. (Which I am now giving up for good! I'm pretty sure I'm addicted to dying my hair, so I need to just stop cold turkey.) And probably some rough handling. I've always used a very minimum amount of heat on my hair, so thats not so much an issue.

[hemolymph]

For me, personally, I have to get trims.. at least every 10 weeks. When my hair starts getting long, and if I don't trim it, I eventually get tired of all the tangles and have it cut short again.
But then again I've always dyed my hair. Perhaps when it's all virgin I won't need trims as often.

[MissMB]

I trim mine about 2 to 3 times a year. I would say in my 7 1/2 years of growing, it only took one extra year to grow since I was trimming it. I don't know much about hair breakage and how it works, but I can't imagine how it wouldn't have a snowballing effect if one were to not trim it. Maybe there are treatments or something??

Anyway good luck with your growth.