Microtrimming and Maintaining Club!

[Quahatundightu]

Calling everyone who is trimming at regular intervals to thicken up or get rid of damaged hair.

It feels like a thankless task sometimes when you really just want longer hair - it would be good to have some inspiration and progress pics from people!

I have been trimming 1/2cm (1/4") or more each month this year. The difference it has made to my hair is just amazing! I need to take some more recent pics, my hair has got a lot thicker. Being able to see the difference is really encouraging, but it still feels quite annoying when all I want to do is grow.

I spent quite a few years saying I would maintain once I got to TB. Well that day never came, as my hair kept crumbling at the ends instead of growing!! My no-trim plan actually set me back because now I am having to trim off the ends I should have been slowly trimming for years. I didn't plan to grow any this year, because my hair always grew slowly so I expected not to see any growth if I microtrimmed. But now my hair is healthier than ever I am still actually seeing growth despite all the trims! I wish I had done this earlier rather than shooting straight for TB...

My progress so far (edit: added progress pics for a whole year)
http://i.imgur.com/4mjPD.jpg

Anyone else? :) How often do you microtrim, what are your tips for keeping up motivation?!

Some helpful links

Feye's Self Trimming Method (http://feyeselftrim.livejournal.com/) (choice of straight, U or V shaped hemline)
Spidermom's under the chin method (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=134527&p=3103221&viewfull=1#post3103221) plus Additional info (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=134527&p=3103454&viewfull=1#post3103454)
Spring's method (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=75468&p=1713348&viewfull=1#post1713348) - Pictures (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=75468&p=1715126&viewfull=1#post1715126)
CreaClip Blog with pictures of it (http://shycheeeks.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/cut-your-hair-at-home-crea-clip-review.html), tutorials of how to use it can be found on youtube
Haselnussblond: How to trim your own hair (http://haselnussblond.blogspot.de/2013/05/how-to-trimm-your-own-hair.html)
How To Hair Girl's DIY cuts (http://www.howtohairgirl.com/2013/01/5-diy-haircuts-to-try-today/) - good for trimming layered hair (instead of big cuts you can just use this method to do small trims)
Veronica Meza on trimming curly hair (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5E4dWPdWZY) (video) Start at 4 minutes to see the part about oxygenating the curl and cutting at the end of the C. Whole video is interesting too though.
Tips for Cutting Curly hair (http://www.minimalistbeauty.com/helpful-tips-for-cutting-curly-hair)

Emichee's great blog post (http://longhairedatheart.blogspot.de/2010/03/even-hemline-without-loosing-length.html) about the theory behind microtrimming
Thread about scissors (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=1699), what's recommended and what to look for
Cinnamon Hair's journey (http://www.beyondclassiclength.com/longhairjourney.html) to thicker ends - great inspiration!

[Dragon Faery]

I didn't really have a plan until the last few months, but I'm starting to now. I want my hair as long as possible, but I want it to look as good as possible every step of the way. So my current plan is to trim whenever my ends start looking or feeling icky, with maybe the occasional S&D along the way. Right now I have layers, which I put in myself, partly because my canopy always gets damaged before my under layers, and partly because it makes it curl more and I like the look of a cascade of curls down my back.

I don't have a picture yet, but my shortest layer is chin length when wet or stretched, and my longest is almost BSL. In between I have one layer approaching Collarbone length, one a little way past that, and another close to APL. I think that's all.

Thanks for starting this thread! I definitely need the support! :)

[skraprchik]

My progress so far
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=2713&pictureid=108980

Anyone else? :) How often do you microtrim, what are your tips for keeping up motivation?!

Very nice! This makes a good argument for regularly scheduled trims. Your progress is impressive.

[Spring]

Thanks for starting this thread!! Hope I can join. I always thought a support thread like this was needed but then I remembered the Trimmers measure in thread. I just decided in June of this year to start trimming all of my new growth each month to maintain. I wish I would've started sooner trimming a .25 in monthly, but I'll be trimming .5 in every month until things get better. Wish I had comparison pics.... they are so encouraging. Thanks for sharing yours! MissManda just made a thread showing the huge difference maintaining made on her hemline.

[Ruvie]

Your thread is what I am doing! My hair has been breaking off and keeping me at a certain length, when all I would like to do also is grow. I have been micro-trimming my hair and have lost about half an inch over all, but like you, I want the health and thicker hem. I am definitely a member of this club, and I posted a blog about how my S&D's have become much more. I will upload some pictures with my progress too.

I will only s&d, but I need to cut higher on some strands than others. I trimmed one earlier today with a split 4 inches up :mad:

[Ruvie]

Thanks for starting this thread!! Hope I can join. I always thought a support thread like this was needed but then I remembered the Trimmers measure in thread. I just decided in June of this year to start trimming all of my new growth each month to maintain. I wish I would've started sooner trimming a .25 in monthly, but I'll be trimming .5 in every month until things get better. Wish I had comparison pics.... they are so encouraging. Thanks for sharing yours! MandaMom just made a thread showing the huge difference maintaining made on her hemline.

I just looked and couldnt find the thread, do you think you could link me to it? :)

[MissManda]

Oh, this thread is for me! :bounce: Thank you so much for starting this thread! Quahatundightu, I love your progress pictures! Your hem looks so much thicker and your abundance of wurls looks awesome! :)

I've been microtrimming since August of last year to get rid of my layers and chemical damage. I trimmed 0.5", half my monthly growth rate, per month and still got growth, but the upper layers were getting to the point where they were in such bad condition that I couldn't simply S&D and ignore them, so I cut off the rest of my growth, too. My hem has thickened dramatically and I couldn't be happier.

Oh dear, I'm blabbering... I've posted this picture elsewhere, but I'm going to put it in this thread, too for demonstrational purposes:

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=3936&pictureid=107513

I still have some layering left, though, so I'm going to keep up with the microtrims until they're all gone, which means I'll be here for the next several months to the next couple of years. Since I've been yo-yoing between Waist and almost Hip length for almost a year and my ends are much thicker, I would like to grow a little longer. My intent is to continue with the trims but make them smaller to maximize growth but keep my ends looking nice and tidy, which is very important for someone with fine hair like me. I won't trim any more than than that until I get past Hip. I started my mini-microtrims earlier this month by taking off about 1/8th of an inch.

I also hope to be able to post monthly progress pictures here. I'll start that by posting my picture from June after trimming.
"http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=3936&pictureid=105879"

And here is my hair after my mini-microtrim last week (July):
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=3936&pictureid=108619

I'm wearing the same kind shirt in both pictures, so the bottom sits right at hip length. Hopefully I'll get better at taking these types of pictures...

I can't wait to see everyone else's progress pictures, too. :D That's definitely one of the things that keep me motivated to keep going when all I want to do is chop all the way back to BSL. I also think it's so nice to feel my ends gradually thicken after every trim and to feel my braid become more substantial.

[Spring]

I just looked and couldnt find the thread, do you think you could link me to it? :)

Oh ehm gee! It's not MandaMom... it was MissManda's thread:o. MissManda thanks for posting your results again in this thread!

[SoulOfTheSea]

Oh count me in!! I don't really have a regular schedule as to when I do my microtrims, but I just do it when I feel I can't take my ends anymore, or if they start to look a little stringy. So far this year I've done it two times, and I love it!! :cheese:

[MissManda]

Oh ehm gee! It's not MandaMom... it was MissManda's thread:o. MissManda thanks for posting your results again in this thread!

You are all welcome! :flower: The aforementioned thread can be found here (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=73067) if anyone is curious.

And thank you, Spring, for mentioning that thread. I take that is a huge compliment! :blush: You made my day!

[Quahatundightu]

Yay I am so happy to see other people in similar situations! It's very encouraging :) Thanks for joining in everyone ^^

Considering how fine my hair is I think I need to keep doing regular microtrims for the foreseeable future. I will get an updated picture after my August microtrim :)

MissManda: WOW!!! Talk about progress!!! Thank you so much for the inspiration! In only a year your hair has changed dramatically, so gorgeous! I will head over and check your other thread now :)

[ange1ito]

I get mine trimmed every 8 weeks or so, growing out some crazy layers. This thread has really motivated me to maintain the trim's. I was so down in June as I had a major chop to get rid of the final layer in the back, with front still to grow...I was almost thinking I shall just let it grow now but these pic's certainly convinced me to keep focused. The thickness of the hemline and health looks superb in both post's.

[Ruvie]

You are all welcome! :flower: The aforementioned thread can be found here (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=73067) if anyone is curious.

And thank you, Spring, for mentioning that thread. I take that is a huge compliment! :blush: You made my day!

Thank you for re-linking your thread!

[Ruvie]

You are all welcome! :flower: The aforementioned thread can be found here (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=73067) if anyone is curious.

And thank you, Spring, for mentioning that thread. I take that is a huge compliment! :blush: You made my day!

Thank you for re-linking your thread!

[Ligeia_13]

I'm all for microtrims! So little taken off yet so much healthier looking hair :)

[Barniie]

I've only got, like, 2 inches of my old layers left to grow out! So i'm trimming till then for the next few months :) First one, tonight!

[Sweetie]

I have planned to start doing something like this soon after I hit WL.... maybe I won't cut every month, but surely I'll cut often to mantain the lenght and get rid of the last lajest, which are a couple of inches shorter than the rest...!

[Rini]

So are you guys doing a self-trim? How do you schedule it? First of every month? Are you just eyeballing the amount you take off or being more precise?

Sorry so many questions, but I only just started trimming again (after going almost a year without) and am keen to get back onto some sort of schedule. I am battling severe taper (caused from years of dye) and trying to get rid of my two-coloured hair :D

[Fairlight63]

That is what I have been doing also since Jan. or so, since reaching waist. Even though I have been trimming monthly I have still grown to almost TBL. I just trim off about 1/4 in. on the New Moon each month. I think that it is helping to thicken up the ends. Trimming off a little every month keeps me from having to do a major trim & I can do that myself without having to go to a salon. I am afraid of getting it uneven if I have to cut off more than an inch.

[Spring]

So are you guys doing a self-trim? How do you schedule it? First of every month? Are you just eyeballing the amount you take off or being more precise?


Hi Rini :)! I use a few trimming methods, but for trimming monthly, I cannot use Feye's because I always end up trimming more than I want because I always have to make corrections. So I use "Spring's trimming method" :laugh:!

1. I brush my hair back, so that it's laying on my back the way I would want the hairs to lay naturally.

2. Starting from the top of my hairline, I use my hands to section my hair into 3 parts as if to make a simple braid. I do this without moving the hair out of position too much.

3. I take one of the side sections, & move the other 2 sections out of the way by placing them over the opposite shoulder. Trying carefully not to bunch the hairs of the section I'm working on, I pull the section down my back with my hands, and when I reach the bottom, I use 2 hair friendly smooth gripper clips (kind of long) to secure the hair and keep it from moving. ( I clip 1 going right to left and the other one I clip going left to right to keep hairs from sliding out of the clip)

4. After that section is secure, I carefully bring it around to the front and trim desired amount.

5. I remove the clips and repeat steps 1-4 on the remaining 2 sections.

This method has given me the ability to make very small trims with better accuracy, that I'm not able to do using other methods. You can use a measuring tape, the black part of my tape is 1/4 inch etc ... I use my fingers to measure (the tips are approximately 1 inch). But generally I eyeball it :p

I also use Feye's trimming method.



It feels like a thankless task sometimes when you really just want longer hair - it would be good to have some inspiration and progress pics from people!

I have been trimming 1/2cm (1/4") or more each month this year. The difference it has made to my hair is just amazing! I need to take some more recent pics, my hair has got a lot thicker. Being able to see the difference is really encouraging, but it still feels quite annoying when all I want to do is grow.

Anyone else? :) How often do you microtrim, what are your tips for keeping up motivation?!

The bolded is exactly how I feel sometimes, but I feel much better now than I did holding on to thin ends. MissManda's thread, progress like yours and some other regular trimmers have been very encouraging.


You are all welcome! :flower: The aforementioned thread can be found here (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=73067) if anyone is curious.

And thank you, Spring, for mentioning that thread. I take that is a huge compliment! :blush: You made my day!

You're welcome! That thread came at a time when I knew I was doing the right thing but was floored at the results of long term maintaining :blossom:

[Cleopatra18]

I really want to join this thread. I had a huge chop back in February but even with that I'm always obsessing about my ends getting thin. For some reason I keep getting random breakage. Anyway, I will be doing small trims as needed every 1-2 months, probably following the Moroccan method lunar chart for hair growth.

[Quahatundightu]

I've only got, like, 2 inches of my old layers left to grow out! So i'm trimming till then for the next few months :) First one, tonight!

Good luck!! :) Don't forget to take pics ;) It's much easier to see your progress when you do


So are you guys doing a self-trim? How do you schedule it? First of every month? Are you just eyeballing the amount you take off or being more precise?

I do mine around the first of the month each month - and sometimes a few extra snips in the middle if I feel like it! The two times I went on holiday this year I had to do mid-month trims as well thanks to wind damage.

If I only want to cut off a tiny bit - even it up really - I don't measure and just trim the loner few hairs off the end. If I trim 1/2cm or more I do measure it.

My quick method for trimming is to do a low ponytail after neatly fingercombing my hair back, much like Feye's method but without sliding the band down my hair. Instead I reach behind me and tie a smaller band near the bottom. Depending on the direction you look as you tie the small band at the bottom, it affects your hair in the same way as looking up down or straight ahead as with Feye's method. Then I bring it over my shoulder and trim off the desired amount. Since my hair has neared TB, it's more difficult to slide down the pony with accuracy! So just making a low pony tail without sliding down the holder makes my life a lot easier.

When I do bigger trims I use Feye's method more accurately and do the part when you trim your hair when it is parted at the back and sitting in front of your body as well.

I made a deal at the start of the year that I would do a microtrim at least once a month, and so far I have stuck with it.


The bolded is exactly how I feel sometimes, but I feel much better now than I did holding on to thin ends. MissManda's thread, progress like yours and some other regular trimmers have been very encouraging.

Thanks for sharing your method with us! :cheese: I also am trying to remind myself that I feel much better with thicker ends! Plus my hair is actually retaining the growth instead of crumbling away. Even though it all points towards positive results, I still find my motivation waning sometimes. It will be good to have a Microtrimming club here to commiserate with :)

[MissManda]

Welcome to Cleopatra18, Barniie, Ligeia_13, and Fairlight63! Sweetie, I did the exact same thing as you and waited until I got to waist (which I later found out was actually past but nevermind that) before I started self-trimming. I knew I would have been miserable if I had maintained any higher up because I can do more styles at waist. Hope to see you here soon!


So are you guys doing a self-trim? How do you schedule it? First of every month? Are you just eyeballing the amount you take off or being more precise?

