to cut off damage or not??

[spigette]

I am thinking about cutting a few inches (maybe 2 or even 3) off my waist-length hair to get rid of splits and damage and thicken up the ends a bit. I have been doing "search and destroy" for a while now, but can't seem to get all the splits. And my braid is tapering a lot more than I like.

I just hate to cut it though - I worked so hard for this length, and it feels so healthy otherwise. Any thoughts, encouragement or advice?? :o

[spidermom]

If it were me, I'd cut it. I hate fighting with bad ends more than I hate losing length.

[Madora]

Well, if you ignore those splits, they'll split further and ruin the strand more. Personally speaking, it seems a waste of time to grow hair long, only to find that it doesn't look healthy because those splits were not trimmed off to begin with.

You don't have to trim a lot -- say 2 inches. But a trim every 3 to 4 months isn't a bad idea, if you want to keeps those splits at bay.

[MonaLisa]

It looks great in your avatar pic :)
Hmm...i often have these doubts too..
but remember...nothing is perfect, and it will never be perfect.
i bet even if you cut it off, you'll still find a few splits...:)

[InTheCity]

If you're comfortable doing the cut yourself, you can always cut off just 1" and see if the loss of length bothers you. If it doesn't, cut another inch and maybe even a third. Even a 1" cut of splits will help hair tremendously.

[MonaLisa]

Well, if you ignore those splits, they'll split further and ruin the strand more. Personally speaking, it seems a waste of time to grow hair long, only to find that it doesn't look healthy because those splits were not trimmed off to begin with.

You don't have to trim a lot -- say 2 inches. But a trim every 3 to 4 months isn't a bad idea, if you want to keeps those splits at bay.

i agree with this however, and personally i do trim every 3 months. but if i were to ' get rid of all splits' id probably have to cut to shoulder length as i do find some splits in upper parts too....

so maybe try regular trims....smaller amounts? 1/2 inch every 3 months? ( i take 2/3 of inch lets say - 2cm) and see how that works?

[Kherome]

Definitely cut it. Length isn't pretty if it's splitty. I always love how great my hair feels after a trim, and I find I get much better growth when I cut it an inch or inch and a half every 4-6 months or so.

[Lollipop]

Length isn't pretty if it's splitty.




This made me laugh :D

[MissManda]

If you're comfortable doing the cut yourself, you can always cut off just 1" and see if the loss of length bothers you. If it doesn't, cut another inch and maybe even a third. Even a 1" cut of splits will help hair tremendously.

These were my thoughts exactly. When I am doing 2-3" trims, I like to cut in one-inch increments so even if I do wind up taking off that much anyway, it still lets me assess my hair's condition. It might be more tedious that way, but I've never regretted a trim done this way.

[Sundial]

If you're comfortable doing the cut yourself, you can always cut off just 1" and see if the loss of length bothers you. If it doesn't, cut another inch and maybe even a third. Even a 1" cut of splits will help hair tremendously.


These were my thoughts exactly. When I am doing 2-3" trims, I like to cut in one-inch increments so even if I do wind up taking off that much anyway, it still lets me assess my hair's condition. It might be more tedious that way, but I've never regretted a trim done this way.

Agreed! It takes more time to grow out those 2-3" anyway, so the extra time it takes to cut off 0.5-1" incrementally while reassessing each time is only a little trouble compared to that. You'll be surprised at how little you really need to trim off

[TheCatSaidQuack]

honestly, it depends. Quality over quanity? At the moment, I prefer the later - but, a few inches would make a huge difference too (I'm just at BS length). Is the damage obvious, or do you know its there because you know how to look for it?

It comes down to what makes you happy.

[neko_kawaii]

I'll be cutting off 2-3 inches on Monday. I've been battling splits at the ends and throughout my length since noticing my hair after three years of benign neglect and finally decided that as much as I like the faded color at the ends, the splits just aren't going to go away until the damage goes away and that is exactly why it is faded.

I started out doing S&D by twisting sections and clipping the splits that stuck out but I could see many more that were trapped in the twist so I came up with a new technique that works well for trimming splits in my length. I take the small section, brush it smooth and then run it on top of my left index finger with the other fingers holding down the end until I get to the first place I can focus and actually see if the hairs have splits and then with my right hand I run my finger over the smooth lock until the hairs that are that length stand up. If I see any splits I trim them and move down the lock a little bit and repeat. As I get further down the lock there are more and more splits and I start trimming half an inch to an inch off all the hairs that stand up. When I get to the bottom I trim off the last half inch, secure the lock and move on to the next one.

I figure, once I get rid of the three years of damage I'll start doing micro trims to thicken and S&D will only trim those hairs that have splits.

[ssjhotau2]

From my experience, everytime I do a big trim- 2-3 inches- I just wind up with more splits in a few weeks. I don't know why my ends split so bad- but I've always had issues with them. I struggle with the desire to cut and thicken up my length regularly- but all that has done for me so far is that I've been here for 3 years and only just reached waist.

