Getting rid of layers: big chop or trims to thicken?

[Becky9679]

Although I am doing the no trims challenge at the moment I have been thinking a lot recently about what I'll do when I'm 'allowed' to trim again. More specifically, what I'll do about my layers. I really want to be rid of them but I'm unsure whether I should just chop back to the shortest layer or maintain at a particular length until everything is all the same length. Most days I come down on the side of maintaining because I don't want to lose all the length I've gained but sometimes I'm just so irritated by my layers that I just want to chop off the lot!

Where do other people stand on this? Is there anyone who has done one or the other of these things? Were you pleased with the results or did you regret it? Is maintaining particularly frustrating when you want to gain length or is it better to maintain than to cut it all off and be REALLY frustrated while you wait for it to grow out again?

[Mesmerise]

When I had layers, I just had the occasional trim and eventually my layers grew out. I didn't find it all that painful really, but then again my layers didn't look bad or damaged.

I think it depends on how much you want the layers gone, and how bad the layers look (or if they're damaged at the ends or whatever).

But yeah, my layers sort of just disappeared without me really noticing :p. I'd get 1-2" cut off every 6 months or so (pre LHC!!) and eventually my layers were just gone.

[bettylibertine]

I've been considering this myself. I've been getting really frustrated with my layers lately, because they're at an awkward length and so when I braid my hair I eventually end up with huge chunks of hair sticking out :p
I agree with mesmerise, I think that it depends on how you feel about the layers/how they look.
At least if you maintain it won't be such a drastic change :) [depending on what you want of course]

[bunzfan]

I recently got rid of most of mine by chopping 2 inches and it feels so much better now:)

[pepperminttea]

I could never decide between maintaining or a big chop. Like you, I didn't want to lose all that length at once. What I did in the end was three hefty self-trims of 2-3", spaced over two years. After each trim my hair felt so short!, but it got them out while still allowing me to gain length (albeit very slowly) and wasn't as traumatic as a huge cut. :)

[Anya21]

I get trims of 1cm every three months for the next year or so , like this i can get rid of that last bit of bleach damaged hair i got and get rid of the layers at the same time. My longest layers are just over my shoulders and a big chop would take me back to chin length, that would just break my heart!

[skyblue]

I maintained for about 4 months and in even that short of time, helped a lot with my layers, I let it grow out pretty much for the summer, once my slow growing season comes up I will start doing monthly micro trimming again to get the last of my layers out, for myself it was way less traumatizing then doing a big trim lol

[BeckyAH]

I have no patience and do not like regular trims - even when I'm not growing. I also hate all the extra ends that layers give me (the appearance of), both for the purpose of putting up and potential damage. So for me it's 'the big chop, provided the shortest layer is at least shoulder length.

[spidermom]

My stylist did the gradual trims option. I started out with a pixie and at the end of 3 years, all my layers were caught up at BSL.

[Cassie 123]

I think BSL is a perfect spot to maintain and grow out layers.

[Becky Safari]

I'm still working on my layers, steadily and slowly trimming off a tiny bit once in a while.

[embee]

My "layer" was bangs. And there was nothing for it but to grow the dratted things out. They eventually got long enough to blend in and then I just let everything grow. Some hairs grew slower, some grew faster, some broke off, some fell out and new ones started - the bangs hairs didn't stay all the same length for long.

[Alaia]

I just didn't trim for 2 years and then chopped them all out (pics in my blog in July if you want to look).

I was going to maintain at TB and trim them out but they looked bad, IMO, and I hated them. I do not regret it because my hemline is so much better now.

If I were shorter, at BSL like you for example, I'd probably maintain. Or not cut it at all for a while and then chop them all out :lol:

[georgia_peach]

I have always chopped off my layers when I got tired of them and wanted to grow one length. And I have regretted it each and every time. This is the first time I'm growing with the layers. I have only trimmed twice in the last year and plan to continue with very tiny trims and only if they are really needed. It is sometimes frustrating not having all one length hair. But then I remind myself how much faster I will gain length by just leaving it alone.

