If you don't trim your hair- is it unhealthy?

[Dreamkitty]

:) I have trimmed my hair since last July. Will split ends be produced? how can I prevent split ends from happening if I don't want to trim.

My hair is getting longer and ive read on alot of sites that the longer your hair gets, the more you would need to trim it, to keep it healthy and promote growth.:confused:

But I just want my hair to grow without any trims, at the moment my hair is fine , I always choose health over length:D

[CurlySoleil]

My hair isn't nearly as long as yours, but I haven't had a trim since I chopped my hair back in 2009. It's been over a year. I don't feel as if my hair is unhealthy. I think it may depend on the person...? There are a lot of different opinions on whether or not to trim. I personally don't think it's necessary unless you start to notice split or scraggly ends. You don't want those splits to travel up the hair shaft!

[mustpannkook]

I you don't want to trim then S&D.

[Becky Safari]

It depends on how gently you care for it and the stress from weather, updos, etc. I know that when I'm stretching trims I really baby my hair, and I don't get splits very quick

[Madora]

If you don't trim the split ends, the damage will split up your strands even more.

S and D helps keep the split ends at bay. Minute trims can be done whenever you feel the ends are looking thin or too dry.

[Bene]

From what I understand, you're asking if hair is unhealthy because it is untrimmed.

I think it's best to look at it from the other way around. First determine whether the hair is healthy or not. If it's already healthy, it doesn't need trimming. If it is, then in order to prevent further damage, you might want to trim.

[Roscata]

I suggest reading these articles:
Catnip for Split Ends and Natural Light Blonde Hair Colour (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=118)
Damaged Hair: Understanding, Preventing & Rehabilitating (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=79)
Keeping Split Ends At Bay: Secrets of Gently Handling Your Hair (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=8)

Additionally henna has been said to strengthen hair so it could help, if it's something you want to try using. :)

[BrightEyes7]

I agree with what has already been said...

Your hair could be fine if you baby it and don't cause a lot of excess damage from heat tools or even combing/brushing. Also some peoples' hair just splits less than others, they have 'stronger' hair or something.

If you don't want to trim I recommend babying your hair as much as possible and wearing it in protective styles. Also, if you aren't already, you should do coconut oil deep treatments before shampooing. Just soak your hair in oil for an hour or more (overnight... I once left it on for almost 2 days :P) before you plan to wash your hair. It helps prevent protein loss as well as any mechanical damage that could be caused.

I am a trimmer but I certainly don't think it is REQUIRED for long, healthy hair.

[azhie]

I am wondering the same thing... I haven't trimmed since June 2009 (it was layered then), not even S&D, and my ends are thin, tapered and lighter brown in color. I still don't see any splits... it is possible to not have any? Or should I trim the tapered ends?

[monsterna]

I am wondering the same thing... I haven't trimmed since June 2009 (it was layered then), not even S&D, and my ends are thin, tapered and lighter brown in color. I still don't see any splits... it is possible to not have any? Or should I trim the tapered ends?

You COULD have split ends that are not only on the very tips of your hairs, but they could be an inch or more split up the shaft. Look for those. I have them and it's very annoying. My hair seems to be incredibly split prone, I just S&Ded for an hour and a half and know there are still more to be snipped. And I can't even reach the ones on the back of my hair! So yeah, search for those weird ones that are just split way up, often they are split more than once on the same strand.

If you find nothing like that, I see no reason for you to trim unless you want to and you want a different sort of hemline or just thicker. :)

[Aliped]

I am wondering the same thing... I haven't trimmed since June 2009 (it was layered then), not even S&D, and my ends are thin, tapered and lighter brown in color. I still don't see any splits... it is possible to not have any? Or should I trim the tapered ends?

I never trim (the last cut I had was some time in the spring of 2008). I don't have a single split end and I don't think I have damage either. I'm just touching tailbone in length, don't use heat, condition a lot and wear my hair up daily. The only thing I notice about my ends is they are A LOT thinner than the rest. So there is obvious taper. So if you don't like fairy tale ends, then you might want to trim. If you don't have splits or damage and want to grow as fast as you can, then I don't see why you would want to trim. I think a bit of taper helps with up-does, by making it easier to tuck the ends in :)

I certainly won't be trimming in a while :)

[Dreamkitty]

:) Thanks for all the replies guys, I have a few questions

What does S&D stand for?

I oil my hair frequently every week and sometimes condition so thats all the TLC my hair gets.

:o Im just worried because I don't know whether my hair has split ends or not. Ive read all about split ends but still find it hard to detect them.

Do you just take a strand of hair and examine it? thats part im confused with, because I want to see if there is any splits happening in the middle of the hair but my hair is in layers and Im growing it out. So how do I know if the hair is just short in length or if it is split in the middle?

When I look at my hair ends, they do look a bit pointy. Does pointy ends means there is split ends?

[Messyhair]

I finally trimmed two days ago, but my last trim before that was July 2009. As long as the hair isn't damaged, there's no need to trim other than to help shape it, which is why I finally trimmed. I have had 1 split end since July 2009 and I snipped it off during a S&D mission.

S&D stands for Search & Destroy, and it refers to inspecting the ends closely and just snipping off the hairs that are damaged. I think most folks do a different section of their hair each time they do a S&D so that eventually the whole head of hair is inspected. It helps to take small bits of hair and twist them around repeatedly so that all the ends will "pop out" and you can see them better.

Hope that helps!

[Madora]

@Dreamkitty. Be sure you do your search and destroy in plenty of light (preferably sunlight). Also, when you search for any splits, hold the twisted hair in front of a light colored background. The split will be easier to see. My eyesight is not the greatest and I found that doing S and D in my bathroom, in strong sunlight with a white wall in the background, made it a lot easier to see the splits.

[selenechiba]

Although I don't know the origin of this über-helpful picture, I've seen it floating around here a lot. If you have trouble differentiating healthy ends from splits, this might help.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v738/woodle20/splitends.gif

[jojo]

Well you tell us, afteral you have gone 6 months without a trim! does your hair look damaged, split? if not then you don't need to cut as often. It depends on the hair, some people need regular trims, others can go for long periods, theres no right or wrong!

And I wouldnt pay too much attention to sites which claim longer hair needs trimming more to encourage growth, its because we cut less our hair is long! all cutting does is make hair shorter-period! cutting splits as you see them may help if you have splits, personally it bores me to tears!

The only way to tell if you can grow without regular trims is to try it, which is what i am doing until november!