How'd you get rid of damage - big cut or small trims over time?

[trinc]

So let's suppose you have APL hair, with new grown virgin hair for about 10cm. the other part is quite damaged. would you cut to shoulder length and then start to grow out (and have small trims on the way? Or would you keep the length and trim regularly, so that the damage grows out and the length at the same time remains? Which option is better for hair?

I thought I don't like myself with shorter hair (shoulder length for me is shorter than I ever have had!). I had almost BSL and cut it to APL the other day. And I realized how much better my ends are and how it's nice to have healthier hair even if it's not very long. now I'm contemplating giving it another cut, to cut it even shorter! :)

[FrannyG]

Well, if you've already cut it to APL and you're not used to shoulder length hair, I would suggest that you not cut it again. Rather, I suggest regular small trims. If you cut it to shoulder, your updo options are decreased severely. Also, you might really dislike your hair being shorter than you're used to, and that may turn out to be not so good for how you feel about yourself.

I did a real number on my hair a couple of years ago and I cut it off to just below the shoulder eventually. That still didn't get rid of all the damage, so I have been trimming off 1/2 inch every 3 months. That way, my hair is still growing (I'm about 1/2 inch away from bottom of BSL--longer than in my siggy photo), but the damage is disappearing, and my ends always feel good, despite the fact that I still have a few inches of damage to cut out.

Having said all that, it's your hair, your choice, and I'm only giving an opinion. Good wishes on whatever you decide. :blossom:

[DivineComedian]

Trinc, your hair sounds a bit like mine in terms of the length and damage. I usually just have a very small trim every 6 weeks or so, but I sometimes wait a bit longer. I think though it really depends on the person (obviously) and whether you'd want to have significantly shorter hair or not. Hope this helps, good luck. :)

[jeanniet]

I started out with about 3" of damaged ends--nothing really bad, but dry, brittle, and some splits--and now I'm down to 2" or less. I started oiling often and do a dusting of 1/8-1/4" every month. It takes time doing it this way, but the damaged hair does slowly go, and I'm not really losing any length. Once I get to goal (waist), I plan to maintain and work on getting completely healthy ends before I decide on the next step.

[spidermom]

I usually start out with small trims, but I always reach a point of being tired of fighting with my hair, then I get the big whack.

[angelfell]

I often wonder this same thing. Actually, I ponder daily. I have a few inches of perm left and part of me just wants to chop it off and start over fresh (which would bring me to about shoulder length), and then the other part of me doesn't want to set back the growth, and just wants to trim every 6-8 weeks. I'm battling with myself daily. But if you already chopped a good bit off, I'd go with trimming from there.

[renarok]

When I joined LHC I had a little more than APL hair with a lot of layering. I have only trimmed the bottom about a half inch to an inch at a time. I still have those layers sort of. My hair is very wavy so it really doesn't matter. I am at hip length now and don't plan to get longer for now. I will continue to trim generously and maybe the layers will grow out. Who knows? I will also on occasion strain my poor eyes with a S&D session, but not often enough.

[Bianca]

I had BSL damaged hair from bleach. Decided to grow it out. Cut it to shoulder + had small trims for about a year.

Now i'm at shoulder with almost all virgin hair. I dont mind the blonde ends here and there, looks natural. So the growing towards hip can begin :D

[BrightEyes7]

I did a 3" trim. Then I did microtrims for a while. Then another 3" trim. Then microtrims. Then last week I did another 3" trim. So next week I'll start with mircrotrims again.

This way I've been pretty much maintaining at waist (well kinda going back and forth between waist and hip) but I've grown a lot of damage out. My hemline has thickened and I have virtually no taper in my braids... which makes me so happy!! XD

[RachieBaby]

I'd say go with small trims to be honest :) thats what im doing to get rid of the last of my damage and this way I still get to keep some length. I've pretty much gotten rid of nearly all the damage, so now im trying not to trim till December :)

[aenflex]

small trims every 4-6 weeks until damage is gone. Thankfully I think I've had most of it cut out now...heat damage that is. Two months ago was the last time I used semi-perm box dye but am Henndigo-ing over that from now on.

[pepperminttea]

I've tried both ways - I had a big cut from BSL+ to a chin length bob to get rid of my dye and perm damage, that was a disaster. It was really nice to have the tangly ends gone (this was pre-LHC so I had no idea how to baby ends and such like), but I found the adjustment really hard. Growing out layers, I've been trimming 2-3" about once a year for the past three years, and I think in one more trim (just 1" this time) it'll be all freshly cut ends, one length. That was much less traumatic, and I could keep styling as usual along the way. It did make me feel rather self-conscious about wearing it down though, as my hemline was a bit odd looking for a while.

