is trimming actually necessary?

[RachelRain]

the reason I ask, is I was talking to my mom today - who actually could not believe that with aloe and oil in my hair, it looked neither greasy nor crunchy - and she kept rescuing the ends from her kitten.

when I got up to get a drink, she mentioned that even though there's no splits (the only places I get splits are the shorter ones that broke about chin level, because when I tip my head forward they get caught in the joints of my glasses) I should get it trimmed because the ends won't 'stick together' like the rest of my hair.

um... even when I did used to trim them regularly, it would only 'clump together' for a week and then it was back to doing this weird jaggedy looking thing like shark teeth. I think it's just how my hair falls, since there's no damage.

so... is it *really* necessary to maintain healthy hair to trim semi regularly, or can I tell her in a polite way to zip the lip because there's no point in cutting it? I'm inclined towards the second, because I just don't see the point... it doesn't grow from the bottom, so it wouldn't necessarily help it to grow.


oh, this brings me to another question. my boyfriend bought me a 32oz jar of LouAnn's coconut oil from Walmart the other day (I only just now saw it, he hid it in the way back of the fridge) but he'd opened it to sniff it. That much will definitely end up going bad before I can use it all, so how do I know when coconut oil goes bad? it smells very faintly like butter, right now (I checked - no coconutty smell - boo). will it stink or something when it goes bad?

[ale]

In my opinion trimming is not necessary at all; in the end, if you want your hair to grow, all you have to do is not cutting it, and treat it well.
I stopped trimming a couple of years ago and I have the same amount of split ends I used to have before; I just leave them where they are, and they don't travel up like the legend says neither they make love to generate new baby splits. Now I'm happy with my fairytale ends and my hair is healthy and healthy looking.

As for the coconut oil, I can assure you it will stink when it goes bad; I've been there!

[Jenn of Pence]

There are LOTS of opinions on trimming hair! Some people prefer not to trim so as to reach the longest their hair can be. Some people trim to keep the ends uniform, and some think it helps promote growth, or at least prevent damage that can minimize growth.

As far as what your ends look like, it's a personal preference. I used to trim when my ends got "velcroey" and stuck out all over the place. Now I realize that this was probably protein buildup from my hair products, and that goes away with clarifying. So as long as my ends aren't damaged, I'm so far able to keep them looking nice. And if they look nice to me, I don't feel a need to trim! If I like fairy tale ends, I won't trim; if I decide I prefer a blunt style, I shall trim.

But as for most things hair-related, it all depends on one's personal preference!

[Rivanariko]

I think the necessity of trims depends a lot on your personal hair. Semi-regular trimming seems to help my hair and my growth simply because if I trim off the splits and the damaged hair that I cannot seem to prevent, then it's less likely to travel up the shaft (which does happen to me, maybe it's a finey thing?) or beak off farther up the length. If I do a small dusting every few months, it keeps my ends looking happy and healthy. I never cut off more than about 1/4 inch though.

I don't imagine that trims would be necessary for everyone though. If you like fairtytale ends, then they certainly wouldn't be needed! I don't think fairytales would look good on my hair, so I want to keep my hemline clean.

[breezefaerie]

I have that same giant vat of LouAnn's coconut oil and I thought it might last through next year!

My SO found it and has been using it on her sunburned skin. No peeling for her!

[RachelRain]

really? I figured oil on a burn would be like butter... big no no. I might keep that in mind if I burn this summer.

I don't mind trimming my hair - I'll snip little bits off as I notice them, when I do find splits - but for the most part ignoring the scissors seems good for my hair. I just feel like if I were to go by her definition of nice hair (read: no shark teeth hemline) then I'd need to trim it every couple weeks, and that's just ridiculous.

so, okay. I'll stick with my no trim thing and leave it alone for now. thanks :)

oh, and my hair's fine too - but I wouldn't know if it actually travels up the hair shaft because when I notice them, they're always very tiny tiny bits at the very bottom of the hair shaft... if it wasn't for the sun hitting my hair right, I'd never notice them, so I always check my hair in the kitchen as the sun sets. :)

[spidermom]

A lot of people who don't trim eventually get very thin ends because only a few hairs grow fast enough or stay on the head long enough to get very long. Trimming helps to keep the fastest growing hairs in line with the slower growing hairs.

