To: no-trimmers. How do you minimize damage?

[Maverick494]

Lately I've seen a couple of picture posts come by from a couple of no trimmers who hadn't cut their hair in atleast a year, yet when they finally had to go for a trim they only needed an inch taken off and their hair looked great. I trim every 3/4 months because my ends start looking bad by then.

So my question is: how do you guys do it?

In your answer, could you please include your hair care routine and how you brush your hauir? I've been pondering to try out the no trimming for a year approach because my progress is so slow otherwise, but I don't want lots of damage travelling up the length of my hair.

So share me your secrets!:D

[LunaMoon]

So bad nobody answered. I'd like to know as well. I have to trimm my hair every 3 months otherwise the ends start looking bad as you said.

[QueenJoey]

I know what you mean by bad ends! I haven't trimmed in a few months. Yes, my ends are scraggly (you can see from my siggy pic), and I'm in dire need of a good trim, even though I hate losing all my progress

My ends are actually very healthy, though, if you'd like some tips on that. I oil my ends maybe twice a week. I have had so much less split ends since I stopped using heated hair tool. I S&D a few times each month.

[Anje]

I'm not really part of that group, but my ends don't tend to split. The hairs in the length that don't get trimmed for 3 feet worth of growth do, but trimming doesn't fix them. :shrug: What does happen is that my ends will get thinner as the fast-growing hairs race past the slower ones, so trims get the speedy ones back under control. However, some folks like fairytale ends, and a few seem to have hair follicles that all produce at the same rate, so their hair doesn't fairytale quickly.


So bad nobody answered.You have to give it more than 5 minutes... :D

[Alaia]

:lol: I can't really comment as I didn't trim for 2 years but when I went for a trim I cut 10 inches off.

It wasn't that damaged though, just very tapered. I had layers (otherwise, from the previous time I was that length, my hairs all grow at the same rate or near enough).

Wearing it up every day helps, and I didn't really detangle my hair except for with a wide tooth comb and/or my fingers.

[gthlvrmx]

I am guessing wearing it up every single day in protective styles is a must;it's been since Jan since my final cut and so far so good, no need to get new chop, minimal splits and breakage, rarely find more than 10 when i search...and it takes a while to even find one ;) Just wear it up all the time and baby your hair :)
If you're not doing anything that's damaging to it, probably won't be that much damage and no need to cut for a while.

[xoxophelia]

I am not in the club myself but I used to go for a year or two without trims. Either way though.. a few pointers:

-it may depend on your hair type (how even your growth is, how easily your hair breaks and splits)
-amount of previous damage
-avoid heat styling all together
-cut down on amount of shampoo
-updos on a regular basis

For many people I think it just comes down to an uneven growth rate

[krissykins]

This article has some good suggestions. *click* (http://www.longhaircommunity.com/forums/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=8)

Once I switched over to a lot of those LHC methods, I found that my hair became nearly split free.

[gthlvrmx]

This article has some good suggestions. *click* (http://www.longhaircommunity.com/forums/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=8)

Once I switched over to a lot of those LHC methods, I found that my hair became nearly split free.

^----^

This right here helps a lot :)

[heidi w.]

I hardly ever trim my hair. I probably should on a more frequent basis. But how do I minimize damage?

I wear it up most of the time. At work, at work about the house and garden. Besides it's mid-west humidity right now. Even the grass is brown already. (a month earlier I might add.)

Wear it up, in different various updos throughout the week.

I sometimes do Bees Butt Bun, Braided buns. A friend provided me with a fork some months back and I love this stick (two long teeth, or prongs)...It holds all my hair up so much better.

heidi w.

[LunaMoon]

I'm not really part of that group, but my ends don't tend to split. The hairs in the length that don't get trimmed for 3 feet worth of growth do, but trimming doesn't fix them. :shrug: What does happen is that my ends will get thinner as the fast-growing hairs race past the slower ones, so trims get the speedy ones back under control. However, some folks like fairytale ends, and a few seem to have hair follicles that all produce at the same rate, so their hair doesn't fairytale quickly.