I'd actually try trimming a little more often than I did, and a little less each time. It really depends on you; do you like having shorter hair as well as long? I really hated chin length, so it wasn't great, but if you enjoy that length too, it might be a different matter. :)

[EverydayMiracle]

I *really* wanted to cut mine out over time, maybe a cm at a time. The ends have been bothering me for a while, and I didn't trust a stylist with them, nor did I trust myself to trim until two nights ago. I cannot do a good S&D without excellent lighting and I just don't have access to it when it's convenient (like when my daughter is in bed). So last night I cut off most of my really damaged ends. It came to about an inch. I can still reach behind my back at elbow height and grab my ends without stretching. Not *quite* waist length, but I'll make the length up soon enough. I still feel terrible about it, though.

I do have color still in my hair from last September. If I cut it all out right now my hair would come to just below my chin, I believe. At the same time as the coloring (my wedding day), my hair was also heavily layered. There is a lot of "stuff" that I need to cut out of my hair (layers, damage, dye, etc), but I want to do it a little bit at a time. The urge to get to virgin is pretty strong, and my hair grows *fast* compared to most (I will reach my first big mini-goal most likely by August 2011, the goal being classic. My ultimate goal is knees).

My advice is to not make yourself uncomfortable. If you're happier taking off a centimeter a month, do that. If you're comfortable cutting it all out, do that. I would never be able to chop mine :(

[jojo]

Id go for small trims like monthly dustings but if my hair was a few inches damaged being the perfectionist I am id chop all damage off!

[FrannyG]

Id go for small trims like monthly dustings but if my hair was a few inches damaged being the perfectionist I am id chop all damage off!

That's exactly what I used to do. However, I have learned to live with imperfection over the last couple of years, and it's been such a relief. It's also been among the hardest things I've ever done.

[KittyLost]

I go for a big cut! Because I don't have the patience or money to do little trims to keep the length. I'd rather go for the full chop to get rid of it all and start afresh :)

[Clarisse]

I'd get rid of the most damaged part now (maybe about 4 cm), and trim about 2-3 cm 3-4 times a year until all the damage is gone. I'm growing out layers at the moment this way :)

[aksown]

I vote for the small trims too. The issue I usually have with getting a big chop is complacency. I get the chop, have really nice ends and forget that they need upkeep so I have velcro a few months later. The small trims, although slower, help me a lot more than chopping. Hope that helps!

[constantki]

I would go with small trims. :)

[Sammich]

Sick of my thin, and quite damaged ends(from super layers)... I cut mine off when the pesky layers were about BSL, and my basic overall length at waist.
I was getting sick of the small trims! xD But hey, I'm a very impulsive, impatient person. Not sure if that'll work for you, but I love it. The softness is amazing.

[AspenSong]

Do whatever you're more comfortable with...If you have a small trim and want more off, you can always take more!

Personally, I'm a "get it gone" girl. I let mine grow about to mid-back/nearly waist when I cut off the 8" of formerlly dyed, breaking, split and damaged hair I had. I missed alllll that length gone, BUT, suddenly my hair wasn't tangly and a pain anymore. And here, about 8 months later...my ends look pretty good, and I rarely find a split ever. So for me personally, it was worth it to get it over with!

[JuneBride]

I am still working on it...but I do small trims over time because I couldn't part with length (seeing as how I didn't/don't have much)...I am still working on it all...see my Hair Journey album on my profile :) Good Luck!!

[MissManda]

I think you should do what would make you feel comfortable. If you decide to go for smaller trims, you could do one big trim immediately and then do smaller trims every month until you feel you need another big trim.

I have self-trimmed my hair twice now and even though my hemline is far from perfect, it looks a lot better and my taper and layers are starting to disappear. The first time I trimmed, I got rid of my scraggly ends and to be honest I don't know how much I cut off because the ends were so thin, but it must have been at least three inches. Then in September I trimmed 3/4" and my ends feel so much nicer for it. Since my hair grows quite fast, I have regained what I cut off and my hair is almost hip length (more like full waist since I have a U-shaped hem).

Speaking of trims, I'm pretty much due for my next micro trim.

