To trim or not to trim?

[CanadaSquirrel]

I've heard from so many hairdressers over the years variants of this: "If you want your hair to grow, you need a trim every six to eight weeks."

Is that bunk? Or is it worth doing if one wants their hair to get long, long, long?

What has been your experience concerning trimming or not trimming?

And has anyone heard of the term "fairytail ends"? I read that on another hair board but couldn't find a definition of what it means. I figured that it meant something to do with thin ends on the hair from never trimming, but I'm not sure.

[RachieBaby]

I think i depends how damaged your hair is to be honest... im going to try to go to December without a trim (last trim in August) just to see what my length will be. I think by December my ends will probably need 'tidying up" though :)

[christine1989]

Oh yes, fairytale ends are usually the result of inferquent or no trims (although not everyone gets them). They just mean thin, taipered, scraggly ends. As for trimming frequently, you really don't need to trim that often. You may not even need to trim at all if you are not prone to split ends.

[pepperminttea]

Trimming will do exactly what trims do; cut your ends, neaten the hemline a little, and make your ends that bit softer to the touch and less tangly (compared to ends that haven't been trimmed in some time). It won't make your hair grow any faster; that's most definitely myth, probably spread by hairdressers who need to keep hold of their paying customers. The average person gets about half an inch of growth a month, so trimming that often will simply keep you at the same hair length, if not shorten your hair.

How often you trim your hair is entirely personal, but I only do it when my hair feels like it needs it, which for me is about every 9-12 months, though I think most trim a little more often, around the 6-9 months mark. I also do S&D missions (search and destroy), looking through my ends and trimming off individual split ends as and when I find them with a pair of scissors kept purely for that purpose, which helps me go longer without a full trim whilst keeping my hair healthy.

Fairytale ends often look like a deep V-shaped hemline, soft and wispy at the edges, much like long-haired fairytale characters. They can be the result of no trimming, but sometimes also from damage, hence their mixed reputation. (I rather like how soft they look, though I don't have them myself.)

[CanadaSquirrel]

I used to have an insane amount of split ends. I'd sit there and pick at them in the sunlight when I saw them, and I'd get all my hair trimmed every few months. For the past few years or so I've not had many at all, yet my hair looks ratty. I wonder if it's coz of individual hairs growing at different rates and so I've got lots of uneven hair sticking out all over the place.

[Angeletti]

For the most part it's a myth, cutting your hair does not make it grow any faster. If you have splits that travel up the hair length and your ends are consantly breaking off then trimming would help prevent your hair from breaking off in length, but I don't really see how your hair follicle is going to grow faster if the tip of the hair is cut off. It sound like a way for hair dressers to make more money.

I haven't cut my hair in over three years and it's the longest it's ever been, so I just laugh when people try telling me that since I take such good care of my hair and hardly have any splits. As for fairytale ends I currently have them, I'm not the biggest fan of them because I would like my hair to be a little thicker at the ends, but I will fix that once I reach goal.

[<3OnHerSleeve]

my hair grew fastest when I didn't trim my hair for 2-3 years. after that it's been very slow going since I'd every now and then have a trim. the hairdressers cut out all progress everytime. I'd say, get half-way to your goal before you trim. And preferably by a friend who's a hairdresser if you have one, because once I read an article that pointed out if you style ur hair short you require trims frequently to keep it that length, therefore hairdressers lose out if your growing your hair out as you don't want frequent trims cutting out your progress. Hairdressers therefore have an agenda so make sure it's someone you trust with ur hair.

[jojo]

I trim every 3 months normally, and I take roughly 1/4" off, I did miss a few months and then ended up taking 1.5" off so trimming for me is necessary. Although trimming doesn't make your hair grow, it gets rid of damaged ends so it helps retain length, therefore you could be 20 inches and grow 1/2" a month but if your ends break off say a 1/4 of an inch, you may think your a slow grower, when in fact your an average grower, its not until you trim the damage off that you get your normal 1/2" and then it makes you think you have grown quicker, so you equate trimming to faster growth, when in fact all your doing is retaining the length! does that make sense?

