How much should I cut my hair?

[Freesia88]

I need some advice about my hair. I can' ask anyone around here because they say the EXACT same thing "Why don't you cut it around shoulder length? That's how most girls wear it." You probably think I'm exaggerating when I say everyone says that, but they do.

The thing is, I like my hair long. I want to keep it as long as possible. I won't go shorter than shoulder length, and that's if I absolutely had to.

A bit about my hair...I take okay care of it. I rarely shampoo it, mostly condition. I use jojoba oil. The most damage I get is if I end up with a tangle and have to rip it apart. I know, that's bad! But I'm prone to dreadlocks I guess. I could have a head full of them in a week. Oh, and I have horrible mistake highlights growing out.

The thing is, I haven't really trimmed my hair in years. I know that's bad. But I just haven't had the money and I can't do it myself.

Okay, I plan on at least getting 3-4 inches cut off the ends because they're uneven and old.

But what do you think? Should I cut more? Should I get a should length cut and start over? I don't necessarily want my hair to be any longer so it's not a big concern.

Excuse the bad pictures. And thanks for reading this. :)

http://i.imgur.com/dZigX.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/sCBBA.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/fPKWN.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/dUt2x.jpg

[Alex Lou]

I'm afraid that your photos are much too large for me to see anything on my monitor. :( It makes it difficult to read the text too.

[MrsGuther]

whoah! Those pics are huge! You should look into resizing them...

[heartgoesboom]

your hair looks very thick and the ends don't look scraggly to me, so i don't know how much you should take off. but i personally wouldn't cut it shorter than bsl. :)

[amantha]

Yeah your ends/hair look great! I wish my ends were that thick! I wouldn't do anything more than a trim, IMO.

[Roseate]

Hard to tell from the giant pictures and the way it's hanging, but it really doesn't look damaged. Trim what you need to feel happy with your hemline, but I doubt a big cut is in order.

[Stephanie]

I'd take off maybe an inch if you're really looking to cut or trim, but really, even your ends look shiny.

If the highlights bother you so much, you can always use a semi/demi-permanent color like Natural Instincts to dye to your natural color. I did that when I was going back to my natural color from bleached blonde and it made growing it out so much easier for me. I don't have any of the colored hair left, but I was almost unable to see a difference between that and my virgin hair.

[Cassie 123]

Ditto what everybody else says: you don't need but a wee trim, maybe an inch. Please be very specific with your hairdresser when you go; I'd hate to see more of your hair cut off than necessary.

[invisiblebabe]

The HUGE size of the pictures makes it hard to see, but I can tell your hair looks healthy. Trim it an inch or two at most.

[Madora]

If you want to trim your hair yourself, see Feye's Self Trim instructions in the Hairstyling area (click on "Articles" in the grey menu bar above). She has instructions for a blunt hemline plus variations.

If you do go to a stylist, take a ruler with you and show the stylist exactly how much you want taken off. Don't just tell her. SHOW her.

[Freesia88]

Geez, I'm sorry for the huge freaking pics! If someone knows how to edit the post or if someone wants to delete them, please do!

http://i.imgur.com/fpqgY.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/wTS4B.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/fMBaB.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/7GMOk.jpg

Again, so sorry! I think clicking on these links might be better. Eek. :o

It's kind of surprising that people are suggesting a trim. Everyone keeps telling me to go shoulder length to get rid of the damage or all of my hair will break off.

[Rocket22]

Damage? what damage? I think your hair looks to be in fantastic shape. If I had your hair I wouldn't do a thing

[Kiwiwi]

I don't think you need to cut anything at all. Maybe a tiny trim, less than an inch. Your hair looks great! I love the highlights! :)

If your hair dreads fast and you need to rip tangles apart it sounds like you may have too much protein. From what I understand too much protein gives your hair a velcro feel, tangles very easily and is just a pain to brush out. Letting go of protein products for a while and using more moisturizing stuff should help. But if something else is causing your hair to be that way (or it just is that way) I don't have any more advice..

[AngelDella]

Your hair is BEAUTIFUL just like it is :) I would love to have hair like yours.

[StephanieB]

I second Madora's suggestion: Take a ruler to the salon with you, and show the hairstylist one inch and tell her/him that you only want one inch cut off, and hand her/him the ruler to use when cutting.