If you don't mind having only a very few longest hairs, then no need to trim. I like a thicker bottom line, so I trim, but not very often.

By the way, you can scoop a small amount of your coconut oil to keep in your bathroom (or where ever it is that you like to use oil) and leave the rest in the refrigerator.

[Tiina]

Personally, I don't think there is anything wrong with 'sharkteeth' hemline. It's impossible for all of your hair to be of one length so some unevenness at the hemline is natural and to be expected. I don't believe trimming is necessary unless there is damage that keeps you from enjoying your hair or if you have difficulties handling it. So if your tips are not giving you a hard time, there is no need to trim them.

About split ends, usually they do not happen at the very ends of your hair but a few inches above. Are you sure what you are seeing are splits? Sometimes I get lint or dust in my hair and they can deceptively look like small splits. Other times two individual hairs have united together to pretend being a split too. :p

[RachelRain]

yeah, they're splits. if I get the rest of the hairs away from the one I'm eyeballing, I can see it splits into two, so I'll snag it. I think the only reason my very ends do this is because of the brush I use - when I had a wood brush, I didn't have splits there. now I have a plastic one with balls on the end, and that's where they are, so... I dunno. and also my glasses snagging them and snapping them.

and I was gonna keep the whole thing in the fridge just because the only air conditioner is in our bedroom, so the rest of the house is ridiculously hot during the day, but I might do that. I bought a small 1oz or so sized lip balm tub ages ago for bag balm... it should be almost empty now, I can use that. ty :)

eta: actually there have also been may times I couldn't find the split after teasing the rest away... so maybe it is more often the two hairs masquerading as one thing. interesting.

[RachelRain]

they are all roughly the same length though - I combed it out to check after reading spidermom's post (paranoia cuz I shed a LOT) - I think it's just the way they divide themselves into natural clumps or whatever.

also, thinking about it, my hair does this spiraly curlicue type thing at the ends, especially when wet, so that could be it too, I suppose.

[BrightEyes]

I think it depends on what you want. If you are going for fairy tale ends, then trimming isn't necessary. S&D's can help with splits.

If you want a blunt hemline, then trims help with that. I personally like the look of a blunt hemline. And one side of my hair grows faster than the other. So to keep my ends blunt, even, and healthy I trim regularly. It does mean that I don't get length gains as quickly. But I'm all about health over length.

[HintOfMint]

The only reason to keep up trimming healthy undamaged hair is if parts of your hair grow faster than the rest. Then a periodic shaping is called for. Other than that possibility, there's no real reason to trim hair when there's no damage.

[Capybara]

Yes and no. The truth is, if you do have split hairs, they can't fix themselves. I trim rarely - about once a year, maybe once every nine months - but I have to S&D in between to make sure the splits don't travel up my hair.

If you're satisfied with your hemline, there's no need to trim :shrug: I know of a few people who only S&D, and get beautiful (albeit a tad unusual in today's world, sadly) results. That being said, a friend of mine went from classic to waist because she had foregone trims for years (read: decades). If it is compromising the health of your hair to not trim, I would say to trim. But, if you don't need it ... you don't have to :)

[ericthegreat]

This isn't a question that can be answered with a simple yes or no, because of one very important reason. No one person has the same exact kind of hair. Some people have very thick, strong hair that is practically resistant to any kind of damage and other people have very fine, thin hair that is naturally more prone to breakage and damage.

I have very coarse, thick hair. I myself do get regular trims and I also do S&D my hair from time to time, but this is because I want to keep a straight, one-length hemline. I have gone without trims for several months before in the past, and my ends didn't suffer all that much. But they did grow out uneven, which I hate so this is why I get my hair trimmed.