Fairy ends are what happens when the ends of hair are left untrimmed or when hair reaches terminal length and are the result of hair growing unequally on the hem (all hair no matter what length, grows unequally) so the hemline has various different length hairs, the opposite of freshly cut blunt ends, I quite like the look of fairy ends myself. HTH x

[CanadaSquirrel]

Oh, definitely, I never thought the hairdressers meant that trimming the hair causes it to grow faster. I know they're insinuating that we need to keep the dead ends trimmed off lest they break and cause the hair to appear to shrink or not get longer very quickly.

But, I do wonder, does the hair really break off that much if you don't trim it?

[Emerald88]

On average, I trim my hair 2-3 times a year. In most cases, if you trim every 6 weeks, you will get little if any growth. If you are trying to thicken your hemline or improve the overall health if you have splits, you could trim that often until you are happy with the condition and then go longer between trims to achieve more length.

[Amraann]

When and how much you trim depends on your hair.
6-8 weeks is not entirely accurate.
Unless your just maintaining a style or length.

If you have seriously split ends then trimming every couple of months will help rid your hair of those.
Not all split ends mean hair is breaking.

Really you just need to evaluate your hair.
Is it breaking?
Just some splits? Is your hair routine working?

Fairy ends are not only from breaking some are from S&D's

Once my hair is past my waist I do not care if my hemline is perfectly straight.
It is just a personal preference thing.

[x0h_bother]

My hair length has suffered from trims. The health has been better with frequent trims though, as the splits are cut off and hair is less tangly. But legnthwise no trims only make it shorter. The only issue I have with no trims is the fairytale aspect, because each hair grows different rate, so some grow faster, leaving pointy ends. So eventually trims will be needed to even the hemline. Basically I only get more thick growth without trims insofar as my shortest ends grow, the rest are pointy fairytale ends.

[CanadaSquirrel]

My hair length has suffered from trims. The health has been better with frequent trims though, as the splits are cut off and hair is less tangly. But legnthwise no trims only make it shorter. The only issue I have with no trims is the fairytale aspect, because each hair grows different rate, so some grow faster, leaving pointy ends. So eventually trims will be needed to even the hemline. Basically I only get more thick growth without trims insofar as my shortest ends grow, the rest are pointy fairytale ends.

Are you saying that "no trims" only make it shorter, or are you saying, "No - trims only make it shorter"?

[torrilin]

I do find that trims help my growth... but not the way you're making out.

I have really fine hair. Historically it's been very straight and very fragile. Split ends happen easily. If splits are happening, they need to be cut off, since they can and do travel up the hair shaft, and splits tend to lead to impressive tangles. Impressive tangles lead to breakage, and breakage leads to... more splits.

The better a job I do on handling my hair gently, the fewer splits I get. But I still get them, and they do need to be cut off... and for me, it's better to have someone else do it.

[Eire]

I used to go to the hairdresser every 8 weeks to have my hair trimmed, since I thought that would help it grow. I told her to cut 1/2 "at a time, but after a year my hair was just the same length it had always been, if not shorter (I have a feeling the half-inch turned into an inch or more nearly every time).

Now I self trim or have a friend trim every 4-6 months, just to even out the hemline. In the meantime, I treat my hair gently to reduce splits and breakage -- I stopped blow drying, using heat, etc. and no longer *needed* the trim so frequently. In 1 year my hair grew from APL to nearly waist, and is in the best shape it's ever been. So I don't think trims every 8 weeks are necessary if you're taking steps to not spit your ends. Sometimes a quick S&D is all you need for splits anyway, without having to lose any length.

[Anlbe]

If I don't trim my hair gets shorter. It's dry and damaged and if I don't trim the ends split and then the splits just travel upwards. I trim individual split ends all the time but still need to trim every 8-12 weeks in order for my hair to get longer. If I forget it'll just stay the same length or actually get shorter. But that's just me.

[Amraann]

If I don't trim my hair gets shorter. It's dry and damaged and if I don't trim the ends split and then the splits just travel upwards. I trim individual split ends all the time but still need to trim every 8-12 weeks in order for my hair to get longer. If I forget it'll just stay the same length or actually get shorter. But that's just me.

Lets say on average your hair grows 1 inch a month.
So if you go in every 2 -3 months and only have an inch trimmed you have still gained 1-2 inches of length.

I am just throwing this out there so OP knows she can trim her hair while still growing. :)

[Mexibeach]

I vote for never trim. LOL