[silverjen]

Your ends look great, as does the rest. Whatever you're doing, it's sure working. Unless you have split ends, I wouldn't cut a darn thing. I mean, if you want a blunter hemline, that's fine. But I'd cut the minimum necessary, in that case. Keep in mind that many members here think fairy tale ends--that's where your hemline tapers off and forms whurls--are quite attractive.

[BlazingHeart]

The biggest thing I'm noticing in those pics is how very glossy your hair is - that's a great sign of good health.

If you're having tangle problems, there are two potential culprits. One is proteins, the other is 'cones (silicones). I suggest clarifying your hair (use a clarifying shampoo) and then doing a deep moisture treatment like an SMT. Go through your products and look for 'cones and proteins - someone else will be able to give you a good list but I never remember, or you can search here for one. You may need to reduce your use of one or the other, if you're coming close to dreading up.

As far as trimming, your hair is in great condition so I don't see a need unless you can see that your ends are uneven or you want a blunter hemline, and in that case, I'd just trim enough to give you that - should be just a couple inches.

~Blaze

[Mesmerise]

Errm... all those people suggesting you "cut to shoulder"...what's their hair like??? You have lovely hair and the only reason I can think of that people would tell you to cut your hair off is if they're jealous of it :rolleyes: and if you cut your hair off you'll look more like them. Your hair looks great, and really needs no more than an inch or so cut off.

In fact... in the pics it doesn't look like it needs anything at all. I think you could get away with less than an inch to make your ends look decent.

[Yozhik]

Your hair looks very healthy! I don't think it needs a trim at all.

I'd only get one if you feel like your ends are really crunchy or have split ends, and you probably only need a minimal trim then, anyway.

Some people here go for years without trims; as long as your hair is strong/coarse and you take good care of it, there's no need to trim regularly. It definitely looks like you have the hair structure that doesn't require frequent trims. :flower:

[jaine]

I think a back view picture with your hair brushed would help, so you can see if one side is growing longer than the other or something like that. Or if you don't like the shape, then a trim could be useful to change the shape of it. I don't see any damage though.

[Fairlight63]

I think that your hair is very pretty! I would not cut much off if I was you. Your hair looks like it is about as long as mine is, what I do is part it down the center down to the neck line. Bring the left side over your shoulder - comb real good - and just cut off the ends - usually about 1/4" but no more than an inch. Then do the same to the right side.

[spidermom]

I agree; your hair looks good. I recommend you choose your favorite shape: __, V, or U, and have only enough trimmed to shape up the ends. Or just leave the ends natural; I really don't see a need to trim. If there are a lot of split ends and other damage, get that trimmed off. I can't see anything like that in the pictures, though.

I agree with the advice of doing a good clarifying wash and maybe a very diluted vinegar rinse (1/4 cup to 1 pitcher of water). Then give it a good combing and look at the ends. If there are problems, you will see them. Some conditioners smooth over split ends, and you won't see them, which is why I didn't recommend conditioner. This is just to help you evaluate the condition of your hair, then you can go back to your favorite products.

There are ways of combing out tangles that don't involve ripping through them. Getting protein out of your routine for awhile may help. Once you get rid of any coney buildup that you might have with that clarifying wash, you should be able to use your favority conditioner again, and if it has cones, that will help with detangling most likely. (although it makes some types of hair worse)

[Deborah]

I think your plan of snipping off a few inches to even up the bottom sounds good. Beyond that, I'd not go to shoulder unless that's what YOU want. Your hair does NOT look like it's breaking off or having any other big problem. It sounds like your friends/family just don't like long hair. Who cares? If you like it long, keep it that way!

[WinterButterfly]

Your hair seems really good quality. Your hair doesn't look damaged, just a little discolored. There are people who get very little damage from dyes. I don't get noticable damage when I color my hair. Just a slight texture change. And I like it. If you want a trim to even it up, then only take off what is absolutely necessary. A lot of people can go a long time without a trim. I snip off my splits if I find any. But I only trimmed once this year. And even then it was less than half an inch. If you trim then try a microtrim. And look on youtube for a self trimming tutorial if you are brave enough to try. If you try trimming half an inch yourself but you don't like it, you can still go to a salon. I found that clarifying took care of my tangly ends. And ripping out your tangles may be causing more tangles. You damage your hair when you rip it.damaged hair doesn't lay like the rest of it. It tangles around undamaged hairs. Then ripping out those tangles causes more damage. It is a hard habbit to break. But doing so may greatly improve the quality of your ends. And you have nice hair. Keep it.