Do you think I need a trim? (pics)

[isabelx]

So it was around 3 months since my last trim, but since joining LHC 2 months ago I just haven't wanted to trim at all. My hair is definitely in better condition than it was 2 months ago, but I still get ridiculous amounts of split ends, practically every hair end is split. My ends are also very dry and tangly, and being a curly it doesn't make it any better.

Since 2 months ago when I started growing my hair I would've gained an inch in growth (and I know I have because I colour my hair) but haven't gained any of this length whatsoever. Could I have lost an inch of growth to split ends in 2 months? I ask because I honestly don't know if this is possible or not, but I must have done if I haven't gained any length.

My mum says she doesn't think I'm going to see any length until I grow out all of my damaged hair (I used to treat it like rubbish, straightening, regular box dyes, vigorously brushing etc.) But if that's the case we're talking years until I see any length, but I'm starting to think she's right :wail:

Another question, I have my hair salon dyed around every 8 weeks, do you think it'll be possible to grow my hair if I continue with this?

As I'm typing all of this and looking at these pictures I've realised I've kind of answered my own question, I've just been so adamant on not getting it trimmed and just S&Ding instead.

Anyway, here are a few pictures, I'm afraid they aren't very good as I took them myself, and I don't have one of a back view of my hair. I feel embarrassed putting them up here, my hair looks a vile, bushy tangly mess.

This isn't really my natural hair style by the way, I know it doesn't really look like 2b let alone 2c, I only tend to see my natural curls after I've clarified and left it untouched whilst drying. This is after washing with SLS free shampoo and conditioning with no cones.

I apologise for the huge pictures by the way.

Thanks

http://img801.imageshack.us/img801/237/thishr.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/801/thishr.jpg/)

http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/5121/this2r.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/819/this2r.jpg/)

http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/1630/this3.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/32/this3.jpg/)

http://img805.imageshack.us/img805/5629/this4.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/805/this4.jpg/)

[WaitingSoLong]

Hmm, hard to say about the trim. It looks a tad uneven but your hair waviness would not really give a good impression of that, you would have to wet it down and comb it straight to see how uneven it is.

Let me encourage you, the last 6 inches of my hair are dyed (actually, dyed, bleached, dyed and dyed again). You can see, it has not kept my hair from growing at all. However, the bottom 6" are in much worse shape and I get a lot of breakage, especially now that those ends are about 7 years old.

There are alternatives to salon dye, mainly henna, that is GOOD for your hair and still allows you to color. I am not experienced in it but there are hundreds of threads on the topic if you are interested.

Your hair looks to me like it needs some deep conditioning treatments more than a trim. I would try that, maybe a clarify if you use lots of conditioner, maybe some oils, etc. before trimming. I only trim once a year so maybe I am not a good person to advise.

Splits cannot be undone but they can be tamed for awhile if they are not too bad.

[isabelx]

Thanks :) I condition my hair pretty much every day but I'm yet to find an oil that does my hair some good, I know coconut oil is supposed to good for dry hair but it just doesn't seem to do the trick for me. I have many layers by the way which is probably why it looks uneven in the photos, I guess I should have mentioned.

[Mesmerise]

Honestly, the hair in your pics looks okay to me, but then again, pictures don't show everything. If your ends are as split as you say, then you NEED to get a trim. There is nothing that will get rid of splits, and they only get worse. If you have too many to S&D away, then I'd bite the bullet and get more cut off. When your hair gets healthier this won't be necessary and you'll get the length you want!

[Night_Kitten]

If your ends are really damaged but you really don't want to trim, you could try a cony serum or leave-in just on the ends - it will coat the hair and make it more slippery and less tangly, which can reduce breakage and further splitting, but that's just a temporary solution...
Eventually you will have to cut all the badly damaged parts, but you could do it more slowly trimming little by little.