Sorry so many questions, but I only just started trimming again (after going almost a year without) and am keen to get back onto some sort of schedule. I am battling severe taper (caused from years of dye) and trying to get rid of my two-coloured hair :D

Welcome, Rini! :)

I use Feye's Method for big and small trims. I use the U-cut method and tip my head back as far as I possibly can to get the softest U-shape possible, but that's because I prefer the look of an almost blunt U hem.

After much practice, I have gotten pretty good at precision trimming and can trim off exactly however much I want off. I don't have any good explanations, though, other than cut small amounts at a time and use good scissors. Right now, I'm just microtrimming off the ends of my fastest-growing hairs to keep my hemline even, which probably takes off about 1/8th of an inch or so.

For bigger trims (0.5"+), I need to use a ruler otherwise I will take off too much. For smaller trims, I just eyeball it because I think the amount I'm taking off is so small that attempting to measure it would be too tedious for my liking.

I usually trim between the 18th and the 25th of each month depending on what's going on in my life. When I do a trim, I just schedule the next one four weeks later, usually on the weekend.

[Slinks]

Calling everyone who is trimming at regular intervals to thicken up or get rid of damaged hair.

It feels like a thankless task sometimes when you really just want longer hair - it would be good to have some inspiration and progress pics from people!

I have been trimming 1/2cm (1/4") or more each month this year. The difference it has made to my hair is just amazing! I need to take some more recent pics, my hair has got a lot thicker. Being able to see the difference is really encouraging, but it still feels quite annoying when all I want to do is grow.

I spent quite a few years saying I would maintain once I got to TB. Well that day never came, as my hair kept crumbling at the ends instead of growing!! My no-trim plan actually set me back because now I am having to trim off the ends I should have been slowly trimming for years. I didn't plan to grow any this year, because my hair always grew slowly so I expected not to see any growth if I microtrimmed. But now my hair is healthier than ever I am still actually seeing growth despite all the trims! I wish I had done this earlier rather than shooting straight for TB...

My progress so far
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=2713&pictureid=108980

Anyone else? :) How often do you microtrim, what are your tips for keeping up motivation?!

Well done you are thickening up well .. I have been doing this also .. :-) an LHC member e-mailed me a link of Cinnamon Hair's journey that started in 2002 at the hips with vey untamed and thin ends, trimming away until 2010 - read here if interested :-) -
http://www.beyondclassiclength.com/longhairjourney.html it's sad that the links to LHC have been removed .. my own siggy pics show how I'm thickening up too :-)

[Spring]

MissManda I like the idea of using elbow length as a milestone (in your siggie) instead of waist. I can't go by the "narrowest part of my torso" because it goes up and down according to my love handles :p. Waist for me is about 1 inch above my belly button and hip is ~ 1 inch below my belly button. I think true waist on me is about 31 inches because at my current length of 29.5 I look slighty longer than BSL. Anyhow using elbow eliminates the love handles issue for me (I still have to remember to stand up straight with shoulders down :laugh: )

Slinks, the progress in your siggie looks really good!

[dragonchickx]

@Spring!!!
Im really interested in how you do your trimming! Could you possibly do a picture step by step tutorial? Sounds like this would be better for me too especially because ever little "mistake" shows in my hair its terrible! It would be nice to be able to have more accuracy! Sorry my quote/personal message capability isnt working on here for some reason : (

[Chetanlaiho]

I'm about to join this club, my hair is now pretty much elbow length stretched (which is my goal length) but my ends are dramatically thin after a haircut that should've been thought through better, and a recent quite massive shed.

I'm gonna have about 4 inches chopped off soon I think and then I'm going to microtrim every two months or so I think ^_^

[Spring]

@Spring!!!
Im really interested in how you do your trimming! Could you possibly do a picture step by step tutorial? Sounds like this would be better for me too especially because ever little "mistake" shows in my hair its terrible! It would be nice to be able to have more accuracy! Sorry my quote/personal message capability isnt working on here for some reason : (

Hi dragonchickx! I wish we were able to use the @ function to notify each other! I hope you received my visitor message:). Anyhow... I would love to show step by step photos, but I have to admit showing my chuggles (love handles) is a little intimidating. Maybe I could work around it but still show how I do it. Also, thanks for your input in my homemade self trimming device thread. It was your rubberband idea that caused me to start thinking more about securing hair in sections :flower:

I'm going to go work on the instruction photos.

Welcome Chetanlaiho! :blossom:

[Sweet Beat]

My problem is not the split ends at the very tops of my hair, but those that end higher up. I don't know if it counts as a microtrim, but sometimes I have a scissor and try to cut of as many split ends as I find as possible. It takes ages, so I'll never be free from split ends xP

[MissManda]

Welcome, Chetanlaiho and Sweet Beat!

Sweet Beat, I understand exactly what your frustration. I have a lot of damage and splits in my remaining layers. It feels like such a thankless task because there are so many of them and even if I get rid of a lot of them, I still find more. I won't be completely satisfied until I get the dratted things cut off entirely. Moisture and oiling as well as keeping my hair up seem to help, but I still have days where they bother me to no end! :justy:


MissManda I like the idea of using elbow length as a milestone (in your siggie) instead of waist. I can't go by the "narrowest part of my torso" because it goes up and down according to my love handles :p. Waist for me is about 1 inch above my belly button and hip is ~ 1 inch below my belly button. I think true waist on me is about 31 inches because at my current length of 29.5 I look slighty longer than BSL. Anyhow using elbow eliminates the love handles issue for me (I still have to remember to stand up straight with shoulders down :laugh: )


Heehee, thanks!

I'm not actually using Elbow to substitute Waist length so much as using it in addition to it. :eyebrows: I have a short torso, so APL, BSL, and Waist are all within close proximity to each other, while I have five inches between Waist and the top of my hip bones so I have a Lower Back Anyss instead of the Midback Abyss that I've read so much about. Elbow length is pretty much exactly between those two lengths, so I thought it gave me a good excuse to break up the no-man's land with a mini-milestone. :p :laugh:

I also happen to find that Elbow length is very flattering on many people, whether the elbows align with the waist or not. :gabigrin:

I am also interested in seeing photo instructions of your trimming method if you feel comfortable with making them. :flower:

[Avital88]

MissManda is my top inspiration for getting a thicker hemline.. i only microtrim 4 to 5 times a year yet, but once i reach a solid tailbonelenght i will def do it every 6 weeks. right now im just half an inch shy of tailbone..

[Spring]

(**Taper alert ahead!)

Here are a couple of pictures along with my trimming method. I hope the pics make it a little more understandable. ( I didn't post front pics for step 4 for privacy reasons, but if there are any questions, I will gladly explain. I have to play around with my paint feature to learn to blot out faces :) )

1. I brush my hair back, so that it's laying on my back the way I would want the hairs to lay naturally.

(spreading the hair helps me to really see how much will really need to be trimmed away)



http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=8372&pictureid=109062

2. Starting from the top of my hairline, I use my hands to section my hair into 3 parts as if to make a simple braid. I do this without moving the hair out of position too much.

3. I take one of the side sections, & move the other 2 sections out of the way by placing them over the opposite shoulder. Trying carefully not to bunch the hairs of the section I'm working on, I pull the section down my back with my hands, and when I reach the bottom, I use 2 hair friendly smooth gripper clips (kind of long) to secure the hair and keep it from moving. ( I clip 1 going right to left and the other one I clip going left to right to keep hairs from sliding out of the clip). **Make sure your hair is not sticking out the way it is here in my example photo. Try to keep all the hairs as straight as possible. The clips do not have to be straight across, they just need to be able to hold the hair snuggly in place.



http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=8372&pictureid=109059

4. After that section is secure, I carefully bring it around to the front and trim desired amount.

5. I remove the clips and repeat steps 1-4 on the remaining 2 sections

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?pictureid=109060&albumid=8372&dl=1312063029&thumb

[Spring]

I just decided to get rid of a little more taper. Hopefully now I won't have to maintain a full 12 months.

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=8372&pictureid=109079

back to 28 inches.

(wish we could make these pictures smaller)

[Quahatundightu]

Looks awesome Spring!!! Hopefully your hair will be how you want it in no time :) Cheers for the tutorial!

Yesterday I cut off about 0.5cm, maybe a little more. Will try to take photos tomorrow after I wash & air dry it. I actually found myself looking forward to my trim, especially since I have been getting such good results with it so far :)

[Spring]

Looks awesome Spring!!! Hopefully your hair will be how you want it in no time :) Cheers for the tutorial!

Yesterday I cut off about 0.5cm, maybe a little more. Will try to take photos tomorrow after I wash & air dry it. I actually found myself looking forward to my trim, especially since I have been getting such good results with it so far :) Thank you :)! I know exactly how you feel.. I look forward to my monthly trims as well :p.

Can't wait to see pics!:D

[mallorykay13]

MissManda, your hemline is gorgeous.

[mallorykay13]

Also, Avital88 I love your deep V hemline!

[spidermom]

Quahatundightu, trimming is enhancing the beauty of your hair so much; love it!

I've been a trimmer for a long time, but influenced by LHC attitudes, I've now gone through two separate 1-year periods when I didn't trim at all because I wanted maximum growth, and both times I ended up cutting away as much as I had grown because my ends got so dried out and stuck together like Velcro by the end of a year in spite of S&D sessions and extra-special care with oiling and deep conditioning.

No more. I'm a trimmer for life now. I get much better results.

I can't afford my awesome hair stylist right now, so I've been trimming my hair myself this year, using this method:
1) made ponytail on top of head with 2 hair-ties, slid 2nd hair tie toward the ends and trimmed off about 1/4"
2) let hair down, divided it evenly in half down the back, brought hair to front over each shoulder, trimmed about 1/4" off each side
3) made a single ponytail at the back of my neck with 2 hair ties, slid 2nd hair tie down the length toward the bottom, brought ends to the front under one arm, trimmed off 1/4"

As far as perception of length, I can't tell that I trimmed it at all, but the ends are less grabby.

[PinkyCat]

I think I'll start trimming about 1/4" every two months. That should keep things nice and still moving.

[dragonchickx]

WOW great pics!!!! Thanks spring! Maybe I will have more success with this way : ) I will post pics of my next time also..

[Theobroma]

I'm joining this thread at the end of the year! At the moment my very ends are just about brushing hip. Once I reach solid hip, or perhaps an inch or so below, it'll be time to start maintaining to thicken up my ends, which are woefully thin from a big shed I had three years ago.

Can't wait to start. But on the other hand I've been impatient to regain some real length, which is why I'm committed to not trimming until I'm comfortably at hip length. See you all in January! :D

[Spring]

Quahatundightu, trimming is enhancing the beauty of your hair so much; love it!

I've been a trimmer for a long time, but influenced by LHC attitudes, I've now gone through two separate 1-year periods when I didn't trim at all because I wanted maximum growth, and both times I ended up cutting away as much as I had grown because my ends got so dried out and stuck together like Velcro by the end of a year in spite of S&D sessions and extra-special care with oiling and deep conditioning.

No more. I'm a trimmer for life now. I get much better results.

I can't afford my awesome hair stylist right now, so I've been trimming my hair myself this year, using this method:
1) made ponytail on top of head with 2 hair-ties, slid 2nd hair tie toward the ends and trimmed off about 1/4"
2) let hair down, divided it evenly in half down the back, brought hair to front over each shoulder, trimmed about 1/4" off each side
3) made a single ponytail at the back of my neck with 2 hair ties, slid 2nd hair tie down the length toward the bottom, brought ends to the front under one arm, trimmed off 1/4"

As far as perception of length, I can't tell that I trimmed it at all, but the ends are less grabby.

spidermom, does this method give you the soft U shape I see in your siggie?

Thanks dragonchickx! I really hope this works out for you:)

Hello Theobroma and Pinkycat.

[SpinDance]

Count me in! I've been doing frequent but irregular micro trims of about 5 mm (1/4 inch) for the past year, doing these dusting trims every 1-4 weeks. I also S&D pretty regularly, but then I always have.

Last July I decided that I would just do all my own trims instead of going to a salon. I'd used Feye's method a time or so before that, but that was when I started to use it regularly. Length gain was not my priority. My ends are/were thin, so a thicker, healthier hemline are the primary objective. I don't like thin ends on me. They often look great on others, go figure.

Ironically I've gained about about 4 inches in length in this time. Recently I've been trying to decide whether to keep doing these small trims or whether cut back a few inches to really improve my hemline. However, I've been on the waist-to-nearly-BCL yo-yo train for years, without the regular dusting trims, and now I've got to decide whether to continue with the trims or do a more drastic cut back. I had done a cut back to just above waist right before joining LHC and I'm still not really sure I can ever have thick ends much below waist.

[PinkyCat]

spidermom, does this method give you the soft U shape I see in your siggie?

Thanks dragonchickx! I really hope this works out for you:)

Hello Theobroma and Pinkycat.


Helloooooooooooooooo! :cheese:

[proo]

I trim lots, almost weekly just a dusting because I love the feel of blunt ends. Not much of a measure-er but I've gone from SL to past APL in a year and my ends are super healthy. I'd rather trim em than coat em.

[SheaLynne]

I've been doing 1/4-inch monthly trims for over a year and a half (Dec 2009 to now). I have moved from waist to past tailbone during that time. I have monthly pics for most of that time in my trimming album.

I am mentally committed to continuing the 1/4-inch trims through the end of 2011, but I think when I reach classic (just a couple of inches away), I'll trim all my growth each month for a while and try to really get rid of the rest of my damaged length.

I still see lots of taper from waist down, and I know it is due to that hair being flatironed and temp colored alot when it was newer hair. Still paying for the past, but the trimming has kept my ends nice enough that I've avoided chopping a large amount and losing the updos I can do with the longer length.

I'm definitely part of this club!

[Mesmerise]

Well I started off with this idea of microtrimming then getting to waist and maintaining, but I got too annoyed with my tapered ends and last month took off 2.5", and decided I'd cut off 1" a month for the rest of the year! This means...my hair is just going to get shorter for awhile, but it won't be 5" off all at one time, and the hair will grow somewhat in that time so it won't get as short as it would if I chopped it all off!

I really admire those who have the patience to maintain their hair to thicken the ends! I fully intended to do just that... I really did... but I just wasn't loving my hair, although I was so pleased when it got to 28"!! To love my hair I need to be able to wear it down without embarrassment :o.

However, after this year and all the chopping I'll be doing, I'll be back into more of a "maintenance and slowly grow" mode where I'll aim to cut off no more than 1/2 of my monthly grow each month.

I know it will take me much longer to get to my goal length, but to me there wasn't much point in getting there if I couldn't enjoy my hair because of the see through tapered ends!

[Quahatundightu]

Good luck with your trimming everyone :) Anyone else cut around the start of the month? Post pictures if you do!