[elbow chic]

I did something in between-- cut out about half the layers around APL and then just grew from there. At that point I had two layers, and for awhile it gave a weird stacked effect, but I just put it up and ignored it.

Now there is enough fairytaling at MBL that I don't think you can really tell there ever were layers. Whether you cut them out or not, they eventually do disappear.

At the end of the year I will likely cut back an inch or two for a more conventionally "tidy" hemline.

[Anje]

To me, it would depend on how much length I'd have to lose and how short the results would be if I chopped it all at once. My hair has to be at a length where I can pull it back easily, or I'll go completely berserk.

Usually, I'd probably go the middle road of chopping off a few inches to get a lot of the hair evened up, then just maintain at that length til the rest joined the party.

[AcornMystic]

So for me it's 'the big chop, provided the shortest layer is at least shoulder length.

I second this. I am finding that I ache to feel my hair brush on my shoulders once again since the pixie I got for grad in '07. It is about midway down my neck, so I'm keeping my longest layers untouched. However, if my short layers were at shoulder length I'd do it in a heartbeat. I really want to get rid of my layers. Fortunately my hair is still short, so it'll seem like no time to get my layers out. I want a blunt hemline anyway.:D:cool:

[agoddess2die4]

I'm actually growing out my layers now. I've been cutting it myself since April and I've done a mix of chop and maintain. What I've done is do a very small trim on the layers and trim a larger amount off the length, an inch or two at a time. This way the layers still look nice because I'm still trimming them, but they will catch up with the length faster, which hasn't been completely sacrificed by doing a complete chop.

[MissManda]

I wouldn't have been happy if I had chosen to do a big chop when I first joined LHC because it would have brought me to chin length or something like that and I can't stand chin length on myself. Havin chin length would have really depressed me, so I grew, maintained, and did a few big cuts.

So here's a basic summary of what I did...
- I grew my hair to my first mini-goal of waist so that my hair kinda-sorta felt long to me. It was very hard because my hair was so damaged from chemicals and the layers that it kept breaking off.
- I benignly neglected my hair so much that when I decided to cut, it was actually past waist, which was actually a good thing because I could trim a few inches and still have waist length hair.
- I then started off with one big trim to get rid of my super-thin ends and proceeded to maintain between Waist and Hip for almost a year. I tried to gain length, but they layers were in such terrible condition that I cut off the growth.
- My DBF helped me track the growth of my uppermost layers, and when I realized that they had reached around BSL/midback and weren't growing anymore due to breakage, I cut off five inches from almost hip length to BSL to get rid of them all.

Now my hair is still "long" my conventional standards, and I can still kinda-sorta put it up. It feels very short to me, looks really weird (triangle head), and I miss my length a lot, but I don't regret cutting off the icky layers. When my hair gets longer, it's going to look and feel so much nicer!

I've still got one small section of old layers/bangs left, but I'm just going to microtrim/S&D it out as my hair grows. Other than that, my hair's all one length and I couldn't be happier about it.

I think it really depends on how damaged your hair is, how soon you want to get rid of your layers, and how comfortable you are with having shorter hair.

[BlazingHeart]

I wish I could just chop out my layers, but my hair is so thick that at waist I STILL can't do the most basic buns. So I'll probably maintain once I hit long enough to do buns and get rid of the layers there. Ugh, I'll have to maintain for most of a year to get rid of these damn things - I've got something like 8" of layers from growing out from a pageboy.

~Blaze

[lapushka]

I voted for maintaining the hair at whatever length you're at. As your layers gain length, they will become less annoying already (updos will become easier). Whereas if you chop all of your hair off to your shortest layer, you'll only have: short hair (no updos).

[celebriangel]

I voted chop, not necessarily because I think you should, but because that's what I did.

I admit, if I'd had shoulder-length layers I might not have. But my shortest layer was at about APL, so I sucked it up and chopped, and I was/am really happy about it. I think I lost about 4 inches or so, perhaps more. I didn't regret the loss of length - the layered length didn't feel long to me, and my hair grows with reasonable speed. I'm also really happy with my one-length hemline, though I wish it weren't quite such a steep U-shape.