If you haven't checked the articles section yet, I reccomenfd it, as there are plenty of informative articles that may help you, especially " Damaged Hair: Understanding, Preventing & Rehabilitating" http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=79 by Nightshade, it might help you deside what you want to :)

[isabelx]

A leave in conditioner sounds like a good idea, if I was to buy a coney one though I wouldn't be able to use it too often as like a lot of people's hair it hates cones after regular use. I'm still worried about having to grow all of my damaged hair out before I see any length, has anyone else been through anything similar?

[Beaglebuddy]

Have you ever thought of using henna or henna/indigo to colour your hair? It would be easier on your hair than hair dye and I think you can probably get the colour you have now with henna/indigo mix. If your interested there is lots of info about henna and henna/indigo on recipes board.

Oops someoneelse already mentioned that!
Anyways, just want to say that you have come to the right place. These ladies are very helpful!

[jujube]

A leave in conditioner sounds like a good idea, if I was to buy a coney one though I wouldn't be able to use it too often as like a lot of people's hair it hates cones after regular use. I'm still worried about having to grow all of my damaged hair out before I see any length, has anyone else been through anything similar?

Damage shows more at the ends, so generally you don't have to trim off ALL your damaged hair. But if your ends are as bad as you say they are, I believe that there's no point in keeping them. Also, some people's hair is more sensitive to chemical and heat damage, and I see that you have fine hair so it's very possible that the dye is too much for it to handle if you don't trim regularly. My hair actually looks a lot like yours, and I got my color using Lush henna (a mix of Noir and Brun would probably be very close to your dark brown color).

[Deborah]

If you have serious splits, only a trim will remove that damage.

[isabelx]

Henna sounds like a good idea :) I'll definitely look in to it. I just don't want to have to grow out all my damaged hair before I see any length, I can't wait that long!

[longhairedwolf]

If it were my hair, I would go for the big trim. You say that almost all your ends are split. The danger, as you know, is that the splits will keep moving up the hair shaft. A big trim is the only way to get rid of them and prevent further damage. Good luck with your decision!

[buttercupmcgee]

Do you wear your hair up or down most days? It seems from the pictures that it's at the perfect length for rubbing on clothing and getting roughed-up by scarves, etc....if your hair is damaged to begin with, this sort of daily friction may slow or halt growth.

If I were in your shoes my plan would be to get the dreaded trim, then start babying it....henndigo instead of chemical dye (do they cover your whole head or just roots?) lightly oil the ends, and wear in a peacock twist or similar for a few months. I bet you'll see progress.

[lizdini]

Trimming will cause you to lose some length, but it may make it easier for you to see subsequent length since your hair will be more even and less prone to breakage. Also, as a fellow curly at certain lengths it feels like I'm not growing at all because my hair curls more, which eats the length. If you're not ready to trim yet, maybe try measuring your hair while wet and combed (to make it straighter) then waiting a month and doing it again. You may find that it is growing after all! I can say from experience, though, that when my ends get tangly and full of splits, only a good trim makes it feel better!

[isabelx]

Thanks everyone :) I think I'm going to go for a trim, I only want a 1/4 of an inch maybe 1/2 if my hairdresser thinks I need it. I think I'm even going to go tomorrow, I absolutely hate my hair being like this!

Like I said my last trim was 3 months ago and I only started looking after my hair 2 months ago, so maybe the splits are from that month between my trim and looking after it when I was still straightening it. I hope that was the cause anyway :)

And buttercupmcgee, I wear my hair up every day without fail!

[lacefrost]

To me it sounds like your hair hasn't retained length at all from the splitting. I would do a microtrim (like 1/4 of an inch) monthly. It'll kill your splits, prevent them from splitting up further but at the same time, you would be gaining length.

While it's possible to dye and grow longer hair, it is harder. I hope that when you say you get your hair dyed every 8 weeks, you mean just the roots. If it's root to tip then that'd be why your hair isn't growing. I would suggest you try henna and indigo. Your hair is a dark color that can be achieved by both. My only word of caution is that it's nearly impossible to remove it. You definitely have to grow it out. But if you know you like your hair dark, you should go for it. It makes your hair shinier, fuller, less prone to damage and sheds less.