I took pictures of mine today after my trim! Very happy with the results, by the end of the year my hair should be looking so much better. I'm sure I will have to keep a regular trimming schedule from now on, even if I get it down to twice a year. My hair is too fine to go without trimming!

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=2713&pictureid=109381

[spidermom]

spidermom, does this method give you the soft U shape I see in your siggie?

Thanks dragonchickx! I really hope this works out for you:)

Hello Theobroma and Pinkycat.

My hair stylist established the shape; my self-trimming method seems to be maintaining it. So far.

[Spring]

Well I started off with this idea of microtrimming then getting to waist and maintaining, but I got too annoyed with my tapered ends and last month took off 2.5", and decided I'd cut off 1" a month for the rest of the year! This means...my hair is just going to get shorter for awhile, but it won't be 5" off all at one time, and the hair will grow somewhat in that time so it won't get as short as it would if I chopped it all off!

I really admire those who have the patience to maintain their hair to thicken the ends! I fully intended to do just that... I really did... but I just wasn't loving my hair, although I was so pleased when it got to 28"!! To love my hair I need to be able to wear it down without embarrassment :o.

However, after this year and all the chopping I'll be doing, I'll be back into more of a "maintenance and slowly grow" mode where I'll aim to cut off no more than 1/2 of my monthly grow each month.

I know it will take me much longer to get to my goal length, but to me there wasn't much point in getting there if I couldn't enjoy my hair because of the see through tapered ends!

All of this. I really have to applaud the patience of those who can patiently maintain.... I tried until I just couldn't take it anymore. I think it's like what Quahatundightu said about fine hair... it seems like it needs to be trimmed more often. When I get back to my slow grow routine, I should probably not allow more than 1 inch of noticeable taper if the .25 inch trims aren't keeping up with the fast growers, shed rate and breakage.

Thanks spidermom. :)

[Spring]

Quahatundightu, the thickness of your hair is definitely traveling downward!!

[skraprchik]

I think I'll have to join you all on this thread. I find that my hair's a lot happier if I do tiny trims every 3 months. I trim off about 1/4 inch once my hair is completely dry.

[charalito]

Such pretty hair Quahatundightu! I love the color and the curls at the end.

I've been in the microtriming/mantaining club for over a year now to get rid of layers and I'm only 1.5" away from my layers-be-gone goal. The microtrims were scheduled 8-10 weeks apart following the lunar calendar, but my last one was in May because I really wanted to add some lenght (got tired of BSL for life). But to be fair, staying at BSL for a year was really helpful because it gave me time to get rid of pre-LHC damage and thicken the hemline a bit.

My goal now is waist by Christmas, but there will be one microtrim in September to even out all the summer growth.

[einna]

I have been maintaining at about APL for a year. Old damage keeps catching up to me, espessially when I go cone free (still experimenting here).

I usually trim every 3 months, because of dryness and pourosity issues. Well, after learning to self-trim, its more like every 2 month ;). I did a trim yesterday where I took about 1/3 inch of the layers, and maybe 1-1,5 inches of the longest parts.

I probably need two more trims before I am virgin again ;). Then the worst damage will be gone, and I will be microtrimming every 3 month, going for BSL. I have to keep reminding myself that this is a long term project, so I can manage to keep my cool. :cool:

[Spring]

Hi skraprchik, einna, and charalito (congratulations on meeting your goals)!

Carolyn (LHC member) once said something to the effect of "every month you get a half an inch of improvement either in length or a thicker hemline". This statement has been very encouraging for me since I will be maintaining for quite a while.

[Loreley]

I definitely belong here! :p I want to have thicker ends and I'm growing out old dye. I usually trim monthly, 1/4"-1". I like trimming at the beginning of every month. Sometimes I skip a trim to gain some length.

[lapispimpernel]

Y'all inspired me- I just did my first self trim. :cheese: My ends feel much better now, and I only took the weeniest bit off.

[Spring]

Congratulations lapispimpernel on your first trim! :cheese:

Did another .5 inch trim yesterday. I thought it was going to take 12 months of maintaining, but I might be able to start back microtrimming in a few months.

[Quahatundightu]

Great to hear everyone's progress :) Who here still S&Ds? I can't help but cut off the white dots but I know that it's also preventing me from having a thicker hemline.

[PinkyCat]

Whats a good schedule to be on? Every two months trim .25"ish? I want to see growth progress but am terrified of fairytail ends.

[SpinDance]

PinkyCat trimming schedules can be either very rigid, 'so much every so many weeks/months whether it needs it or not', or more flexible, depending on need. Since we are all different there is not one hard and fast rule. Some peoples hair grows at a consistent rate, some grows at different rates seasonally.

Personally I'm in mainly maintenance/reducing fairy tail mode, so I am doing tiny trims every week or so. I've been on this 'schedule' for a year now. Ironically enough, in that time I've continued to gain length. Since long hair is a long term project, I figure it's OK to take time to thicken my hemline. Before LHC I always cut back when it got near BCL due to thin ends. This time I've gone on past BCL to TB with continual, if slow, improvement in my hemline.

[SheaLynne]

I definitely S&D, but I try not to over-do it. Once a month after my monthly trim is enough, but I don't every month.

I think my monthly trimming has helped me keep gaining length at a steady pace even past tb. I haven't hit a stall anywhere so far, and I think keeping the ends "fresh" is a big help there. (And I do get a very consistent growth every month, so I trim very consistently, too. I'm tempted at times to trim faster or slower, but so far the regularity of my trims is good, so I'm continuing!)

[MissManda]

Avital88, I feel so honored that my microtrimming journey has inspired you so much! That really does mean a lot when it's coming from someone with such thick, lovely hair! :D

I cut 5" off of my hair all the way back to BSL because I just couldn't stand the condition that my old layers were in and it seemed that the damage was just traveling up the hair at the same rate that it was growing so it was just staying the same length. I miss my length a lot because it severely limits the hairstyles I can do, but with most of the damage gone, it should be much easier for me to handle and S&D.

I'm still going to hang out here because I have one partial layer left, plus my finely-textured hair seems to benefit from regular tiny trims. And if I can keep the thickness growing down, that would be awesome. :eyebrows:

I also intend to continue with pictures for comparison. I still need to take an accurate length shot, but I'm waiting for a good hair day when my hair isn't flipping all over the place. :)

[Spring]

Reading the responses here is really encouraging. I did a 1/8 trim this week.

[monsterna]

I want to start, but I have no idea where to begin. :( I have a lot of layers that were feathered over a year and a half ago, and I want to keep them but want to trim them and I don't know how to! I just thought about taking small sections, twisting them, and then cutting all the hairs that stick out evenly. Anyone have any suggestions?

[88Marisa]

I'm going to be joining you here, I just got a pair of dedicated hair scissors and while on the whole my hair is remarkably split-free, I am starting to see some blunted ends and a few small splits and it's been about 6 months since my last trim. I think a micro trim would do me some good, especially since I am in this for the long haul and I have a lot of color damage to cut out.

I was wanting to wait until I hit waist length to start cutting out damage, but I think microtrimming every few months is a good compromise, especially since I want thicker ends. On my last salon visit, the hairdresser put in a lot more layers than I am used to, and now that it's grown out some, I realize I like having a thicker hemline. Also I have a few locks of hair that grow faster than the rest and it's starting to show.

My long term goal is to reach a length I'm happy with (I'm thinking somewhere around waist or elbow length) and maintain there until I have all virgin hair. (Only about 3 inches of virgin growth at the moment, that will be awhile...) And after that, who knows, maybe I'll want to go longer.

I'm going to be busy next week, so I think I'll wait until the 1st of the month to do my first trim so I can keep track of it better.

[Quahatundightu]

Whats a good schedule to be on? Every two months trim .25"ish? I want to see growth progress but am terrified of fairytail ends.

It really depends on your hair, mine grows super slow but I am still seeing growth with .25" microtrims every month. It's crazy how much of my hair was just crumbling away at the ends and I didn't know it. If you are just preventing fairytale ends I'm sure doing it every 2 months would be fine, or even ever 3 - you can always start to cut more frequently if you see your ends starting to fairytale!



I think my monthly trimming has helped me keep gaining length at a steady pace even past tb. I haven't hit a stall anywhere so far, and I think keeping the ends "fresh" is a big help there. (And I do get a very consistent growth every month, so I trim very consistently, too. I'm tempted at times to trim faster or slower, but so far the regularity of my trims is good, so I'm continuing!)

I'm in the same boat as you, microtrims seem to prevent me from stalling. Before when I was trying no trim as a race to make it to TB, my growth stalled for almost a year! It was my ends breaking off, but now I'm microtrimming every month I see very consistent growth, it rocks :)


I'm still going to hang out here because I have one partial layer left, plus my finely-textured hair seems to benefit from regular tiny trims. And if I can keep the thickness growing down, that would be awesome. :eyebrows:

I also intend to continue with pictures for comparison. I still need to take an accurate length shot, but I'm waiting for a good hair day when my hair isn't flipping all over the place. :)
I'm glad you'll still be around MissManda, you are definitely a real inspiration :) Your hair looks so incredibly thick now!!



I want to start, but I have no idea where to begin. :( I have a lot of layers that were feathered over a year and a half ago, and I want to keep them but want to trim them and I don't know how to! I just thought about taking small sections, twisting them, and then cutting all the hairs that stick out evenly. Anyone have any suggestions?
Is it still possible to section out your layers? Maybe with the help of someone you could trim them that way, otherwise doing the twist thing should work just fine!


I'm going to be joining you here, I just got a pair of dedicated hair scissors and while on the whole my hair is remarkably split-free, I am starting to see some blunted ends and a few small splits and it's been about 6 months since my last trim. I think a micro trim would do me some good, especially since I am in this for the long haul and I have a lot of color damage to cut out.

I was wanting to wait until I hit waist length to start cutting out damage, but I think microtrimming every few months is a good compromise, especially since I want thicker ends. On my last salon visit, the hairdresser put in a lot more layers than I am used to, and now that it's grown out some, I realize I like having a thicker hemline. Also I have a few locks of hair that grow faster than the rest and it's starting to show.

My long term goal is to reach a length I'm happy with (I'm thinking somewhere around waist or elbow length) and maintain there until I have all virgin hair. (Only about 3 inches of virgin growth at the moment, that will be awhile...) And after that, who knows, maybe I'll want to go longer.

I'm going to be busy next week, so I think I'll wait until the 1st of the month to do my first trim so I can keep track of it better.

Welcome Marisa! :) Sounds like you have a great plan. Depending on your hair I really think microtrimming is often a better solution than waiting to maintain until you reach a certain goal. I am really regretting the time I spent doing no-trim because in the end I never made it to TB and my hair was worse off for it. Microtrims are the thing which finally got me close to my goal! Good luck :)

[Meli]

I'm in the same boat as you, microtrims seem to prevent me from stalling. Before when I was trying no trim as a race to make it to TB, my growth stalled for almost a year! It was my ends breaking off, but now I'm microtrimming every month I see very consistent growth, it rocks :)

I totally know how this is! My goal is terminal and I like fairytale ends, so logically no trims would be the way to go, right? Nope, not for my hair. Every single time I have tried to stretch trims, my growth slows down and eventually stalls completely. I even went 14.5 months without trimming at all to see if I could "wait it out" and see if my hair started to grow again when more hairs caught up with the hemline. But no - I had slow growth for about five months, and then stalled out and even lost a little length during the following nine months.

So, in February this year I decided I had had enough of this breakage-stalling and cut off two inches. I have since cut almost all my growth, I want to see if I can thicken my ends a bit before growing further. I have not yet figured out how much and how often I need to trim for best growth success, but my hair seems to grow best if the ends are not too thin. I'm even considering to cut back to waist to get a healthier hemline to work with, but I'm not willing to lose the length and if the maintaining works, a bigger cut won't be neccessary.

[akuamoonmaui]

I've found micro trimming works for me, too. Prior to January 2011, I was micro trimming thanks to LHC! but then tried the 'No Trimming in 2011' thread. I made it to June, which was an accomplishment for me. I trimmed about 1 1/2" then because I didn't like the thin ends, then I trimmed about another 1" at the end of last month just to thicken up my hemline. It was kind of frustrating because there went all my growth for the year, but (I think) my hair looks better now that I've trimmed. I guess fairy tale ends look better on other people :(

I will stick to micro trimming which means about 1/4" every 3 months or so - fortunately the longer my hair gets the less I feel I need to trim!

[Kristin]

Count me in. Since the start of summer, I've been dusting my ends every 3-4 weeks or whenever they feel a bit dry. I used to heat style and chemically color, so I do have damage to trim off. I trim so little that I'm not really maintaining (still growing). My ends always feel and (I think) look better after even the teensiest of dustings.

[Demetrue]

This whole summer, I've been trimming regularly to get rid of a lot of overbleached damage. Right now, my goal is to maintain with microtrims until it all gets to shoulder length, and then start to grow it out.

[Spring]

I did a .25 inch trim today.

[Kricket]

Usually end up trimming my own hair -- other than to maintain length -- because I'm too lazy to go sit in a chair for 30 minutes while someone else trims my hair when I can now see my ends and do it myself. =)

[Fairy tale]

I have been strugling for a while as to if I should micortrim or not I appreciate the progress others have shown on this thread and I have finally decided to microtrim about 1/4 inch every other month....I will start with that and see what happens. Thanks for the encouragement!

[Quahatundightu]

I am getting the urge to do a bigger trim! The winter climate here in Aus is so dry that my hair is splitting like mad. But I want to keep doing my microtrims until December, since then it will have been a year. I cut off more this month than usual and I am moisturising the hell out of my hair. Only 2 cm from my goal where I can do bigger trims to maintain anyway so I will try to keep my routine until then. Can't wait until I can turn my heater off!!!

[nellreno]

My hair was already bsl when I decided to quit the dye and heat styling, which means I still have about 3 years left of monthly trimming to get rid of all the damage. I did let my hair grown down to hip length, which is now much easier for me to manage because I can do a lot more updos, so now I'm just maintaining. I cut off 1/2" at the beginning of each month, since I do typically average out 1/2" of growth each month. I notice that if I trim off any smaller amount in an attempt to gain length the trim doesn't make enough of a difference.

I have really bad taper, even with getting rid of some layers already. In an English braid the end is less than half the thickness of the top of the braid, and my hair is already on the thin side. I'm hoping that as I trim off the damage the ends with thicken up by a lot. I used to have a nice blunt hemline with minimal taper before I got caught up in coloring and styling my hair.

[Angel_099]

I have been strugling for a while as to if I should micortrim or not I appreciate the progress others have shown on this thread and I have finally decided to microtrim about 1/4 inch every other month....I will start with that and see what happens. Thanks for the encouragement!