So, yeah. It grew back. I probably wouldn't have chopped it if it would have made my hair too short to put up, though. That would have been a nightmare. As it was, I have regained all the length I lost, and am now heading to waist with a thick hemline.

I know I will need to trim off lots of coloured ends - more for aesthetic reasons, because they aren't damaged, though they are thinner than they would otherwise be - but I am content to do this slowly.

My hair is approaching waist, and I think I am becoming more patient with it as I am starting to be able to do more styles and truly feel like a longhair. I am glad I did the chop.

Do you have damage too? If so, I might be tempted to chop. If you just have layers, I would probably grow to a length you are happy with/can do lots of styles/is easy for you to take care of, then you can maintain.

[DuckyDot]

I have layers that i'm growing out, my plan is:

1. Grow to waist
2. Maintain at Waist.

Simples! :) Until all the layers are gone!

[gthlvrmx]

I'd wait until a little past knee length and keep maintaining at knee length until my layers are gone for a more uniform look. But then again, that'll defeat the purpose of growing to terminal time. :p

[prettykitty]

I'm not too sure what's going on in the back of my head but I know for sure that there's a lotttt of layers back there.
They don't worry me too much, my hair does that triangle shape thing if it's all one length anyway, and my layers help make my updos stay easily.
I trim the very end off the longest pieces every three months, and hopefully most of it will eventually end up similar-ish :)

[McFearless]

The longer you hold out, the more your layers will blend until they disappear. I think you should reach your goal before trimming them off.

[missoj]

I'm in the same boat as you I want to chop my layers out, but that would bring me to about shoulder length and my hair is currently the longest it has ever been so at the same time I don't want to lose any length. At the moment I'm maintaining and doing micro trims but in the future if my shortest layer is past apl, I will consider chopping.

[Monsterkitti]

I've been maintaining at waist but I'm awful at remembering to do regular trims so its taking ages :)

[cheshire90]

Mini trims would be better, keep the length whilst at the same time thickening the ends.

[Ashenputtel]

I do frequent relativelty big trims. I'm still getting lenght but very slowly. I've cut 2 inches in July and it already looks much ticker. I think I'll go back to half an inch every 3-4 month and a light dusting everywhere else.

[kidari]

I would just maintain to grow out layers. The only reasons for me to chop are because I want to go shorter by choice or because of horrific damage and I really have no choice.

[Mutinous]

I voted maintain, as that is what I have been doing. Luckily, I'm almost finished now. Whilst I do dislike short layers on myself, I hate the feeling of having really short hair. I guess it depends on which you dislike the most!

[Niwa]

I would choose trims because that is what I have used. After a bad hairdresser ruined my hair with a chemical process and horrible cut, I was left with a damaged head of hair and layers that I hated. It was not so terrible that I had to cut all of my hair off immediately, but the breakage from the damage and the unevenness from the layers were noticeable. So, I had to grow out not just layers, but actually 27" of hair, which was my entire head of hair at that time. :( I was quite sad, but I just formed a plan and stuck with it.

I cut off 2-3" every four to six months, which is how much my hair grows in four to six months. So, I was cutting off only as much as I could replace at my natural growth rate. Over the course of about two and a half years, this amounted to the most damaged 15-16" of hair being cut off without my hair changing in length.

Right now, I have about 28-29" with the last 12" needing to go in order for my hair to be in peak health. The layers are all gone and I have a nice blunt cut. The last 12" of hair are not terribly damaged so now that I have nice, even hair, I might let my hair grow out in protective styles for a while and then resume the minicuts to remove damage.

If I had cut off all 27" of hair at once two and a half years ago, I would have ended up very demoralized. As it is, I got to enjoy my hair while removing damage. The process has been slow, but I think I have internalized the lesson about avoiding ignorant hairdressers more deeply than I would have if I had just big chopped.