You have to give it more than 5 minutes... :D
Sorry I didn't look at the time was posted. Just saw was in tha page 2 already... So I wrote something to go to page 1 again. Maybe didn't choose the right message...

[pittsburgpam]

I'm not sure when I last trimmed and I only do it to even out the ends as they don't get much damage. I baby them, treat them gently, and oil them after every wash. I also wear a bun almost all the time, even at home, since I don't want to be sitting on my ends on the couch or leaning back against anything.

I don't wear braids very often and I started using the small, clear elastics. They just glide right off when removing them and I don't braid all the way to the ends, leaving about 6" past the elastic.

[bunzfan]

I'm not sure when I last trimmed and I only do it to even out the ends as they don't get much damage. I baby them, treat them gently, and oil them after every wash. I also wear a bun almost all the time, even at home, since I don't want to be sitting on my ends on the couch or leaning back against anything.

I don't wear braids very often and I started using the small, clear elastics. They just glide right off when removing them and I don't braid all the way to the ends, leaving about 6" past the elastic.

According to Torrin those clear bands help stop breakage :)

[Zesty]

I S&D. Aggressively. Almost every single day I go searching for splits for at least ten minutes. Not everyone needs to do that, though, I just like to. My hair is kind of fragile, so I get splits and white dots, but the thing I've noticed is that they are pretty much never at the ends of my longest hairs -- they are mostly on the medium-length hairs. Small trims aren't going to help that, and most of my hairs are healthy, so I'm not going to cut off that much hair just to get rid of those splits.

But going back to the fragile thing: I try to minimize tangling and the need for combing. When I get up and take out my sleep braid, I detangle, then I put it up in a bun. When I take it down again the tangles are minimal. At night I comb again, then put it back into the sleep braid. I handle it gently and generally leave it alone when possible. I've gone over a year without a trim, and while my hemline is obviously not the blunt, recently-trimmed look, it's not too uneven, and it's a lot healthier than some of my salon-going friends' hair. Plus, I kind of like the soft, natural look. And I love keeping the year's growth.

[pepperminttea]

I haven't trimmed in 10 months, so far. :)

- Starting with unprocessed hair is easier.
- Updos, updos, and more updos.
- Gentle detangling; I always fingercomb before a comb or brush comes near my hair.
- Generally less manipulation (so less detangling thanks to wearing hair up, stretching washes, etc.)
- S&Ding. Over time it will affect your hemline but IMO it's worth doing to stop the splits getting worse.

[archel]

My hair grows unevenly, so even though the ends are healthy, they look a tad scraggly. I'll probably trim like twice a year. It used to drive me crazy when I had an inverted bob, because the back grew faster and then it was just all one length instead of angled.

[krissykins]

According to Torrin those clear bands help stop breakage :)

Those caused more breakage for me :(

[gthlvrmx]

According to Torrin those clear bands help stop breakage :)
These little guys actually gave me kinks in my hair, they went away after washing, but i guess for some people it's ok

[elbow chic]

Standard LHC stuff, really. No heat, less washing, no dyes or perms. Keep it up/braided night and day, 7 days a week. Clarify and/or oil when it starts feeling dry. Use good quality combs and brushes, and use them mindfully. (ie, starting from the ends and working your way up section-by-section instead of ripping from root to tip in one go)

I have fine hair that you'd expect to be super splitty but I hardly ever find any splits or dots.

now granted it's only BSL but I've not trimmed my hair in 16 or 17 months now and my ends look a lot better than they have any right to. My ends are getting quite uneven but other than that they are great.

[pepperminttea]

Those caused more breakage for me :(

Same, they eat my hair. :( I feel sure I read a safe method though (I think Spidermom's?) of wrapping a piece of ribbon round the end of a braid, and then one of the clear bands over the top. Cushions the hair, dead secure too. :D

[krissykins]

Same, they eat my hair. :( I feel sure I read a safe method though (I think Spidermom's?) of wrapping a piece of ribbon round the end of a braid, and then one of the clear bands over the top. Cushions the hair, dead secure too. :D

Oh my goodness, what a good idea! Now I just need to get some ribbon :doh:

[Anje]

Yeah, the little clear silicone elastics are evil for my braid ends, causing nasty kinks and splits. They're great for some folks, but I can't use them. I keep coming up with other braid enders, though. Tiny little jaw clips tend to be my go-to, but strips of that stretchy sticks-to-itself-only bandage work well.