I've committed to doing the same. I just did my first trim about a month ago. It made a big difference in how my ends felt, even though I just dusted a bit off. Can't wait to keep up with it and see my hair improve even more!:D

[jojo]

O.K. I am in well have been in really for the best part of the year; I dust monthly. However my ends are getting stupidly thin and lately its really bothered me. I got my daughter to trim and inch, which actually measured 2" but never mind it looks better. My daughter said ideally I should have had double cut off and that would have gotten rid of all the thinness but I think id rather have 1/4" taken off each month for 4 months which would be half my growth and then dust monthly.

I use the fayes method and my daughter evens things up for me, though this time because it was a bigger trim I let her trim. Just a quick question you hold your head up and look forward for a straight hemline yeah? mine is slightly U but I think a blunt might look better.

[SpinDance]

Did another shower trim today, about a quarter inch. This is the second time I've used this technique, the first was a couple of weeks ago. I can't remember who posted this technique, but I sure like it. Basically instead of wrestling with trying to slide a ponytail holder down the middle of my back with my bad shoulders, I just use the fact that in the shower the water running on my hair makes it all stick together and come down into a point. Careful catching of the ends, bringing them around to the front and snipping the ends off even is easy.

After over a year of using the V-shaped hem trim I'm switching back to blunt, maintaining about TB.

[Quahatundightu]

SpinDance, that's an interesting point about cutting in the shower! I would be worried that I wouldn't keep all my hair even as I brought it around my shoulder though. Since my hair is past my hips I can reach my hands behind my back and I tie a hair tie around the ends that way, with no sliding down.

[88Marisa]

Finally did my first micro trim the other day. I sectioned my hair into fairly small bits and carefully looked for split ends further up in addition to taking a bit off the bottom. It took quite a while but I think I did a good job. I plan to repeat every few months, as my hair really is not splitting very much with my current routine (WO).

[lillylonghair]

Even though I am just past bsl,I am hitting a stage where my layers make my hair look very scraggly and yucky. I tried doing the no trims for a year but I am now regretting it:( I'd rather stop on my growing journey for a while,rather than get to my goal and realize I have a foot of sh*tty looking hair. My goal has always been to have healthy,long hair,not just long hair.
So I'll be in here for a while as I have layers that are no longer than shoulder right now.


Okay so questions for all of you exeperienced microtrimmers: I just started self trimming but the worst of the velcro-y ness is at my layers,should I go in and have someone dust my layers and then start doing my own self trims again? Also,I was thinking that maybe I should only trim off half of what I grow for every trim (grow 1 inch ,trim half?). Would that still be effective?

[lingxi]

This reminds and motivates me to to keep up with the trimmings...I think every two months is sufficient time for some growth and for my hair to start seeing damage anyway.

PS. Quahatundightu your curls are to die for!

[SpinDance]

Did yet another micro trim yesterday. Even asked my DH to check it. I think next time I'll just ask him to do the trim, though! ;) 5 mm isn't much.

[PinkyCat]

Did mine this morning. Next one end of December!

[Mutinous]

I've been maintaining at shoulder for about a year now. Very dull. But I have successfully conquered the layers and my hair is starting to feel, and look, pretty nice. I notice it more when I tie it up and it all fits in the ponytail and the ends still feel thick! Will try and post pics later!

[rocket_surgeon]

I'm at waist and just started microtrimming. My ends are split city and my hemline is getting pretty thin, so I figured it's time to maintain for a while. I know it's just going to get worse if I don't start taking care ofit, and I'll end up having to cut off inches and inches if it gets out of hand.

I just took 1/2" off, and my hair feels so much better. Bye-bye, velco ends!

[SheaLynne]

Okay so questions for all of you exeperienced microtrimmers: I just started self trimming but the worst of the velcro-y ness is at my layers,should I go in and have someone dust my layers and then start doing my own self trims again? Also,I was thinking that maybe I should only trim off half of what I grow for every trim (grow 1 inch ,trim half?). Would that still be effective?

I think whether you have the layers dusted is up to you and depends on how much layering there is. I had nearly waist length tips and about 4 inches of layering when I came here, and I started microtrimming each month in Dec 2009. I did not have the layers trimmed, just started taking off the ends bit by bit.

I do just what you described and trim only a portion of my growth each month (I grow a consistent 3/4-inch each month and trim 1/4 inch of that). You can see my progress photos in my album, and my September 2011 shot is in my signature. It has worked great for me. I am still gaining length but feel that I'm doing something to gradually get rid of the layers, which are now gone. Now I'm still working on getting rid of previously damaged hair from my flat-ironing from over 2 years ago. Slow but steady, and I have nearly classic length hair now...woot!

[ssjhotau2]

My plan has always been to S&D my way to TBL and then maintain there- but this thread has convinced me that maybe it's okay to do monthly micro trims instead of S&D. It's starting to feel like a losing battle anyways lol

[Quahatundightu]

Another small trim today. Perhaps I am a little trim happy right now, but I want thickness, even if my hair doesn't get longer. Finally I have found my own balance between length and health - if I do finally make it to TB curly I want my hair to be in great shape, not all thin and straggly. Perhaps my hair is just too thin to get much longer than TB, it has been such a struggle to get it to grow to the length it is at now!

[Modarunner]

I definitely have to do the micro trims. I get really bad split ends so the trimming keeps it healthy. I do S&D missions on a regular basis and when my ends start to feel rough and prickly I normally trim off about .25 to .5". Afterwards I can feel a huge difference as my ends feel soft and healthy. Even with the trims I track my hair as growing 6" a year. I'm waiting for my hair to get a bit longer before I want to start trimming to get rid of the layers in my hair, but I'm not ready yet.

[akosei]

For almost a year I was like clockwork getting my ends trimmed because of some crazy, awful layers and constant split ends. But I slacked off over the summer because the split ends were getting better. Regular trims helped my growth (I'm a little past SL now) and hair health. Thanks for the inspiration to get back on the regular trim wagon!:cheese:

[SpinDance]

Another dusting last evening, about 5 mm. When I started doing the frequent, tiny dustings over a year ago the 5 mm only trimmed a few hairs. Now I'm actually trimming a quite a lot of hairs. Slow but steady progress towards thickening my hemline without chopping length.

[Aqua Gal]

Hi everyone! This is definitely a thread for me.

I've tried the no trimming route and it didn't really pan out...ended up trimming so much anyway. About the longest I can safely go is 3 months. Right now I'm microtrimming regularly about every 8 weeks with good results.

Sometimes I question whether I did enough to moisturize my ends during the no trimming period, but this seems to be working for me.

It's awesome to see all of the progress. Good luck everyone!

[MissManda]

I'm checking in! :D I did a tiny dusting last month and will be doing another one this coming weekend. I love how trimming such a teeny-tiny amount makes such a great difference as to how my hemline feels. Next month, my intention is to do a micro-trim of 0.25-0.5", I haven't decided which. My plan is to micro-trim every three months and do dustings in between. I'll see what my hair is like come November.

Oh yes, before I forget... back around the end of August or beginning of September, I realized that I actually managed to cut my hair unevenly and I had to take off another inch. Gah! It set me back a little, but not too badly although now I'm considering changing from my usual soft U shape for a blunt one because I think it might be easier for me to trim.

I finally got the built-in webcam on my laptop to work (it wasn't working for several months for some odd reason). Now I can take pictures that show the length of my hair without needing help from someone else. :bounce: My most recent length shot is in my signature.

[LaurelSpring]

I am definately in the microtrimming club. Last year I tried the neglect no trim routine and I ended up with really ratty ends and no real growth other than lots of major taper. I went back to the microdusting once a month routine (with some S&D) and saw lots of growth and progress, so much so that I was encouraged to recently cut back about 2 inches of fairytale ends to thicken up some past layering and really go for it.

I went from below TB tapered fairytale ( just like the avatar) to a thicker version just above TB. Although I miss the length I am encouraged by the thickness. I think the once a month microtrims are the real ticket to getting growth and health. I am sold on this plan!

[Spring]

Still in maintenance mode, trimming away all that grows. I had planned to continue this until next June or July then start microtrimming while growing down. However, I think I might try trimming away half my monthly average for a couple of months, then go back to maintaining for a couple of months.... then repeat. Haven't quite decided, but the maintaining has really improved my hemline and it's only been a few months.... so I might continue maintening until my hem gets a little thicker before growing.

Great comeback MissManda!

Your hemline looks really gpood and you must have had some pretty good growth considering the extra inch you had to cut.

[akuamoonmaui]

I have to micro trim or I don't like the way my hair grows out. I tried no trimming in 2011, but only made it to June. I ended up trimming about 3" between June and July because I didn't like my ends.

I dust about 3 months. I'm also going to try trimming by the moon. I don't fully understand it, but I'll give it a shot and see if there's a difference. My next trim is scheduled for Dec. 3.

My member name 'dust bunny' is in reference to micro trims.

[Lissandria]

Im joining this club. Did a 0.25" trim one month ago, grew 0.75" inch in the last month (!) and just trimmed another 0.25". My ends felt like they needed it, next month hopefully I can skip or just do a tiny, tiny dust.
It's coming to summer here so hopefully I will have a few more spurts. Am growing out pesky too-short layers, the ends of them are quite damaged. Most of them are of similar length- wondering if I could do a tiny trim/dust of them or would that give a weird effect my hair had two distinct lengths? I don't want to go back to the hairdresser for them just to re-cut them, but I feel they are so damaged they are just breaking off.

[Slinks]

It's coming to summer here so hopefully I will have a few more spurts.

I too am looking forward to an aussie summer growth spurt :-)

I micro trimmed twice last month at the start and the end - will probably be micro trimming again start of November

[Lissandria]

I too am looking forward to an aussie summer growth spurt :-)

I micro trimmed twice last month at the start and the end - will probably be micro trimming again start of November

Yay for summer growth spurts!

Your hair is so shiny :)

[MissManda]

I did a dusting yesterday evening. Note to self: trimming wet hair is a royal pain and I'm not going to do it again. :o

[Debra83]

hmmmm.....my son (who is not growing his hair as long as mine, but likes his hair about 3-4 inches everywhere) just recently got a trim, and boy does it ever look and feel better.....now I've got the bug to microtrim my hair today all over. I wasn't going to, and just posted in another thread today that I was going for length rather than hemline, but I think I'll do another microtrim today...it's been since about April that I've had one.

[Annibelle]

I started trimming regularly... well... this month! :) I grew from shoulder to a little below waist through "benign neglect"... actually, though, it was plain neglect. I just let it do its thing-- I didn't care about my hair, really. Then, I decided one day that I wanted beautiful hair like I had years ago. I came to LHC and asked for honest feedback, and it was decided-- I needed a chop! Most people thought I should cut back to BSL, and I agreed after looking at the photos, but I'm a coward and decided to just do small trims instead. I don't really measure, to be honest-- I just wrap a belt around my natural waist and make DH chop any hair below the belt. :) I''ll post comparison photos next month... I think it'll take, like, another year of maintaining at waist before I can move toward hip... maybe longer... but I've decided that I'd be okay with staying at waist FOREVER as long as I got a nice hemline. :)

[nobeltonya]

I was originally just trying to reach tbone, but now I've dusted the ends the last few months in a row, and it's finally starting to thicken a bit. My U-shape tapers significantly [not fairy tale, but still a noticeable difference, especially braided] from top to bottom, and I'd love for it to be thick and full all the way down, and for my hemline to be straight [it'd take a few years, as my shortest layer, the front, is only at BSL..].

[whichypoohs]

Do you trim your own hair then and how? How do you get it straight. Great thread by the way, very encouraging as I never used to trim...well only when I was forced to but I'm going to do some micro-trimming myself.

[Spring]

I have to micro trim or I don't like the way my hair grows out. I tried no trimming in 2011, but only made it to June. I ended up trimming about 3" between June and July because I didn't like my ends.

I dust about 3 months. I'm also going to try trimming by the moon. I don't fully understand it, but I'll give it a shot and see if there's a difference. My next trim is scheduled for Dec. 3.

My member name 'dust bunny' is in reference to micro trims.

Please do share what you learn and your results with us here. It sounds interesting!


hmmmm.....my son (who is not growing his hair as long as mine, but likes his hair about 3-4 inches everywhere) just recently got a trim, and boy does it ever look and feel better.....now I've got the bug to microtrim my hair today all over. I wasn't going to, and just posted in another thread today that I was going for length rather than hemline, but I think I'll do another microtrim today...it's been since about April that I've had one.

How did it go Debra?


I started trimming regularly... well... this month! :) I grew from shoulder to a little below waist through "benign neglect"... actually, though, it was plain neglect. I just let it do its thing-- I didn't care about my hair, really. Then, I decided one day that I wanted beautiful hair like I had years ago. I came to LHC and asked for honest feedback, and it was decided-- I needed a chop! Most people thought I should cut back to BSL, and I agreed after looking at the photos, but I'm a coward and decided to just do small trims instead. I don't really measure, to be honest-- I just wrap a belt around my natural waist and make DH chop any hair below the belt. :) I''ll post comparison photos next month... I think it'll take, like, another year of maintaining at waist before I can move toward hip... maybe longer... but I've decided that I'd be okay with staying at waist FOREVER as long as I got a nice hemline. :)

I think comparison pictures have been a huge encouragement for me in seeing the benefits of regular trimming. Looking forward to seeing your photos next month!


Do you trim your own hair then and how? How do you get it straight. Great thread by the way, very encouraging as I never used to trim...well only when I was forced to but I'm going to do some micro-trimming myself.
A lot of us here are self trimmers :).... it's something I'm glad to do myself. The first link is Feye's method and the second is a video tutorial of Habioku using Feye's method. HTH

http://feyeselftrim.livejournal.com/

Here's a video link...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9Erf49Eyxc

and here is the page for the method I use...
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=75468&page=4

[skraprchik]

I did another dusting yesterday. I definitely need to work on my detangling technique, as I had a lot of single strand knots. Anyway, my hair feels great now and it's onward to another few months of growing.

[Spring]

Trimmed another .5 inch this morning....

[jujube]

I'll have to join here soon! When I get just past shoulder, I'll start maintaining for a while to trim off damage, and then off to APL I go.

[lillylonghair]

I should be doing my 3rd trim soon. I though I'd be miserable trimming this much but really my hair looks and feels better than before and I SWEAR it seems to be growing more. (or maybe b/c it's not all tangly and gross at the ends so it looks longer?idk....)

[Avital88]

I think i have to join this thread soon too,, but give me some weeks/months to be mentally prepared on losing length

[SheaLynne]

Avital88, I saw your post in another thread, and I think you could survive well with mini-trims and not losing several inches at once. It is amazing what taking off the ends every month (or other frequency) does toward better feeling ends, increasing thickness of ends, but still gaining/maintaining length. It's a win-win!

[Spring]

I should be doing my 3rd trim soon. I though I'd be miserable trimming this much but really my hair looks and feels better than before and I SWEAR it seems to be growing more. (or maybe b/c it's not all tangly and gross at the ends so it looks longer?idk....)