[McFearless]

I do a little bit of both. Its expensive to get small trims so often and can be a waste of money if you get so little cut off. I don't know how to trim hair myself so I usually cut off a few inches. Healthy hair tangles way less so I keep more hair in the long run

[MandyBeth]

I'm doing the microtrims often. Mainly because now at barely SL, I can finally start to get my hair pulled back or up, which protects the ends from more damage and means the days I hate it, I can put it up and ignore it. For me to get rid of the damage entirely, it'd be cut to a pixie and I don't want to grow that out again. I just trim off 1/4" - 1/2" when the ends get too velcro-y even after a clarifying wash and an SMT treatment. Otherwise, trim the splits if I can see them, but otherwise, ignore, ignore, ignore....

[HintOfMint]

I was an all or nothing kind of girl, so I went for the big hack. I had SERIOUS damage though, and I used to have short hair so it was an easy decision for me and not too dramatic of a change.
It was really nice having all my hair be healthy though, despite the length.

[princessp]

I haven't trimmed at all and it looks like my damage is subsiding from: Henna, silk pillow and silk sleeping cap, CWC, occasional coconut oiling, and wearing it up a lot with a ficcare, sticks, or fork.

[trinc]

thanks for all the replies and ideas! it was really interesting to read! :)

I see that most of the answers are rather conservative, going for the small trims. I used to think that way too. Until I cut this last 5cm off and my hair is sooooo much better, healthier. But what is tempting me to try another cut of 5cm, to SL, is the fact that it's once in a lifetime opportunity to TRY having so short hair. because my goal is definitely long hair, and after I get rid of the most horrible damage, I will be going for the length and no way I'm gonna cut it that short then!

so I'm thinking I will give it a go :) just to try it out. even if it's pain to have that short hair, I've calculated that I will have that 10cm grown back by March or so. so it's just half a year :) I've managed to suffer from hair damage for so long, so I think I can manage some more months of "not perfect hair" :)

so I'm gonna cut tonight! :cheese:

[Henrietta]

Small trims for me. Maybe I'd have to change the tactic and cut about 2 inches of hair at once. So far I am as fast with the trimming as the damage with travelling up.

[julliams]

Small trims definitely. I had a similar dilemma as I'm trying to grow out layers and everyone here advised me to hang on to the length. I'm so glad I did.

[torrilin]

I have chopped back to pixie (despite it looking horrible on me) more than once to avoid having to deal with damage. Pixie to shoulder length is hideous to grow out. Once I hit chin length bob going to shoulder length is not so bad. But... I loathe bangs, and I loathe how I look in a pixie, so I'd rather grow the pixie into an all one length bob and then start heading downwards.

I'm also not super-perfectionist about damage. My hair naturally sun-bleaches and in general is pretty flexible about its color. It also handles dye damage relatively well. So I don't worry about that sort of thing very much. Perm damage, heat damage and mechanical damage are things my hair doesn't handle at all well. Those... it's worth a chop if I've made such a stupid error.

So in your shoes... I'd chop if the ends are still splitting and making my life hell.

[Bonkers57]

That's me all over! I chopped off my bleached ends and now have all virgin hair. Now, all I have to do is get dusted every few months or so; the worst is done.

The majority on this thread seem to favor micro-trims, though. You have to do what you feel comfortable with. I had no qualms about the big chop, but you might feel differently.

P.S. I love Buster!


I usually start out with small trims, but I always reach a point of being tired of fighting with my hair, then I get the big whack.


I go for a big cut! Because I don't have the patience or money to do little trims to keep the length. I'd rather go for the full chop to get rid of it all and start afresh :)

[jenjen10]

I ended up frying my hair a few years back (tried removing really stubborn hair dye) and cut it from BSL to chin length. I then grew it out from there but did regular cuts to remove the remaining damage.

My only regret is not trying to see if henna could revive the damaged parts before cutting it (I doubt that it could have been "saved" but wish I had at least tried that route)... otherwise, I would do it the same way again. I really missed the length and it has seemed to take FOREVER to regain my length but it is so much healthier now so I am glad I did it.

[RadiantNeedle]

I advocate the small trims. Keeping the length will mean that you can wear it in protective hairstyles that not only reduce further damage but disguise any variations in tone and texture between your treated and untreated hair.

[Elliarya]

I used to have really really damaged hair, but I couldn't stand the idea of cutting all the damaged bits out.. I've been growing out the damage for about a year with a 1 inch trim every 4 or 5 months. This time last year, my hair was just above my elbow. It is now quite a few inches longer and I have nearly no split ends... the last time I got it cut, the hairdresser was shocked that it had grown 5 inches in 4 months.. I was just happy to have healthy hair!