[Audrey Horne]

I'm not really in the "club" but I haven't get my hair trimmed since Feb 2010. However, it's going to change as soon as I reach a certain length. I just find it easier for myself to trim when I reach my milestone. I want to get rid of layers and have it blunt, straight across one day.

What I do is nothing special... I mostly wear braids these days: weather and my chin-length bangs make it very difficult to make a bun. I always use very soft elastics or ribbons (a bit risky because they won't hold my hair). I oil my ends daily, now in summer two times a days. I comb/brush maybe in a weird day maybe: I lay my hair on my legs and comb the ends against my body... Easier to detangle for some reason :confused: I don't shampoo my hair too often. Sometimes I leave in condish+coco oil in my ends. And SD, of course.
My hair isn't long but the most of it isn't virgin... I will be trimming it off milestone to milestone.

[haibane]

Aside from the usual LHC advice, I think it's about finding a way to work with your hair's strengths and weaknesses. I have fine, fragile hair that's prone to dryness and splits. It's also slippery and my scalp is sensitive so I can't keep it up nearly as much as I'd like.

But on the plus side, my hair is not prone to tangling, so I have minimized detangling/combing/brushing to pretty much nothing. Less handling, fewer splits. I also stopped braiding my hair since even that amount of handling seemed to cause splits.

And to keep my hair soft and supple I mist it twice and day and do a curly hair type routine. My straight hair often comes out a bit stringy with a routine this moisturizing, but I rather put up with that than have my hair split/break.

When I got to LHC a year ago pretty much every hair longer than BSL was split, and it took two days to S&D out all the splits. But with the new routines I haven't seen a split in months now, even though I inspect my ends S&D style almost every day, just out of old habit.

Oh, and I think it was five years since my last trim, and I have no plans to trim for a long time yet. :)

[Keller1128]

I had waist length hair in high school after going over a year without a trim/cut. I had very bad split ends because I didn't care for it. All this to say, I can tell you what not to do. Don't wear it down all the time and let it get caught in things, don't blow dry it all the time, don't brush it when it's wet, and do oil it. I had never heard of oiling hair until coming to LHC.

[julliams]

Just be careful with S & D. When I started doing this I had relatively no splits. Once I started I began finding them increasing at an increasing rate and now I wonder if I didn't actually create many of them myself.

The hairdresser I last went to told me that her scissors were $1000. Mine were $10 from the local supermarket. So it got me wondering...

I'm going to try no S & D until my next trim and see if the amount of splitting is about the same, reduced or more.

[Audrey Horne]

Just be careful with S & D. When I started doing this I had relatively no splits. Once I started I began finding them increasing at an increasing rate and now I wonder if I didn't actually create many of them myself.

The hairdresser I last went to told me that her scissors were $1000. Mine were $10 from the local supermarket. So it got me wondering...

I'm going to try no S & D until my next trim and see if the amount of splitting is about the same, reduced or more.

I've heard that somewhere "don't cut too often, you'll have more splits". I think it depends on the tools, quality counts, of course. But 1000$??? What kind of scissors are those? My eyes just popped out lol

[Ligeia_13]

The hairdresser I last went to told me that her scissors were $1000. Mine were $10 from the local supermarket. So it got me wondering...


Wow O.o mine were also that cheap. I hope it doesn't make that much of a difference :/

[LunaMoon]

J
The hairdresser I last went to told me that her scissors were $1000.
She was probably talking about the whole set of scissors...
Actually the price doesn't matter, if you know you are getting a good brand of hair scissors. There are also some good promotions time to time. Mine had a 30% reduction but can't remember how much was the price.