I've been trimming quite a bit as well, and I'm surprised not to be losing length even though sometimes I'm cutting more than the avg .5 inch per month

[Aqua Gal]

Trim day today! My ends feel so nice. I took about 1cm off, but honestly, only about 25 hairs were that long. Shooters?

I've finally gotten down a solid routine that works with my layers...huge relief since I've been growing out a choppy Devacut forever.

I'm still gaining length with trims every 8 weeks. I'm thinking I will need a bigger trim sooner or later, but so far so good on this schedule.

[einna]

Do you guys trim just the longest ends? Or do you trim all ends, including your layers? I have been doing the latter to get rid of damage, but trimming more of the longest so that the layers can catch up with the lenght. Now I am thinking about doing an in-between thing, as the worst damage is almost gone, and I will soon start focusing on lenght. Not quite sure how to do it though.

[W2]

Okay ... so now I got DH to cut of 1cm ... something like ½" or something.

I think he did a good job - my hair isn't long enough, that I can cut it myself yet. I did the thing with the elasticband - used 2, one at the top and then pulled the other down.

I think, I'll trim every other month or so.

I've been dying my hair since I was 20, so it's rather damaged.

[hanne jensen]

I've been dusting ever since I joined LHC. Sometimes every month, sometimes every 8-10 weeks. My DH does the dusting and I must say he does a great job.

I do have a question about dusting. Does dusting help keep thickness at the hemline when growing to extreme lengths? I've noticed that many complain that their hair starts thinning at WL when they reach classic and beyond. I don't want to experience this when I get to these lengths.

[SpinDance]

Did another dusting trim yesterday, the usual 5 mm of just the very longest hairs. Thinking back to when I started the regular dustings over a year ago, I have so many more hairs being trimmed now than I did then, and I've gained length in that time as well. Yay!

[Spring]

Do you guys trim just the longest ends? Or do you trim all ends, including your layers? I have been doing the latter to get rid of damage, but trimming more of the longest so that the layers can catch up with the lenght. Now I am thinking about doing an in-between thing, as the worst damage is almost gone, and I will soon start focusing on lenght. Not quite sure how to do it though.

I just trim the hemline, but if I had layers I would try to occassionally trim those too.


I've been dusting ever since I joined LHC. Sometimes every month, sometimes every 8-10 weeks. My DH does the dusting and I must say he does a great job.

I do have a question about dusting. Does dusting help keep thickness at the hemline when growing to extreme lengths? I've noticed that many complain that their hair starts thinning at WL when they reach classic and beyond. I don't want to experience this when I get to these lengths.

I think small trims in between larger ones should keep your hemline pretty decent growing down to the longer lengths. For me, just getting to waist with a decent hemline has been very challenging.

[hanne jensen]

Thanks for your answer, Spring. I don't trim, just dust.

[nellreno]

Trimmed 0.25" off the ends today. This always has me conflicted. I want to be able to grow out my hair so I need to trim less than I grow in order to gain length, but since I have around 18" of damage left to grow out I feel like trimming such a small amount does nothing.


Do you guys trim just the longest ends? Or do you trim all ends, including your layers? I have been doing the latter to get rid of damage, but trimming more of the longest so that the layers can catch up with the lenght. Now I am thinking about doing an in-between thing, as the worst damage is almost gone, and I will soon start focusing on lenght. Not quite sure how to do it though.

I am trying to grow out layers and thicken up my hemline, so I just trim the longest layer.

[Slinks]

did my first of the month micro today :-)

[Lissandria]

Just did a tiny dust on my lengths yesterday. They feel good.
Also did a very thorough S+D and tiny trim 0.25" on my horrid, velcro ended layers. Am noticing a lot of breakage around ear length- thinking this is from so-called "snagless" elastic use shudder:. Went and bought some little cloth-covered hairties and a hairfork. No more elastics.

[Aqua Gal]

Do you guys trim just the longest ends? Or do you trim all ends, including your layers? I have been doing the latter to get rid of damage, but trimming more of the longest so that the layers can catch up with the lenght. Now I am thinking about doing an in-between thing, as the worst damage is almost gone, and I will soon start focusing on lenght. Not quite sure how to do it though.

I trim my layers each time, however, I am not trying to grow them out.

[Quahatundightu]

Did my monthly trim too :) I always trim my longest hairs since I am trying to thicken my hemline. I got growth as well, only 1cm from my main goal! :D It's wonderful to be improving the condition of my hair, albeit slowly, while also seeing more growth than I ever had when I didn't trim.

[girlcat36]

I've just decided to go back to microtrimming! It really was the best best thing for my hair. I used to microtrim every two months, and since I stopped 10 months ago I've been really unhappy with my hemline.
Quahatundightu--your hair looks amazing!

[MissManda]

My next dusting is due next week, but I haven't decided if I want to do just a dusting or if I want to actually microtrim. My ends are holding up pretty nicely and I'm not far away from waist, so it would be nice to get back to that length because it's more menageable. I'm leaning towards moving my microtrim to December, but I'll know for sure when I measure my hair next week because I'm dying to know how much I have to go before I get to 26" again. I'd really hate to be so close to my current goal and not *quite* get there by trimming and I'd prefer to be a little past it before I cut anything off.

[loveglam]

My next dusting is due next week, but I haven't decided if I want to do just a dusting or if I want to actually microtrim. My ends are holding up pretty nicely and I'm not far away from waist, so it would be nice to get back to that length because it's more menageable. I'm leaning towards moving my microtrim to December, but I'll know for sure when I measure my hair next week because I'm dying to know how much I have to go before I get to 26" again. I'd really hate to be so close to my current goal and not *quite* get there by trimming and I'd prefer to be a little past it before I anything off.

I feel the same. My longest layers are at 27". I want to cut 3 inches to get it more even but I'm afraid to go back 4mths worth or so. I think I may dust and wait until it's longer so when I DO cut it will all be 27 inches. hmmm

[Sundial]

Do you guys trim just the longest ends? Or do you trim all ends, including your layers? I have been doing the latter to get rid of damage, but trimming more of the longest so that the layers can catch up with the lenght. Now I am thinking about doing an in-between thing, as the worst damage is almost gone, and I will soon start focusing on lenght. Not quite sure how to do it though.

You can actually trim the layers less often than you do the length. For example, trim the layers only every 2nd or 3rd time you trim your length. This works if you are going more for length. If sacrificing length isn't an issue with you, you can make it a point to trim more off the lengths than your layers so that the gap between them closes up faster. Example, take 2cm off your length and 1cm off your layers.

That's what I used to do and it worked for me because the layers are not as old as the length and didn't seem to experience as much damage so I figured that they didn't need to be trimmed that often. Really, if your layers don't seem to be experiencing any damage, you can just let them do their thing and only S&D when necessary

[els23]

I was planning on waiting until I reached my goal of waist until I started trimming but after reading this thread I've changed my mind and did my first microtrim today! I think I'm going to try to stick to once a month and hopefully it should help thicken up my ends while still continue growing. I find my hair is always getting split ends no matter what I do so maybe this will help get rid of them before they get too bad.

[coffinhert]

I had been no-trim for the better part of a year but my hair is damaged and the ends were getting really bad... I s&d constantly and just kept finding more.

I just did my first microtrim last night (while watching Dexter and Raising Hope with my new puppy... peaceful friday night)and my ends feel so much better! I will definitely keep doing this, if only dusting. I hadn't realized how tangly the tips were. Everything is so much softer.

I'm growing out layers, so I just dusted the top layers, maybe 1/10-1/4 inch, whereas for the bottom longest layer I took off about 3/4 inch. The length looks exactly the same to me, but the texture is greatly improved.

And I felt so much safer doing it myself than letting a stylist anywhere near my head... There are great stylists out there but the only one I have experience with is in a different state at the moment.

Thanks for the encouraging reports everyone!

[LittleB]

I'm so glad to have found this thread.

I'm growing out a pixie and am always in the "trim or don't trim" quandary. I'm inspired to get micro-trims by either myself or a stylist I used to go to that is very careful and seems long hair friendly. He is anti-bleach and used to blowdry my hair on a very low temp and far away from the hair. This is pre-LHC so I didn't appreciate him; now I'm thinking he's awesome and will definitely go back to him!

All of your reports are so interesting; how microtrimming is helping to maintain growth. Weird. Maybe there is truth to the whole "trim so you can grow" theory!?

[papera]

I've been microtrimming for the past year or so, 1-1.5 cm every 2-3 months and it has been very good for my hair as they're quite long (hip-length) and healthy! It also feels as if they've been growing faster, but that could be just a wish of mine :p
I feel these microtrims keep the hair healthy without that one needs to chop off a big amount at once because of damage. It also makes hair look fuller and it feels nicely soft :o

[mora]

I trim my layers each time, however, I am not trying to grow them out.

How do you trim your layers?

ETA: I'd love to know because I think my layers are more in need of a trim right now than the bottom part of my hair. It doesn't make any sense to me because my last cut was in a salon at the end of August and she added more layering then so the layers should be fairly fresh but they've been irritating for a while. I've also been fairly aggressive with S&D throughout my length. :confused:

[blondie9912]

Hi everyone! I have a question for you, hopefully someone can help me out :)

I have chemically damaged hair, I dyed my hair repeatedly this summer and now am committed to growing out my natural hair colour. My hair is just past APL, and I have a few layers around shoulder-length. One thing that is important to note about my hair is that the entire top half (I never dyed my underside, it is all my natural colour) is in the same condition because of dying- the ends are not much more damaged than the roots, because I never heatstyle my hair and am always gentle with it, so all of the damage on my hair is from colouring, which I did from roots to ends.

I want to grow my hair to BSL, perhaps a little longer (maybe another 4-5 inches from where I am now) but I am conflicted... Once I reach BSL/waist, should I cut about 2 inches twice a year, to get rid of the dye (while still maintaining my length)? Or should I maintain by doing microtrims of 0.25-0.5inches per month? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?

Thank you all in advance :flowers:

[akuamoonmaui]

Blondie: I'd say what feels best to you. Cutting hair is a personal choice. I prefer micro trims because I don't see any loss in length and my ends feel better. But that's just me. You might like to know that "that chunk" is gone, giving you more of a sense of accomplishment.

[SheaLynne]

Hi everyone! I have a question for you, hopefully someone can help me out :)

I have chemically damaged hair, I dyed my hair repeatedly this summer and now am committed to growing out my natural hair colour. My hair is just past APL, and I have a few layers around shoulder-length. One thing that is important to note about my hair is that the entire top half (I never dyed my underside, it is all my natural colour) is in the same condition because of dying- the ends are not much more damaged than the roots, because I never heatstyle my hair and am always gentle with it, so all of the damage on my hair is from colouring, which I did from roots to ends.

I want to grow my hair to BSL, perhaps a little longer (maybe another 4-5 inches from where I am now) but I am conflicted... Once I reach BSL/waist, should I cut about 2 inches twice a year, to get rid of the dye (while still maintaining my length)? Or should I maintain by doing microtrims of 0.25-0.5inches per month? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?

Thank you all in advance :flowers:

Hi, Blondie, I agree that it is really a personal choice. You might try microtrimming for a while and see if it is giving you the sense of accomplishment and satisfaction that it takes to maintain the patience to grow out the damage. For me, there was no question that I was keeping my length (I started at LHC with just above waist-length hair that I had been blowdrying and flatironing heavily). I knew I would have to get rid of the damaged length, but I was just beginning to get close enough to do updos, which was the real reason I was searching and found LHC. So, for me the monthly 1/4-inch trims are very fulfilling because I continue to gain length while always feeling the niceness of fresh ends. With monthly length shots, I can also see the improvement in thickness in the ends, which is fulfilling as well. Eventually I'll be rid of all the damage, and the layers are long gone and I've gained length every month. Just my preference and my experience.

If you try microtrimming and aren't feeling that you are getting anywhere, you can then try a bigger trim and see how you feel about doing that occasionally.

HTH!

[SpinDance]

Did another dusting last evening, between 1/4 inch or maybe 1/2 inch. I only trimmed back the outliers, of which there weren't that many, so the overall length probably didn't really change much. It's been 2.5 weeks since my last dusting and I'm maintaining at around TB.

[Modarunner]

I currently do trims and s&d missions on my hair. I'm always searching out those ugly splits, because I don't want them to travel up my hair length, making it so I need to trim more to get rid of the splits and because the split ends make my ends feel terrible and definitely are a big cause of tangles. I usually do a trim on my ends when they start to feel very rough and prickly. This usually only happens like every 4-5months. When I do trim I'll then only trim like .5" off my ends. I'm also growing out layers as well, so I've been having my longest layer trimmed and 1" and everything else .5". That way I don't have to loose length all at once to even everything up and I'm still getting rid of the layers.

[chelshireling]

I just tried microtrimming on myself the first time last night. My ends were completely dead and gross and my whole head of hair feels much better without them, my curls actually curl all the way through now, which is wonderful. I have a lot of damage from dyeing it over a year ago so i plan to cut about a centimeter off every month or two while im growing out to tbl.

[ingvild]

Hi everyone :)
I have started microtrimming. Or, I got a headstart with a trim of around 2-2.5 cm today, next trim will be one cm in February, then 1 cm every other month...
2012 will be growing-out-the-layers-year. \o/ I really want a thicker braid :) !

[BelleBot]

Ooo, I think I'll be joining this club. I've not long reached classic length, I want to grow further, but first I need to thicken up my ends. So I'm going to microtrim every so often and maintain at classic length for the next 6 months perhaps a year depending on how it goes. Really can't wait to get into a regular pattern of trimming to maintain and seeing my hemline thicken up. :)
I've not read the whole thread but how often do people microtrim on average?

[MissManda]

Welcome, ingvild and BelleBot. :flower:

I've reached "Can I call this Waist?" length and have done a very small trim to even up my hemline. I couldn't have taken off more than 0.25", but my hem is a nice shape again while my ends feel better. I still have that one remaining damaged section of hair in the back (it used to be my bangs), but although it feels dry and a bit velcroey, the hairs are getting longer instead of just breaking off, so I'm happy about that.

I'm scheduling my next 0.25-0.5" trim for April. I really like doing monthly dustings, so I'm continuing with those as well. I imagine I could go for up to six months between mini-trims, but I think that with the remaining minor damage, I'd probably go nuts if I waited that long.

I just need to keep myself from being too trim-happy this year. I'm done with sacrificing my length for health/thickness and now my hair is in good enough condition that I'd be happy with it at longer lengths. I'm hoping to reach TBL in 2012!

Now that financial stability is growing for me, I also hope to invest in a better pair of hair scissors and maybe a CreaClip. I'm also thinking that once I reach TBL, I'll grow past it a little and then change my hemline from a soft U to a straight-across one. We'll see...

