how much should i trim off

[cupcake0619]

okay im gonna let my mom cut my hair today.
my last trim was on feb 20 2011 and i cut off maybe a half in probly less. lol
i was thinkin about cutting an inch off today.
also should i have it wet or dry when she trims it.
previously i always straightened it then cut it.
but do yall think an inch would help or should i do more, or less..

[Raiscake]

Cutting an inch now after two months would most likely take away most, if not all, your growth since your last trim. If you're fine with that, by all means. :D But if you don't see any white dots or splits on your ends, and you've been taking care of your hair, you can get away with not trimming. Or maybe just 1/4 or 1/2 an inch if you really want to.

[MrsGuther]

What are you aiming for with this particular trim? Cutting off an inch when you just had a trim a couple months ago is going to just eat away your length. Are you cutting off previous damage?

[cupcake0619]

yeah, i have a million splits and white dots and my hair has been breaking off so much that it doesnt look like its growing although my roots say different lol
would an inch be enough to help with the splits and damage any?

[NotInPortland]

If the ends are damaged I would say trim off as much as you feel comfortable with losing and after the trim really try to baby your hair to help prevent further damage if you're hoping to grow your hair longer.

[GuardGirl]

Why don't you just S&D (search and destroy) the individual splits instead of cutting off an inch of overall length? It might give you the peace of mind you need to keep growing without losing all the length you've gained. :) Good luck growing!

[spidermom]

I can't find any pictures of you so I have no idea what to tell you. If you're maintaining the same length until all the damge is gone, then yes - take 1 inch. If you want to grow longer while keeping the ends trimmed, take 1/2 inch.

[cupcake0619]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/61675284@N04/5630608462/

thats my most recent length pic.
i want the damage gone and i want it to be thicker and longer.

[tinti]

I can't find any pictures of you so I have no idea what to tell you. If you're maintaining the same length until all the damge is gone, then yes - take 1 inch. If you want to grow longer while keeping the ends trimmed, take 1/2 inch.
This exactly :) Or just s&d, which has already been said.

[spidermom]

O.k., upon seeing the picture, I suggest taking one inch from the longest ends only, give the shorter ends a chance to catch up.

[cupcake0619]

soundslike a plan :) thanks. should i have it wet when she cuts it?

[jojo]

its best to trim on dry hair as wet hair stretches and more may be trimmed than you want, plus I find you get a blunter hemline with a dry cut; just my opinion.

After this cut, id also advise to oil the ends and bun daily to protect the ends. If you are after growing longer a trim every 3-4 months is plenty.

[cupcake0619]

well i let her cut an inch and a little bit off and i can hardly tell, i guess since my ends were so thin and it looks alot better.
i think im gonna do a s&d tomorrow after i get out of the shower and my hair is dry cause i put my hair up a little while after it was dry today.
my bf of 4 yrs (in june) that i live with and see every day didnt even notice lol.
i figured he woulda been the first to notice. bahaha

[growingpains]

So glad you are happy with it! Updated pics please!

I recently did the same- I had a one inch trim on the longest bits and a dusting elsewhere and it looks decent again.

Amazing what a good stylist can do.

ETA: My bf didn't notice either!

[racrane]

Glad you like your hair, too. My boyfriend of two years never notices my hair except to say "It smells nice". lol, I guess that's better than nothing.

[RitaCeleste]

http://feyeselftrim.livejournal.com/ go here! Use the deep trim method and move up to a shallower U shape as the sides catch up. Remember its just my opinion though. This method of trimming has helped thicken my hemline while the sides grew back out. I haven't moved up to shallower U yet though.

Have you made any changes to your haircare routine to help baby it? Is it stretchy and needing protein? Have you tried a leave-in or is that too heavy? I remember your other thread and am curious to know what you are trying.

[cupcake0619]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/61675284@N04/5641431592/in/photostream/

well this is a before picture but there are two after pictures in my album there.

RitaCeleste - i havent changed much from what i was already doing to baby it.. i only comb while it has conditioner in while in the shower, finger comb any other time. I have been wearing it up more but all i do when i put it up is like a messy bun type thing lol. i try not to mess with it too much. to style i scrunch it kind of, i dont use hairspray or gel or mousse or anything like that. i do use a curl defining cream but i dont think that would hurt it. also i use this like coconut milk serum to help detangle after i get out of the shower.
does scrunching my hair hurt it? and how would i know if it was stretchy..? like how could i test that? lol sorry for the newbie questions.

[RitaCeleste]

Get a strand of hair out of your hair brush, if it stretches like elastic before it breaks, a protein treatment might make it a little stronger.
I had that happen to mine, getting too stretchy from too much coloring.

[Firefox7275]

RitaCeleste - i havent changed much from what i was already doing to baby it.. i only comb while it has conditioner in while in the shower, finger comb any other time. I have been wearing it up more but all i do when i put it up is like a messy bun type thing lol. i try not to mess with it too much. to style i scrunch it kind of, i dont use hairspray or gel or mousse or anything like that. i do use a curl defining cream but i dont think that would hurt it. also i use this like coconut milk serum to help detangle after i get out of the shower.
does scrunching my hair hurt it? and how would i know if it was stretchy..? like how could i test that? lol sorry for the newbie questions.

Something I found really valuable when I started caring for my hair was to read the ingredients on all my products, and read the Articles section on LHC (and other hair boards) so I could understand what I was putting on my hair and what it was supposed to do. I learned I was using lots of cones (for gloss and heat protection) but no actual oils or conditioning ingredients at all! So that really helped me work out where to go next with my hair. The search function is difficult to get your head around but is also really useful and of course the Reviews. :)

[cupcake0619]

:( http://www.flickr.com/photos/61675284@N04/5642135342/

it looks like she cut way more than i thought. although my hair is wet and not straightened in the after picture it looks soo much longer before. i know its in better shape but im kinda sad now :(

[MonaLisa]

Don't be sad. It looks really good, and you'll be at the before length in no time :) Only with better looking ends this time hopefully :)