[kittymallow]

Wow O.o mine were also that cheap. I hope it doesn't make that much of a difference :/

it is normal that a hairdressing scissor is from 500-1000 $ and it makes a huge difference on the cut hair. a period i was working with some scissors that costed 200$ and almost all of my regular customers had SOOOO much more splits the next time they came for a cut, so i ordered some new ones right away. now i use scissors from jeowell, and now my customers almost never have any splits when they are coming to cut the ends again. so good scissors is a lifesaver!:)

[younghippie]

I think I belong to this club. It has been ummmm probably about 4 or 5 years since I have had a trim and I don't really planning on having one ever again. I usually am really busy so I'm in the benign neglect area here.
My hair is usually up and out of the way, pinned or forked for work and a fluffy scrunchie for lazy. I get annoyed with braids because I lay or sit on them. I have actually stopped sleeping in a braid because it frazzles my ends because I am a very-----active sleeper. :p I inadvertently have satin pillow cases because dear BF wanted a satin sheet set. It don't really brush much, at best once every couple days. I have a plastic wide tooth comb. I have a very open prong brush for getting out the lint fuzziness. I gave up a BBB long ago because my hair hated it. It caused a lot more hair problems then it solved for me.

[layla<33]

heres my tips ;) 1. comb with a wide tooth comb 2. weekly deep treatments :cool: 3. leave in or coconut oil on my ends after washing while wet to seal in moisture and protect my ends 4. protective styles 5. silk pillow case or sleep cap 4. use conditioner EVERY time you wash and if im not using cones i opt to go for coconut oil as a leave in vs the leave in conditioner pretty basic so maybe ill learn something myself once i go through all these comments ;)

[Messyhair]

Let's see...

I wear it up every day in a bun held by a hair fork, from the time I towel-dry it (blotting it while it's wrapped in a towel) to some time late in the evening. I only shampoo the scalp when I wash, and I condition the rest with a heavy conditioner.

I only comb it 3 times a day (with a seamless wooden comb) - before washing to get rid of tangles before getting it wet, after blotting it dry to smooth it out for putting it up, and after it comes down from the bun at the end of the day. No brushing ever for me. That does horrible things to my ends. HORRIBLE.

I sleep on a satin pillowcase, and once my hair got past APL I started putting it up in a satin-lined sleepcap at night as well. I think that's all I do for my hair...?

I last trimmed in January, which was a year and a half since my previous trim. My next trim might happen around January again, but it depends on whether it needs to have the shape fixed up then. I've had 2 or 3 split ends so far. I'm sure more will come as it gets longer.

[SoulOfTheSea]

Same, they eat my hair. I feel sure I read a safe method though (I think Spidermom's?) of wrapping a piece of ribbon round the end of a braid, and then one of the clear bands over the top. Cushions the hair, dead secure too

That is genius!! I think I shall try that :)


Same, they eat my hair. I feel sure I read a safe method though (I think Spidermom's?) of wrapping a piece of ribbon round the end of a braid, and then one of the clear bands over the top. Cushions the hair, dead secure too

o: I have been using scissors that my dad got with his electric trimmer set.... they seem to work fine... Now I'm a little nervous about that =/ Especially because I am thinking of doing another trim soon... :shrug:

[Mesmerise]

I think it depends on WHY your hair is starting to look bad at the ends, and partly the condition your hair is in and how easily it damages.

I have let my hair grow for 16 months or so without a trim, and the worst that can be said is that my ends were getting a bit straggly due to uneven hair growth.

However, if I have damaged hair I can't let it go anywhere near that long as the ends will display more damage, splits etc.

I think if you've got virgin hair, or hair in excellent condition, you can go much longer without trims, as long as you don't mind your ends getting a little uneven. The other solution, of course, is to just wear updos that hide the ends of your hair! If you're not showing your ends, then there's less reason to trim them regularly!

[Lianna]

If I may just add another viewpoint. I cut an inch the last year, you seem to favor one inch like a good amount to lose in a year, that's why I'm posting this.

I'm pretty sure I could have gone the whole year without trims since my hair was/is short. I went from ear to very close to APL. I did 2mm "mini-trims" every month. This way you could have a little bit more even and healthy ends all year long, without losing much length. And without stressing about "no trims" goals.

I hate looking at my uneven layers, just from the monthly growth. My hair looks a lot more tidy this way.