So what I've done this year is once a month I do a very extensive S&D- usually during the full moon, because I like to sit infront of my window late at night and enjoy how perfectly beautiful everything looks bathed in silver. It's very relaxing and has turned into something I look forward to.
I use clips and a very fine rat tail comb. I separate wispy strands from the top, few enough that I can see just about every strand in the comb, and trim just the very ends that are damaged- sometimes I have to trim an inch to remove all the damage- but it's only from the one damaged hair. After I'm done with that group I twist them up and clip them away from the rest of my length and isolate the next.
It takes atleast an hour- sometimes two, but my hair feels amazing afterwards and I'm finding less and less damage every time.

I hope that helps.

[phantomphreak93]

I just cut off my split ends today and I don't know how I feel about it... My hair feels very healthy but I don't know how long it will last. You just need to decide what you want more, length or health. If your unsure I would trim it a little bit because you can always trim more later.

[Audhumla]

Well, if you ignore those splits, they'll split further and ruin the strand more. Personally speaking, it seems a waste of time to grow hair long, only to find that it doesn't look healthy because those splits were not trimmed off to begin with.

You don't have to trim a lot -- say 2 inches. But a trim every 3 to 4 months isn't a bad idea, if you want to keeps those splits at bay.

I agree. Remeber you will probably end up having to cut off more later if you don't deal with it now.

[aggie_deirde]

Oh I'm in the same situation....We must cut.I know we love our length,but damaged hair=not pretty hair....

[heartgoesboom]

personally, i would cut. a thicker hemline actually makes my brain think i have longer hair because i can feel it more... you know? :)

[curlymarcia]

Cutting can help a lot and, even if it is a half inch or a inch. If you want a thicker hem line I don't think S&D is a good idea (at least don't do it too often).

[SoulOfTheSea]

Agreed! It takes more time to grow out those 2-3" anyway, so the extra time it takes to cut off 0.5-1" incrementally while reassessing each time is only a little trouble compared to that. You'll be surprised at how little you really need to trim off

I'm totally agreeing. When my hair ends felt scraggly about a month ago, I wanted to cut off like a full inch, but when I actually had the scissors in my hand, I ended up trimming maybe a quarter to half an inch of hair. Just that little microtrim made a HUGE difference in the way my hair felt and I felt refreshed. :) I think your hair looks lovely, and if it feels healthy, do a microtrim instead! It helps big time, and if you have a little bit of splits (like I do) no one really notices, and I just S&D those anywho. :D

[McFearless]

Your hair looks beautiful in your avatar. If I were you I'd cut off one inch wait at least a week and then cut another if its needed. Follow a self trimming tutorial.

[angelfell]

I still have damaged ends from dye/heat, and then the rest of my hair is pretty healthy. Now that's it all one length, I just throw it up in a pony and pull it over my forehead (as I merrily learned by joining these forums :D) and trim it. I don't measure, but they appear to be at least an inch, and I do them about every month and a half. It still seems to be growing longer between trims rather than cutting it back to the same length, however, despite how often I do them. Not complaining, just odd XD.

I'd definitely get rid of them ASAp regardless, however. I've learned they have the potential to become very bad and ugly if you don't :(, even without heat or dye to egg it on. Perhaps not the whole 3 inches at once.. I agree with InTheCity to do an inch at a time and see where it gets you.

[Maverick494]

Long hair is only pretty when it looks healthy. When it comes to hair, my motto has always been "quality over length." My cousin had TB hair (=my goal length) but the last 4 inches of it looked damaged with a lot of split and dead ends. It ruined the whole look. She ended up cutting back somewhere between WL and hip but it looked so much better after that. The hemline looked much thicker and with all of the noticeable damage gone she finally had hair to be envied.

Also, like Madora said, damage progresses. It does't just stay there; it gets worse! It's unrealistic to be 100% damage free but if you cut off the visibly dead ends and even up the hemline to your liking, your hair will look and feel much better.

[IcarusBride]

Cut 0.5" every month for 3 months and see, it might not need as much as you thought. You won't loose length, you just won't gain much during those 3 month. That's what I would do!

[Quahatundightu]

Definitely cut! Even if it's only a little bit - as little as half an inch to start with - it will really be worth it in the long run. I had damaged hair and couldn't bear to cut it. I babyed the ends, I trimmed a little (but not enough) and tried to grow it out promising I'd cut it once it was a bit longer. Well it just got more and more damaged and never reached the length I was shooting for. The growth even stalled! Finally when I started trimming, I realised that it looks way better and is actually still growing, it's in much better health so doesn't crumble at the ends like it used to. I am regretting the fact that I didn't trim more off years ago!! So try to have a long term view :) A little pain now will give you thicker and healthier hair in the future. If you leave it for longer you will just end up cutting off more if you are anything like me!

[Moor_tu_lyfe]

I just cut 3 to 4 inches off mine... not sure if I regret it yet or not.:confused: It was nearly waist length, now its about AP length, but feels much better! I've recently decided to stop murdering it with bleach, and have done a couple of semi-permanents (ammonia free- couldn't find anything more natural... and trying to heal my hair!!) to reduce how obvious the 5 inches of regrowth was that I had!

Now it feels sooo much nicer, I am hoping I can put up with the oilslick until I transition to WO properly.... fingers crossed:justy:

[jojo]

To grow hair long it is important to cut ALL damage off or you will have false growth stalls due to ends breakage and your hair will look unhealthy. Although i hate having just a tad cut off my hair, it does grow much better when its healthy.