So yeah, I recommend little trims.

[jojo]

That's exactly what I used to do. However, I have learned to live with imperfection over the last couple of years, and it's been such a relief. It's also been among the hardest things I've ever done.

You know though Franny, every time I bite the bullet and just chop (never more than 2" tops) its grows back twice as quick.

[KittyLost]

thanks for all the replies and ideas! it was really interesting to read! :)

I see that most of the answers are rather conservative, going for the small trims. I used to think that way too. Until I cut this last 5cm off and my hair is sooooo much better, healthier. But what is tempting me to try another cut of 5cm, to SL, is the fact that it's once in a lifetime opportunity to TRY having so short hair. because my goal is definitely long hair, and after I get rid of the most horrible damage, I will be going for the length and no way I'm gonna cut it that short then!

so I'm thinking I will give it a go :) just to try it out. even if it's pain to have that short hair, I've calculated that I will have that 10cm grown back by March or so. so it's just half a year :) I've managed to suffer from hair damage for so long, so I think I can manage some more months of "not perfect hair" :)

so I'm gonna cut tonight! :cheese:

Good Luck! Don't forget to post pictures when you're done :)

[Cheeks1206]

If I were trimming (which I'm not at the moment, but will be soon-ish) I would just cut a small amount at a time. I guess it depends on your goals, but I'm assuming just by the fact that you're posting here that you plan on growing your hair out and would like to retain some length. That said, you did mention you enjoy the shorter length. If I were in your situation and I had already cut a lot of length I think I would go slow from that point and do smaller trims for a while. If you decide you like it and want to go shorter you can and you'll feel better about the decision after having thought on it for a while. As for me, when I do start trimming I think I'll do a small amount on the solstic/eqinox. It seems like that should make it easy to remember when my last trim was.

[daydreamer]

I had a lot of old dye damage myself and did the small trims for the most part. I grew out to waist, then maintained at waist for about a year -- then finally chopped the last 3 or 4 inches of damage some months ago and have grown back out to waist currently. Oh yes, and a lot of S&D in between! I think the smaller trims help, since you can still feel like you're making progress.

[cleanbug]

I had bsl hair 5 years ago. i was tired of it box dyed black so i tried getting it bleached out. it lightened to a nice med/brown/auburn color but was very damaged.
i ended up cutting it back to shoulder length & then not too much after that cut it into a pixie because i couldn't stand the feel of the damage.
i ended up liking it that way for a while so i kept it short & blond for a while & then decided that i wanted it long again.
http://i980.photobucket.com/albums/ae286/cleanbug/blond2jpgw560h601.jpg
i had about 2" of hair in my pixie cut so i used boxed color one last time & made it a medium/dark brown & then switched over to henna & started to grow it.

well, that 2" of formerly blond, then boxed brown, really didn't feel the same as virgin hair with henna only over it.
because i was really tired of it short i put up with the damaged ends & gradually it got cut out as i grew it & periodically trimmed it to give it shape.
heres a pic you can see the damaged slightly lighter ends are a brighter red.
http://i980.photobucket.com/albums/ae286/cleanbug/henna.jpg
by this point
http://i980.photobucket.com/albums/ae286/cleanbug/aajpgw180h217.jpg
the damage was all cut out.
and here http://i980.photobucket.com/albums/ae286/cleanbug/lhc_oct8_10jpgw180h259.jpg
is where im at now.
sorry if the pics are too big.

Long story short (too late, i know) if it is very damaged (like mine was when i went from black to medium brown), i would do a big chop. If there is only a few inches of damage & you like updos, i would put up with it so you still have more variety on hairstyles & eventully, the last little bit will get cut out with trims.

[trinc]

cleanbug you have beautiful hair!!! so interesting to watch your progress and the outcome is astonishing!!

I will try to take the pictures and upload, to show how my cut went! I'm quite happy - the hair looks so much healthier! :)

[Henrietta]

Did I mention about small trims?:D Yesterday I did one. I am happy with it:D I know I am closer to having healthy ends, I do not really feel like having shorter hair... Everything is fine:)

[cleanbug]

cleanbug you have beautiful hair!!! so interesting to watch your progress and the outcome is astonishing!!

I will try to take the pictures and upload, to show how my cut went! I'm quite happy - the hair looks so much healthier! :)
thank you. happy growing to you.