[Avital88]

hi all, im at solid tailbone length and in the microtrimming boat aswel,trimmed pnce last november an will trim again with full moon in january, then every month 0.3 inch. its working its working!

[Theobroma]

Well, I'm in. I was originally planning to join in January, but I'm slightly past hip already and jumped the gun last night. I took off a centimetre by the ponytail method.

My ends feel the same as before, but it's the first step towards getting rid of (or at least minimising) my hated fairytale ends.

I haven't decided when my next trim will be, because I'm still dithering about how much to trim how often. I want to trim about half my growth for the next six months or so, the only question is whether to do frequent tiny trims or less frequent less tiny ones.

[white.chocolate]

Thank you for starting this thread! It got me motivated into giving my hair a trim. I'm always afraid of a trim because I'm just so impatient to have longer hair. I had a major trim (more of a cut) 6 months ago, so I really do not want to have it trimmed until I reach classic, which will be in about 5 months. So far, I have zero split ends. I'll see how it goes...

[Mayflower]

I don't know why I haven't noticed this thread before?! I'm in!
Once every few months I take about an inch off (like 2cm more or less) because there are pieces that grow a lot faster than the rest and I like my ends -despite the layers- to be quite blunt. I think last time I microtrimmed was in mid november?
I also do S&D very regularly and want to keep microtrimming and maintaining until all of my layers are gone and I'm at hip!

[auburntressed]

hi all, im at solid tailbone length and in the microtrimming boat aswel,trimmed pnce last november an will trim again with full moon in january, then every month 0.3 inch. its working its working!
I read somewhere that trimming on the full moon makes your hair grow more slowly, and the new moon makes it grow faster. Is there anything to that? Or is this something you're just starting?

[sarahramen]

My hair is 30" long on the nose.
*ponytail circumference at nape of neck: 5.25"
*circumference 2" from ends: 1.5"
*goal: 2.5"
My intent is to cut off 1/4" or less a month to keep growth but keep my ends looking nice and tidy. Since I have officially hit my previous goal of waist, as long as it is growing it doesn't matter how quickly. Hopefully this trimming schedule will help me get rid of old heat damage, thicken up my ends, and get rid of left over bangs/ layers. I'll recheck my ends circumference in June, this way I'll see progress!

[girlcat36]

I'm getting really antsy that the Morrocco Method Lunar Chart for 2012 isn't ready yet!!!

[Spring]

I cut my hair this past summer back to 28 inches and have been maintaining there. My last trim was early December, so this will be my first time stretching my trim schedule to 6 wks, as I've decided to stop maintaining for a while and start microtrimming again.

[blondie9912]

My hair is 30" long on the nose.
*ponytail circumference at nape of neck: 5.25"
*circumference 2" from ends: 1.5"
*goal: 2.5"
My intent is to cut off 1/4" or less a month to keep growth but keep my ends looking nice and tidy. Since I have officially hit my previous goal of waist, as long as it is growing it doesn't matter how quickly. Hopefully this trimming schedule will help me get rid of old heat damage, thicken up my ends, and get rid of left over bangs/ layers. I'll recheck my ends circumference in June, this way I'll see progress!

WOW that is an impressive ponytail circumference at the nape of your neck!

[jacqueline101]

I did a micro trim and search and destroy a month ago to get rid of the splits I was having. I go to the beauty parlor for a trim twice a year. I do self trim my bangs.

[TammyT]

I am on a regular trim plan in order to cut out bleach highlights! Its hard to do when it starts getting longer and I really like the feel and the ability to pull it all up!

[CrunchyMama]

Hey, count me in! I reached WL and I'm planning on microtrimming to keep it there and thicken up my wispy hemline... But I'm still contemplating keeping it at WL, or cutting it back to BSL and maintaining it there. I think it may have been a more flattering length for me. But that may be just because my hemline was thicker when it was that length. Talk me out of it? ;)

[PinkyCat]

Next trim at the end of March! Gotta hide those scissors!

[ingvild]

Wow, I forgot checking in on this thread after I posted in it. I have to say, a part of me really don't want to microtrim (because I want to grow all the hairs, and fast!!!) but seeing that the thread is active is quite motivational! :D I'll have to trim off the layers eventually anyway - better to do it a little at a time, than a big chunk, right? Right?

Anyway, my next trim is the beginning of February. I'll have to get a pair of scissors. It will be the first time I self-trim. Eek!


Welcome, ingvild and BelleBot. :flower:

I've reached "Can I call this Waist?" length and have done a very small trim to even up my hemline. I couldn't have taken off more than 0.25", but my hem is a nice shape again while my ends feel better. I still have that one remaining damaged section of hair in the back (it used to be my bangs), but although it feels dry and a bit velcroey, the hairs are getting longer instead of just breaking off, so I'm happy about that.

I'm scheduling my next 0.25-0.5" trim for April. I really like doing monthly dustings, so I'm continuing with those as well. I imagine I could go for up to six months between mini-trims, but I think that with the remaining minor damage, I'd probably go nuts if I waited that long.

I just need to keep myself from being too trim-happy this year. I'm done with sacrificing my length for health/thickness and now my hair is in good enough condition that I'd be happy with it at longer lengths. I'm hoping to reach TBL in 2012!

Now that financial stability is growing for me, I also hope to invest in a better pair of hair scissors and maybe a CreaClip. I'm also thinking that once I reach TBL, I'll grow past it a little and then change my hemline from a soft U to a straight-across one. We'll see...

Thank you for the welcome :)
Your hair is beautiful and I'm sure it will look great at TB!


My hair is 30" long on the nose.
*ponytail circumference at nape of neck: 5.25"
*circumference 2" from ends: 1.5"
*goal: 2.5"
My intent is to cut off 1/4" or less a month to keep growth but keep my ends looking nice and tidy. Since I have officially hit my previous goal of waist, as long as it is growing it doesn't matter how quickly. Hopefully this trimming schedule will help me get rid of old heat damage, thicken up my ends, and get rid of left over bangs/ layers. I'll recheck my ends circumference in June, this way I'll see progress!

Hey, your goals sound like mine :) Although your hair is much thicker at the nape than mine, mine is a bit over 9 cm I think (about 3.6") and the ends are around 2". I don't know what to expect at thickness near the ends, though. Hmm, but yes, I think it's smart to not check the ends circ too often... maybe I'll try again in June too :)


Hey, count me in! I reached WL and I'm planning on microtrimming to keep it there and thicken up my wispy hemline... But I'm still contemplating keeping it at WL, or cutting it back to BSL and maintaining it there. I think it may have been a more flattering length for me. But that may be just because my hemline was thicker when it was that length. Talk me out of it? ;)

Don't chop, keep it at WL and microtrim! I'm sure it's just the thicker hemline that made it more flattering, and that it looks grrrreat at WL. :) If you decide you don't like it, then you can cut maybe?

[Rae H.]

I recently started microtrimming. I hope to notice results over time. I do feel good snipping away at the ends.

[Ronnieaj]

I started microtrimming back in October. Well, the first one was a trim of 1 inch, then I did 0.25" in December. I plan to do microtrims of 0.25" every 10 weeks throughout the year. I also noticed that just not trimming didn't work well for me; my hair grew but the ends looked so ragged that I had to cut that inch off. My next trim is scheduled for February 18.

[citadel]

^ I'm the same as you. I so, so very much wanted to grow my hair out to my waist by early summer, but tonight, I realized that it just wasn't worth it and cut off a whopping two inches. :( I hadn't cut my hair in ages, and it definitely showed...in a very bad way. It feels amazing to run my fingers to the edge of my hair and feel smoothness all the way down. Those ends had been on my head for several years, and when I think about it, it's kind of gross.

SO happy I trimmed. I will probably do a much smaller trim in another month.

[CrunchyMama]

Don't chop, keep it at WL and microtrim! I'm sure it's just the thicker hemline that made it more flattering, and that it looks grrrreat at WL. :) If you decide you don't like it, then you can cut maybe?

Thanks, ingvild! I'm still humming and hawing over it... We'll see what I decide!

[hanne jensen]

I am a frequent duster. My hair grows unevenly, so every 2 cm of growth my hemline looks very ragged. I have a lot of old damage in my hair and am not willing to chop a lot off. By dusting, I'm gradually getting old damage out and have a tidy hemline.

I have a U shaped hemline that is starting to irritate me. I can't do a single braid as the front of my hair is about 10 cm shorter than the back. I plan on gradually over the next 2 years evening out my hemline to a straight across hemline.

[ingvild]

Hi everyone :) I just thought I'd check in here, as I did my first microtrim today. Eeeek! I was going to do 1 cm, but it ended up a bit more at the longest. Next trim in one month!

It's scary how easy it was to trim off that little bit of hair.

It was my first self trim and my hemline looks straight, at least. We'll see later ;)

[PrairieRose]

I'm at APL with past damage. I am trying to grow to waist but I have to do regular microtrims to get rid of the damage. I usually do one every month or so but I am not on an exact schedule. I think I have done 3 so far. Without the trims I would be a lost cause!

[UP Lisa]

Don't know why I never saw this thread before. I've been doing this for quite a while. Used to be at BCL, but went back to Waist, and have pretty much been staying there.

[einna]

I did a small trim last week. I took about a cm (a little under 1/2 inch) of the layers, and even less of the length. My layers has been trimmed less, to catch up, for a long time, and now they needed a trim badly, my lenght is in better shape. I managed to go 9 weeks since the last microtrim. Hoping to stretch it for about the same length this time to.

[Lissandria]

This method is definitely a goer. Looking forward to my next trim on the 7th of feb. :)

[MissManda]

I'm going to trim my hair on the 7th, too. :) If anyone is interested, I've got progress pictures of my growth in my albums. I've decided that taking before and after dusting shots is a little too tedious for my liking, so I'm sticking with the monthly pictures.

I feel very excited to see what my hair is going to look like in April, which is my next trim day.

[AvonleLocks]

microtrimming sounds so intimidating. I am new here and I have been going all-natural with my shampooing and conditioning and I heard about regular trimming to help growth. I am trying also things to stimulate the scalp like detoxing and lunar haircutting. I avoid razor cutting because it splits my hair faster! You girls have beautiful hair!!

[Lissandria]

microtrimming sounds so intimidating. I am new here and I have been going all-natural with my shampooing and conditioning and I heard about regular trimming to help growth. I am trying also things to stimulate the scalp like detoxing and lunar haircutting. I avoid razor cutting because it splits my hair faster! You girls have beautiful hair!!

Welcome to the LHC. There is a wealth of information on here, which can be overwhelming at first and you may feel like you want to try everything at once. It's good to wait two weeks between trying different methods, so you can figure out what your hair likes and what doesn't work for you.

The method most on the LHC use for self-trims is known as the Feye's self trimming method:
http://feyeselftrim.livejournal.com/

HTH :blossom:

[Quahatundightu]

Hi everyone, I'm still going with my trims. I'm really happy with my hair, if anyone wants to see my progress I uploaded pics to my profile. Will definitely keep trimming every month this year. My hair is looking so much thicker :)

Welcome everyone who has recently joined and happy trimming! :scissors:

[Lissandria]

*goes to peek at Quahatundightu's pics*

[islandboo]

I think I will join up here. I have a very strong taper so my ends are rather scraggly looking. You can see that my hair really starts to thin out about BSL (the easily visible marks are waist and hip). It doesn't usually look quite this bad when brushed but here it is just combed. I cut off about 4" of damage about a year ago and the ends are healthy, just thin. I do regular S&D and have done occasional small trims as the ends start to feel grabby but I think I will make it a regular thing. I do still want to get more length so I will try cutting off 0.25" of my 0.5" monthly growth around the first of each month.

http://i.imgur.com/lz8OK.jpg

[girlcat36]

Islandboo--my ends are like yours(except curly).

I have been microtrimming every 2-3 weeks and have been maintaining at 28" despite all the trimming. I'm going to give it a year and see if my hemline will thicken up any. After that, I give up! :rolleyes:

[Gingerbear]

I've been microtrimming once a month to help thicken up my hemline. I am due for a trim this weekend, but I think my hair still looks pretty good. Ususally I can't wait for trim time. I think I'm going to start stretching to every 6 weeks to keep a little more growth.

[Quahatundightu]

Yay pictures! Welcome islandboo hopefully microtrimming will work as well for you as it did for me! I really hope after another year of it my taper will have all but disappeared. I realy couldn't be happier with my progress in the last year!

Girlcat Your hair is looking gorgeous in your sigg y pic! Good luck with your goals though to be honest it's not noticeable that you have a taper!

Welcome Gingerbear may you have both growth and thickness!

[hanne jensen]

Today I had DH trim 1 cm. For me that's a trim. My hair is very damage the last 10 cm of length. I'm not willing to lose that much length at once, so I'll ve dusting more often now to get rid of damage.

[88Marisa]

Well I straightened my hair and cut in a bunch more layers yesterday. I only did a very tiny trim to the longest lengths, but I did cut off a fair bit with the layers. The majority of my length has color damage and I've decided I'm not going to feel guilty cutting that out, as I want to get rid of it as soon as possible without going overboard. My texture loves layers and I'm definitely liking the way it looks now after the haircut. My plan is to keep cutting layers until the top layer is all virgin hair (the top layer has the worst color demarcation line), and then I'll start maintaining and thickening up my length once I hit waist. I have about 6 inches to go to hit waist solidly, and I have about 8" of color damage left in the very top layers, so I should be hitting those roughly about the same time. From there I plan to maintain for awhile and get the rest of the color out of the length and thicken up my braid. After that, who knows! I'm feeling pretty good about this plan, as well as adding shea butter into my routine.

[Cleopatra18]

I would like to join :) I think I will micro trim either today or tomorow. for curly heads, how do you trim your curly hair without jacking up the hemline and causing un even lengths? I have a blunt hemline when straight and would like to maintain it this way.

[88Marisa]

I would like to join :) I think I will micro trim either today or tomorow. for curly heads, how do you trim your curly hair without jacking up the hemline and causing un even lengths? I have a blunt hemline when straight and would like to maintain it this way.

Straighten your hair before you cut it, either with heat, extra oiling or water. I like to cut my hair dry, so I oiled it well with shea butter, then straightened it with a wide curling iron and my BBB. My hair was actually softer after doing this, possibly due to a hot oil treatment effect, so I hope it didn't do much damage (although I am planning on cutting the majority of my length which contains color damage sooner rather than later, so I'm not too worried about incremental damage).

I like to cut dry so that I can see split ends, but if you're just cutting a small amount on an already blunt hemline, getting it wet should be enough.

[kidari]

I said no trimming in 2012 but I dusted at the end of Jan and it's only Feb and I ended up trimming... I guess I'm maintaining. The ends were all different lengths and thin and grabby. It was so difficult to brush through and any heat-free curls wouldn't stay anymore. Now it feels so much better and looks thicker and bouncier. I cut off half an inch last night.