For those people who naturally have finer, thinner hair trimming really becomes necessary because it helps to get rid of damaged, split ends. By getting rid of these damaged ends, they will have healthier hair overall and it may actually allow their hair to gain even more length because the ends are NOT breaking off.

[Ivy~Rose]

I have the LouAna tub too--but I use it on my hair, on my skin, and sometimes in cooking, so I will definitely go through it this year!

Aside from S&Ds--which I only do when I notice the split and I have scissors in my hand--I usually go 1-3 years between trims, just because I don't have a need. I trimmed in February because the splits were getting obnoxious and making my ends frizz, my last trim had been two years prior. I baby my ends :p

[tinti]

I don't need trimming that often, I go half a year or 8 months without trimming. Never tried go over that 8 month line though.

[RachelRain]

well, I know the last time I got a trim was when I had to lop off 8 inches roughly a year ago. they still look pretty good to me. :shrug: but I don't trust hairdressers. my mom's current stylist is a very chatty vietnamese woman with hair a few inches longer than mine, so I assume if she saw it and figured it needed a trim she'd tell me. maybe I'll get a snip done just as a precaution. hm.

I'm not a huge fan of oils on my skin... but I might try the coconut oil instead of the soybean and canola that I've been using in my salt scrubs. thanks for that idea :) I can't believe I didn't think of that already lol.

[jane53]

Trimming isn't NECESSARY. It's a choice.

I choose to trim.

My hair goes from hip length to tailbone and back. I love my trims. They keep me from CUTTING it all off.

Just for example, I'd let my hair get almost to tailbone this past week and it was driving me crazy. I was having fantasies of cutting it to mid-back---unheard of for me.

I got 3 inches trimmed off and it's back to hip length and I'm delighted with it again and not considering a big chop.

[Rini]

I was just thinking about the same thing today! I think my hair needs a trim because I have some damage on the ends and it is tangling all the time now. I keep putting it off though (been busy!) and now I wonder what would happen if I just didn't bother for a couple of years until I get back to Australia. I'd just have to wear my hair up I guess :shrug:

Slightly OT, this comment made me laugh!! So endearingly Italian :inlove:



I stopped trimming a couple of years ago and I have the same amount of split ends I used to have before; I just leave them where they are, and they don't travel up like the legend says neither they make love to generate new baby splits.

[spidermom]

My splits travel. I've found them open as much as 2-4 inches. I also find little "twigs" sticking out of a hair even higher up than that from time to time, and I imagine that is from the split traveling upward, the end breaking off the weaker side.

PS - my hair dries in ropey strands if I don't comb it.

[RachelRain]

mine dries in snarly clumps if I don't brush it :) it's why I brush it wet now. but, that said, if I *comb* it, it turns into hundreds of thin little tendrils. is that what you meant by ropey strands, spidermom?

I much appreciate all the info - I've cut my own hair since I was 15, so I don't intend to let anyone else touch it with scissors (except my boyfriend, to make sure it's completely even), but I will make sure to comb it out next time I bring my mom to her hairdresser so she can do a quick check and let me know if I should or not. :) thanks everyone.

[Aleria]

I think I've found that I need a trim once a year, only because my ends get crunchy and dry. I think if you're happy with the way they are, your hair doesn't need it. After all, once it leaves your scalp, it's all dead anyway.

[Prettyeyes23]

I choose to trim about every 6 or 8 months for only one reason, and that is to keep my blunt ends.

[Marika]

I don't think trimming is necessary. I can't even remember when I had my last trim!:D My last professional trim was in September 2002. Yeah, I have split ends but I would have them even if I trimmed my hair regularly every week or so. It's always been like that and always will... Heck, if I wanted my hair to be completely split-free, I'd be bald :laugh:. That's why I don't even S&D anymore because I just don't see the point. My hair looks pretty ok to me (and it still grows) even though I have split ends. Lately I have thought about cutting my hair back to waist length but that's just because it would be easier to handle then. Having said that, I don't think I'm really going to cut my hair. I just love long hair too much to do it...:)