[MissHair]

Great thread. Im reading and learning. Although my ends arent bad, I prefer microtrimming before trimming and chopping.

[vindo]

Perfect thread for me..

I have been doing this since I started growing :rolleyes:.

2005 I started growing out my layers, by 2007 I started microtrimming, made it to upper thigh this way (a tad longer than siggie pic left), had hormone related hair loss (center) and it took me two years to get halfway back to normal (siggie right), now I am losing it again (had a baby).

I may or may not microtrim after. It just depends on how bad I lose hair. I am losing more than last time :eek:,so I might end up trimming it because I sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oo tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrre eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed of being effing patient...:mad: never get rewarded anyway.

[terylenerose]

This is me too. I'm also growing out dye and bleach damage, and I have decided that it wouldn't be worth it to keep my bleached bottom layer so I'm trimming it off. I will be having to stay at APL for the rest of this year.

[Stagecoach]

I've been maintaining for a couple years now, but I want to go to a more regimented microtrimming schedule.

I just trimmed 1" off on Feb 2.

[highlightedmess]

Hi everyone!

I want to try trimming my own hair but I'm not sure how well it will work. I've always been wary of salons but I sucked it up, paid exorbitant prices and dealt with it for years so I could have my foil highlights.

Now that I've decided to go chemical-free, I really don't want to go to a salon because I don't want them to wash my hair with regular shampoo, blow dry it or put any products in it. I don't know of any salons where I could get a good haircut and not get looked at funny for requesting those things be skipped.

I looked at Feye's method for straight and slight U shaped hemline, but I'm not sure I would be able to do this by myself because my hair is only shoulder length. My hair has long layers and last time it was cut they used a razor on the ends. This was about 4 months ago, right before I joined LHC.

Has anyone cut their own hair at this length?

[morrigan*]

i'm joining you guys. I will probably microtrim every other month or so as i still want to gain lenght, but i really need to slowly trim off all bleach damage.

[Athena's Owl]

This is a thread for me!

i'm at my goal length. last year I decided that I was going to trim regularly but I didn't follow through with it. I did a fairly major trim at the beginning of the year, removing two inches using fayes self trimming method. Straight, my hair is at low hip length.

I grew it to "almost classic" but the ends were so wispy that I don't think it counts. I'm happy with my hair hovering around tailbone to hip, so I'm going to trim it once a month and see if I get even happier with my ends.

[islandboo]

Hi everyone!

I want to try trimming my own hair but I'm not sure how well it will work. I've always been wary of salons but I sucked it up, paid exorbitant prices and dealt with it for years so I could have my foil highlights.

Now that I've decided to go chemical-free, I really don't want to go to a salon because I don't want them to wash my hair with regular shampoo, blow dry it or put any products in it. I don't know of any salons where I could get a good haircut and not get looked at funny for requesting those things be skipped.

I looked at Feye's method for straight and slight U shaped hemline, but I'm not sure I would be able to do this by myself because my hair is only shoulder length. My hair has long layers and last time it was cut they used a razor on the ends. This was about 4 months ago, right before I joined LHC.

Has anyone cut their own hair at this length?

It is very easy for me to trim my own ends because they are so sparse but I have heard a number of folks suggest going to a barbershop for trims. They tend to actually cut off what you ask for instead of what they think you should want and they are much cheaper than a salon.

[SpinDance]

Still maintaining-ish around TB. I've done microtrims of about 5 mm (1/4 inch) Jan 31, Feb 7 and again this morning. When I started microtrimming about a year and a half ago I was above BCL, I've been trying to maintain about TB for months now. It was creeping longer, thus the frequent trims. Still hoping that eventually the thin ends will thicken up! It's getting better, but there is still a lot of improvement I'd like to get.

[maborosi]

I'm maintaining at my bob until I can get the black out of my hair, so I can henna it an awesome red... I'll probably be here for a little while. :o My hair is mostly dark. There's probably an inch and a half or so of red/blonde roots.

~maborosi~

[MissHair]

I bought new scissors today, it's so much fun bringing it with me anywhere I go and do S&D. It keeps me occupied when Im bored or have nothing to do and Im contributing to good hair-health. :D

[Quahatundightu]

Which scissors do you use for your hair? Where did you buy them from? I've just been using small hair scissors I bought from the supermarket, they seem to do well enough but I know I could have better scissors. Are high quality sewing scissors cheaper than hairdressing scissors? My mum always used her sewing scissors to cut our hair and I still use them when I'm home - they seem to be very good quality. I think I need better scissors so if anyone has suggestions please let me know!

[Spring]

Which scissors do you use for your hair? Where did you buy them from? I've just been using small hair scissors I bought from the supermarket, they seem to do well enough but I know I could have better scissors. Are high quality sewing scissors cheaper than hairdressing scissors? My mum always used her sewing scissors to cut our hair and I still use them when I'm home - they seem to be very good quality. I think I need better scissors so if anyone has suggestions please let me know!

I've been using the same pair of hair scissors I purchased from Sally's years ago (maybe 10 yrs ago :p). I probably need to have them sharpened, but they work real good for me. I think I paid about $29.00 for mine (a lot of money to me, but some would consider that to be cheap :laugh: )

[ingvild]

My mother bought a pair of hair scissors in a beauty shop, and I bought mine in an everything-shop. Mine are small, but for my purpose they work. The ones my mother has are longer and much nicer (and they kind of feel more professional). :o They were quite similar in prices, but I live in Norway so everything is expensive. :p

[highlightedmess]

Well I took the plunge and went to Sally's and got a pair of Eickert scissors on sale for $30 last night.

I am applying my first cassia treatment today and I didn't want to do it with scraggly ends that needed to be cut off.

I did the straight-across method from Feye's tutorial. I had my husband help get the ponytail pulled straight down my back and he trimmed about 1/2" off the bottom of the ponytail since I couldn't see it. I was able to do the side part and even it up myself. I also trimmed my bangs a bit.

I had my husband inspect it and he said it looks even across the back. It seemed ok from what I could tell myself with the mirror.

So I guess it worked!

[charalito]

I also use scissors from Sally's, bought them many years ago, don't think I payed more than $15.

Need some support from the club. I microtim every 3 months or so, usually one inch, on my quest to get rid of layers/abused hair. Thing is, I've been stuck in the midback abyss for 2 years! My hair is doing WAY better, layers almost gone, but I'm getting impatient about reaching waist length.

Yesterday I did my scheduled microtrim of only .5" and felt kind of sad... I want to reach 30" to be waist, but I also want healthy spectacular hair. *sigh* Maybe I will reach waist by September

[Spring]

charalito I feel the same way. At first I thought I would just maintain for a year, but I might have to do it for another year. I do like that my hair is thicker, but I'm also impatient :p, so I fluctuate between microtrimming and maintaining. :)

[celebriangel]

I also use scissors from Sally's, bought them many years ago, don't think I payed more than $15.

Need some support from the club. I microtim every 3 months or so, usually one inch, on my quest to get rid of layers/abused hair. Thing is, I've been stuck in the midback abyss for 2 years! My hair is doing WAY better, layers almost gone, but I'm getting impatient about reaching waist length.

Yesterday I did my scheduled microtrim of only .5" and felt kind of sad... I want to reach 30" to be waist, but I also want healthy spectacular hair. *sigh* Maybe I will reach waist by September

Charalito, I had a look in your photo album and your hair looks just lovely! I don't know if you've cut all the layers out, but the ends look nice and thick and you've still managed noticeable growth.

If I were you I'd let your hair grow till you reach waist - with microtrims if you like - and then maintain there to remove the last of your layers.

[charalito]

Thanks so much for the lovely comments Spring and celebriangel!

Since September I have only been trimming half an inch every three months (not as aggressive as the previous year, which was one inch every two months). You're right, it does look nice, I guess the previous image stuck to my mind and I still see it :ponder:

I used to be a daily blowfryer, using max heat very very close to my hair and I'm still dealing with the repercusions of that. At first I would find so many really long split ends that had split ends which in turn had splitends of their own and now, after 2 years of patiently microtrimming and maintaining, most of the damage is gone. I just didn't see any sense of growing out hair that was going to break anyway because it was so weak, but I might be ready now.

Looking forward to waist! :)

[ingvild]

I need to check in... I just microtrimmed! I can't see any difference, though, but my hemline looks straight from what I can see. :p I'll have to get it all evened up in the summer, when I have my mum available, haha. I never wear it down anyway, so it's not like anyone will see an eventual unevenness ;) I just hope I'm actually making progress! :)

[Spring]

Your welcome charalito!

I microtrimmed 1/8 or.125 inch...

Out of curiousity, does anyone just cut the few longer tips (fast growers or out of place strands :p ) or do you make sure to go a little deeper into your hemline?

ETA ingvild, my hem is uneven too, but I don't mind as long as it's trimmed and bunned :)

[MissAlyssa]

I've been microtrimming just the longer faster growing hairs on my ends, they are the course hairs that tend to get dry and split end-y, and trimming them makes my hemline look a little more tidy. I'm always afraid to cut any more than that ;P

[Covet]

Calling everyone who is trimming at regular intervals to thicken up or get rid of damaged hair.

It feels like a thankless task sometimes when you really just want longer hair - it would be good to have some inspiration and progress pics from people!

I have been trimming 1/2cm (1/4") or more each month this year. The difference it has made to my hair is just amazing! I need to take some more recent pics, my hair has got a lot thicker. Being able to see the difference is really encouraging, but it still feels quite annoying when all I want to do is grow.

I spent quite a few years saying I would maintain once I got to TB. Well that day never came, as my hair kept crumbling at the ends instead of growing!! My no-trim plan actually set me back because now I am having to trim off the ends I should have been slowly trimming for years. I didn't plan to grow any this year, because my hair always grew slowly so I expected not to see any growth if I microtrimmed. But now my hair is healthier than ever I am still actually seeing growth despite all the trims! I wish I had done this earlier rather than shooting straight for TB...

My progress so far
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=2713&pictureid=108980

Anyone else? :) How often do you microtrim, what are your tips for keeping up motivation?!

Your hair looks fantastic!

[Covet]

Stupidly didn't add this to the post I made above but...

Can anyone offer me advice on my hair please? In late September 2011 I got a full head of highlights and the bleach has completely ruined my hair. Since then I have been growing it out with the goal of reaching WL or TBL. I only have about 2.5 inches of virgin hair at the roots. I don't know if I should do regular micro trims to get rid of the damage or let my hair grow for a few years and then cut off the damaged lower 15 inches of my hair :(

[Spring]

:laugh: I get pretty nervous when cutting deeper too... even though I do it!

[Spring]

Stupidly didn't add this to the post I made above but...

Can anyone offer me advice on my hair please? In late September 2011 I got a full head of highlights and the bleach has completely ruined my hair. Since then I have been growing it out with the goal of reaching WL or TBL. I only have about 2.5 inches of virgin hair at the roots. I don't know if I should do regular micro trims to get rid of the damage or let my hair grow for a few years and then cut off the damaged lower 15 inches of my hair :(

I would probably microtrim down to your first goal of WL, and then decide if you want to maintain for a while before growing down to TBL.
Some people can grow down without too much taper :)

[Tigermama]

Dear Covet,
This is the same situation I am in. I did regular deep treatments to keep the bleached hair as long as I could. As it grew out, I cut many times. 3 inches here, four inches there, etc. Each year I did several trims and one chop. It has taken me three years of babying my hair and frequent trims, but I am approaching waist now. Hang in there. One person mentioned that the great thing about damaged hair as ends is that it is protecting the good hair from being on the end. I try to see it like that. I grew to a length I liked and stayed there with microtrims until the damage is under control, removing 1/4 or 1/2 inch per month. 3 inches of bleach left to get rid of. I kinda like the bleached ends anyways, they are just so darn fragile.

[Covet]

I would probably microtrim down to your first goal of WL, and then decide if you want to maintain for a while before growing down to TBL.
Some people can grow down without too much taper :)

Thanks for your opinion :). Sometimes I need a little sense drilled into me, the damage is just so frustrating and a small part of me would love to cut my hair off completely so I can have a fresh start and grow beautiful virgin hair. That's extreme and I know I would regret it but it's so frustrating having to feel and see the damage :(.


Dear Covet,
This is the same situation I am in. I did regular deep treatments to keep the bleached hair as long as I could. As it grew out, I cut many times. 3 inches here, four inches there, etc. Each year I did several trims and one chop. It has taken me three years of babying my hair and frequent trims, but I am approaching waist now. Hang in there. One person mentioned that the great thing about damaged hair as ends is that it is protecting the good hair from being on the end. I try to see it like that. I grew to a length I liked and stayed there with microtrims until the damage is under control, removing 1/4 or 1/2 inch per month. 3 inches of bleach left to get rid of. I kinda like the bleached ends anyways, they are just so darn fragile.

Oh that's sooo true, the damaged ends are protecting are good ends :doh: didn't see the benefits in that way :). That's an awesome idea, I think I'll grow my hair to APL and then maintain that length. I haven't got far to go at all, should be there well before the end of the year. I just can't wait to have my lovely soft virgin hair back. Congratulations on sticking it out for so long :)

[Vampyria]

I'm in! :) Last year I almost got to waist but I cut it due to severe damage and thinness of the ends, so my hair it's between APL and BSL now. But I noticed that my ends are still really thin :( I'm going to a salon next week so they even it up, because I've been self trimming for a year. Then I plan to cut 1/2 inch every other month. I hope this makes some difference.

[ellen732]

I am joining this thread (which also means I have to quit the "No trims in 2012" thread :p). I want to grow out my face framing and long layers so I am now maintaining at waist and trimming about one inch every 8 weeks or so. My face frame is the shorter of the layers and is a little below APL. I should have it all grown out in 8 months (gosh, 8 months sounds like a long time).

[gthlvrmx]

Count me in as soon as i reach tailbone or classic. Ive been dying to get this hair thicker already, it's been a while since i've gone in for a trim. Maybe next year for this thread. Ill just be lurking around here looking at all the amazing progress :)

[yoite]

thank you for this topic, im in this club too, very useful information :)

[ingvild]

Your welcome charalito!

I microtrimmed 1/8 or.125 inch...

Out of curiousity, does anyone just cut the few longer tips (fast growers or out of place strands :p ) or do you make sure to go a little deeper into your hemline?

ETA ingvild, my hem is uneven too, but I don't mind as long as it's trimmed and bunned :)

I try to get more, because there is just not that much hair on the bottom of my hemline (so far ;) ) so I feel the need to get some of it off... that resulted in 2 cm at the longest and just some millimetres at the shortest of trimmed hair.

I'm glad others are coming to this thread too! It's nice to have company. :D

My next trim now will be in the change of April/May, as I won't be able to trim in March/April. So maybe I'll actually get some growth, or maybe I'll trim it all off. :p I guess I'll have to see how much my hair grows first.

[bunzfan]

So its about 9 months since my last trim and i want to thicken up the ends while still getting some grow what would some of you recommend cut 1/2 a inch every 2 months? previously i was cutting a inch every 6 months.

[Spring]

So its about 9 months since my last trim and i want to thicken up the ends while still getting some grow what would some of you recommend cut 1/2 a inch every 2 months? previously i was cutting a inch every 6 months.

I think that's a good plan ... :)

I really should switch to waiting 2 months every now and then.

[Ocelan]

I'll join here!

I just bought my pair of hair scissors and today made my first about 1 cm trim to get rid of layers which I have from the shortest ones at about shoulder to longest lengths somewhere between BSL and waist (closer to waist than BSL).
I think I'll be cutting about 1 cm every 2 months or so depending on growth. I haven't really figured out how much my growth is so if I seem like I would be losing length, then I will trim less, but I hope I have atleast a little bit more growth than just 1 cm in 2 months. :)

[pogo0685]

I want to join in also. I am about to do a big trim, I am still trying to decide exactly how much I want to take off but its somewhere between 2 and 8 inches. I have been trying to grow out my hair to hip length for about the last 3 years and I cut it back to bsl then by the time its at waist it is all thin and my ends end up fairytail and split so I have decided that doing small trims monthly or every other month is my new goal. I do hope to gain some length from doing this and hopefully I will be able to finally get to hip length, I know that not trimming regularly for so long doesn't work so hopefully this will work.

[einna]

I have been microtrimming (well, almost, I go over all my ends in tiny sections, so I do actually trim quite a lot of hair) since my last "real trim" in august, and I am finally getting some lenght after over a year of trimming damage and layers. It really takes time though, and I so want to cut of the last inches of damage. By this time next year I hope to have totally virgin hair at MBL!!

[YumiYume]

Hi, I finaly reached waist with my longest layer :cheese: and will now join you here :) now my hair is layered and a V-cut, I hope to maintain to thicken up my hemline and get a soft U-shaped hemline :)

Always looking at you LHC-members with some envy, al your hair is so nice and pretty and it always becomes even prettier for each new photo :D!

[Cleopatra18]

Hey guys! so I don't know what to do. I follow the morrocan method lunar hair chart in my micro trims and my last trim was on February 13th which was the optimum in february for thickening.
anyways, so now my ends are in an okay shape so far (as in health not thickness) and I don't know whether to trim on March 21st which is the spring equinox or hold off another month and trim on April 13th..
I trim 0.25-0.5 inches every time and I don't know my growth rate so I'm not sure if I'm retaining any length with monthly trims. I was hoping for length this year but I don't want it with thin ends.
so my question is should I trim next month in the spring equinox , then try to compensate by waiting 2 months for my next trim, or just stick to trimming every 2 months and therefore miss the spring equinox and have my trim normally in April?

[uptosomeone]

I'm not maintaining, but I'm microtrimming every month or so to keep the damage at bay and to hopefully get my layers closer to my hemline. Currently I'm only trimming about 1-3 mm (so a tiiiiny amount), but I might bump it up a bit if castor oil gives me better growth.

[hanne jensen]

I just dusted 1/2 cm off yesterday. I've dusted 3 times in the last 9 weeks and my hair is growing.

[Stagecoach]

I just trimmed 1/4" off one week ago.

[Bedhead]

Is anyone really bad at this like I am?

I just micro-trimmed about 1/4 inch of, and I've cut my hair many times over the years, but primarily using Feye's technique, my ends look healthy, but hours later it doesn't look like anything matches up anymore. If I didn't cut it myself I'd be wondering what line I was trying to follow, it's that bad.

However, I've read Nightshade Article on damage, and I'm hoping with a consistent dusting, I can get rid of the damaged lengths that never seem to go away, although on NW/SO, they've lessened quite a bit.

[bunzfan]

So i have a question for you all, my hair roughly grows just over half a inch a month and as i went a long time without trims the ends feel thinner than i would like they don't look it thanks to wavy hair, i cut 1/4 of a inch after that 10 month break and i love how much thicker it looks and the tiny bit i took off seems to have grown back already but, if i still want to gain length but thicken my ends up how much should i trim? and how often?

[hanne jensen]

bunzfan, I dust every month. Just 1/4-1/2 centimeter. The more I dust, the more I grow. Or maybe I'm breaking less.

[bunzfan]

bunzfan, I dust every month. Just 1/4-1/2 centimeter. The more I dust, the more I grow. Or maybe I'm breaking less.

Thanks for the info :D so am i right in thinking 1 cm is 1/4 a inch i'm so clueless.

[Jesabel]

I just did my first micro trim today!
and oh, bunzfan, an inch is about 2.5cm so 1/4 of an inch would be about 0.6cm?

[dinnee]

I'm joining in here as well!! :D I did a 'chop' of an inch (perhaps an inch and a half) at the beginning of the year to get rid of spits and thicken up my hemline. Unfortunately most of my hair is still dyed and therefore very fragile. I've been stuck at BSL for a year now, but I grew out my layers and went from a u-shaped hemline to a straight one. Also my ends have thickened up considerably and almost all the splits are gone! Yay!

So now I think I will trim of a quarter of an inch to half an inch every 2 to 3 months. My last trim was about 8 months ago (before the one I did this newyears), so we'll see how much length/thickness I will gain this year. For me healthy hair and growing out dye are more important than gaining length.

[bunzfan]

I just did my first micro trim today!
and oh, bunzfan, an inch is about 2.5cm so 1/4 of an inch would be about 0.6cm?


Thanks :D i do the two hair tie method and i said on the facebook page i will be doing a tutorial as it is more accurate for me than feye's method , just so you all know;)

[Kamir0]

Hello all! :waving:

I trimmed about 1cm (or maybe 2cm, I didn't measure) on April 5th (following the moon calendar (http://www.hairboutique.com/tips/articles.php?f=tip001393.htm)) and I think I will be joining you and dust/micro-trim every few weeks, following the moon calendar (on days recommended to gain length).
I have no idea whether there is any truth to it, but I figure it can't hurt to cut my pre-LHC damage. :D

[SheaLynne]

I've reached my goal length of classic at 44 inches (yay!!), and have finally decided what now...I'm going to maintain here to get rid of the remaining 18 inches of previously damaged length, and then I'll decide if I'm going to ever go for longer.

So, now I'll continue to trim every month, but take off all length beyond 44 inches every time. Love having a decision made and a goal to work toward! :D

[bunzfan]

I've reached my goal length of classic at 44 inches (yay!!), and have finally decided what now...I'm going to maintain here to get rid of the remaining 18 inches of previously damaged length, and then I'll decide if I'm going to ever go for longer.

So, now I'll continue to trim every month, but take off all length beyond 44 inches every time. Love having a decision made and a goal to work toward! :D

Wow and there was me thinking by taking off 1/4 inch every few months i wouldn't see any progress, your progress is inspiring i hoping to get rid of those final layers by doing this i think there is only 2 inches between them and my length.

[bunzfan]

So i just want to show you how much better my hairs looking after starting micro trimming , i went 10 months without a trim this is the before .

Before

http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/3210/008ekd.jpg
By wavyone (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/wavyone) at 2012-03-26

After 1/2 trim

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=7486&pictureid=129758

I just took another 1/4 off and now I'm much happier

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/3127/015jzh.jpg
By wavyone (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/wavyone) at 2012-04-08

I'm still waist to :D:

[Words]

So i just want to show you how much better my hairs looking after starting micro trimming , i went 10 months without a trim this is the before .

Before

http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/3210/008ekd.jpg
By wavyone (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/wavyone) at 2012-03-26

After 1/2 trim

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=7486&pictureid=129758

I just took another 1/4 off and now I'm much happier

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/3127/015jzh.jpg
By wavyone (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/wavyone) at 2012-04-08

I'm still waist to :D:


Your hair is so beautiful!

[SheaLynne]

Wow and there was me thinking by taking off 1/4 inch every few months i wouldn't see any progress, your progress is inspiring i hoping to get rid of those final layers by doing this i think there is only 2 inches between them and my length.

Great, and thanks! Regular trimming definitely helped me resist chopping everything off because my ends always felt better again but I still gained length every month. Worked great for me. Good luck! (And your new growth looks so healthy...you are well on your way to gorgeous long hair!)

[Quahatundightu]

I'm really impressed by all the progress on here!

Bunzfan I will be looking forward to that tutorial, new ways of trimming are always handy :) Your hair is looking just stunning after your trim, well done! Thanks for sharing your photos, very inspirational. I take off about 1/4 inch (sometimes more) each month and still see growth - I have the slowest growing hair too.

I have a new progress pic, I am a little worried because I have had increased shedding lately. But circumference measurements say my hair is actually thicker between Shoulder and BSL so hopefully it's just a seasonal shed that will stop soon. Has me a bit worried after all my hard work to thicken my hemline! Not sure whether to do a bigger chop or to continue with the microtrims - thoughts?

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=2713&pictureid=130456

[bunzfan]

Great, and thanks! Regular trimming definitely helped me resist chopping everything off because my ends always felt better again but I still gained length every month. Worked great for me. Good luck! (And your new growth looks so healthy...you are well on your way to gorgeous long hair!)

Oh thank you :)


I'm really impressed by all the progress on here!

Bunzfan I will be looking forward to that tutorial, new ways of trimming are always handy :) Your hair is looking just stunning after your trim, well done! Thanks for sharing your photos, very inspirational. I take off about 1/4 inch (sometimes more) each month and still see growth - I have the slowest growing hair too.

I have a new progress pic, I am a little worried because I have had increased shedding lately. But circumference measurements say my hair is actually thicker between Shoulder and BSL so hopefully it's just a seasonal shed that will stop soon. Has me a bit worried after all my hard work to thicken my hemline! Not sure whether to do a bigger chop or to continue with the microtrims - thoughts?

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=2713&pictureid=130456

I have looked at your progress pic from when you've started and boy have you made progress where as your hair thinned out slightly at BSL in the beginning now its moved down to waist its working brilliantly don't give up, I love your new picture. Oh thank you the strangest thing is now the damage that i had cut out last year i don't need to look after it as much as i used to i think the henna has helped to that's also increased the thickness .

I want to get to hip while micro trimming so as i have nearly taken off a inch i think its time to put away those scissors for a good 3 months normally my hair really grows after a good trim. I would love to get to classic but i was hating how thin my braid tassel was getting and as i have a few layers left that was the reasoning for doing the micro trimming.

[Quahatundightu]

I have looked at your progress pic from when you've started and boy have you made progress where as your hair thinned out slightly at BSL in the beginning now its moved down to waist its working brilliantly don't give up, I love your new picture. Oh thank you the strangest thing is now the damage that i had cut out last year i don't need to look after it as much as i used to i think the henna has helped to that's also increased the thickness .

I want to get to hip while micro trimming so as i have nearly taken off a inch i think its time to put away those scissors for a good 3 months normally my hair really grows after a good trim. I would love to get to classic but i was hating how thin my braid tassel was getting and as i have a few layers left that was the reasoning for doing the micro trimming.

I'm definitely pleased with my progress! Hopefully the thicker part will keep moving down and leave me with less of a taper. I'm actually surprised at just how much a year of microtrims does for my hair!

It sounds like your hair is going really well too, it would look amazing at classic especially once your layers have caught up. Good luck! :)

[Cleopatra18]

I'm definitely pleased with my progress! Hopefully the thicker part will keep moving down and leave me with less of a taper. I'm actually surprised at just how much a year of microtrims does for my hair!

It sounds like your hair is going really well too, it would look amazing at classic especially once your layers have caught up. Good luck! :)
how many micro trims did it take you to thicken up your hemline? how big were they?

[NymphSpirit]

I'll join this club as soon as I reach waist! :p

[Quahatundightu]

how many micro trims did it take you to thicken up your hemline? how big were they?

Well I've been doing it for over a year now, cutting off about half a centimetre (1/4") each month. I've been microtrimming since the start of 2011. My calculations say I should have cut off about 8cm in total! Crazy. I'm sure if I'd just left it my hair wouldn't have grown that length - when I did no trims I saw barely any progress. I plan to continue on this schedule until the end of 2012 then I may trim every two or three months instead of every single month! Some months I did two microtrims as well, I trim whenever my ends get a bit crunchy or I see growth (so I don't feel bad cutting more, my hair is still slowly growing longer during this)

[Guenever]

How did I miss this thread? :)

I've been maintaining just above waist since February, so I've only trimmed about 3 cm so far.. I definitely see a difference and I'm set on solid waist by Christmas - hopefully with much less taper..

[SheaLynne]

Well I've been doing it for over a year now, cutting off about half a centimetre (1/4") each month. I've been microtrimming since the start of 2011. My calculations say I should have cut off about 8cm in total! Crazy. I'm sure if I'd just left it my hair wouldn't have grown that length - when I did no trims I saw barely any progress. I plan to continue on this schedule until the end of 2012 then I may trim every two or three months instead of every single month! Some months I did two microtrims as well, I trim whenever my ends get a bit crunchy or I see growth (so I don't feel bad cutting more, my hair is still slowly growing longer during this)

This sounds very similar to what I have done for more than 2 years. Great to see others seeing good results and gaining length and thickness this way!


How did I miss this thread? :)

I've been maintaining just above waist since February, so I've only trimmed about 3 cm so far.. I definitely see a difference and I'm set on solid waist by Christmas - hopefully with much less taper..

Good luck, Guenever!

[maria_asa]

I so belong to this thread as well. I've been trimming of half my growth for about two years now. Even though it drives me crazy to be so close to my goal and knowing it will take months to get there the trimming has helped. It might not seem so for someone else because my ends are still very thin but the thickness is slowly moving downwards. Once I reach my goal (which should be sometime this fall) I'm planning on trimming all my growth and that will hopefully speed up the thickening process as well.

[SheaLynne]

I so belong to this thread as well. I've been trimming of half my growth for about two years now. Even though it drives me crazy to be so close to my goal and knowing it will take months to get there the trimming has helped. It might not seem so for someone else because my ends are still very thin but the thickness is slowly moving downwards. Once I reach my goal (which should be sometime this fall) I'm planning on trimming all my growth and that will hopefully speed up the thickening process as well.

Wow, you are are really close to your goal!! Looking at your photos, you have come a long way lengthwise even with the trimming!

I think some of us just battle the "taper monster" more than others, but it is encouraging to see that with patience even those with more taper can get the thickness to move down. :) (I definitely have shorter terminal length on big segments of my hair, so I'm not sure I'll ever have very thick ends, but I'm going for the best that my hair can be with lots of TLC!)

[SpinDance]

Did another small micro trim of about 5 mm (about 1/4 inch) today. Still getting a bit of length, but mainly trying to find out if my hemline will thicken up.

[morrigan*]

I'll join this club as soon as I reach waist! :p

Me to NymphSpirit:D