Also take a look at the articles section of the forum, it has a wealth of information.

[isabelx]

To me it sounds like your hair hasn't retained length at all from the splitting. I would do a microtrim (like 1/4 of an inch) monthly. It'll kill your splits, prevent them from splitting up further but at the same time, you would be gaining length.

While it's possible to dye and grow longer hair, it is harder. I hope that when you say you get your hair dyed every 8 weeks, you mean just the roots. If it's root to tip then that'd be why your hair isn't growing. I would suggest you try henna and indigo. Your hair is a dark color that can be achieved by both. My only word of caution is that it's nearly impossible to remove it. You definitely have to grow it out. But if you know you like your hair dark, you should go for it. It makes your hair shinier, fuller, less prone to damage and sheds less.

Also take a look at the articles section of the forum, it has a wealth of information.

So you think I'm going to have to stop dying my hair every 8 weeks to see length? I either half a head or a full head, depending on how much my colour has faded. And oh dear, I was thinking of having my dark hair highlighted with a lighter brown once I have achieved my goal length. Would no dye sit on top of henna?

[StephanieB]

And oh dear, I was thinking of having my dark hair highlighted with a lighter brown once I have achieved my goal length. Would no dye sit on top of henna?
You can't dye over henna.

Remember henna is permanent. So is indigo.


And if you're doing half head or full head color as often as you just stated, it's going to be very difficult to grow your hair long. You won't likely grow it healthy that way.


I think you're going to have to choose which you want more - your particular choice of colors or long healthy hair. Sorry.

[StephanieB]

You can't dye over henna.
To be most correct, I should have said that you can't successfully dye over henna.

[StephanieB]

Also... Isabelx, you do realize that henna makes your hair red, right? Not dark brown, not light brown - red... often an orangey red. Henndigo combats the orangey-ness, to some extent.

But you are coloring your hair dark brown, with a future wish to add lighter brown streaks to it... right?

You won't achieve that ^ with henna or henndigo.

[isabelx]

You can't dye over henna.

Remember henna is permanent. So is indigo.




This might sound a bit silly but more permanent than permanent hair dye? Because I have my hair dyed permanently but I'm sure if I went to my hairdressers and asked for a lighter brown or even blonde it'd be possible.

[isabelx]

Also... Isabelx, you do realize that henna makes your hair red, right? Not dark brown, not light brown - red... often an orangey red. Henndigo combats the orangey-ness, to some extent.

But you are coloring your hair dark brown, with a future wish to add lighter brown streaks to it... right?

You won't achieve that ^ with henna or henndigo.

Hmm, I've been told I could achieve my current hair colour with henna. I just searched 'henna hair dye' on Google and came across this? http://www.hennahairdye.net/buyhennadye/dark-brown.html

[MrsGuther]

I think a deep conditioner would be a good idea, not a trim. Your hair looks pretty blunt and thick on the ends. I think scraglly split ends are the main reason people trim- and you don't seem to have that at all. :) Happy growing!

[isabelx]

I think a deep conditioner would be a good idea, not a trim. Your hair looks pretty blunt and thick on the ends. I think scraglly split ends are the main reason people trim- and you don't seem to have that at all. :) Happy growing!

Thanks :) I'm going to look in to some kind of conditioner/oil to moisturise my hair. And I think my ends look really thick because they're damaged, someone told me dry damaged ends don't lie flat making the ends look bushy?

[Tressie]

From what I can see in the photos, your hair looks fine to me. I would condition it well and handle it carefully and let it grow! You can always trim later, if you are sure you need to! :flower:

[isabelx]

From what I can see in the photos, your hair looks fine to me. I would condition it well and handle it carefully and let it grow! You can always trim later, if you are sure you need to! :flower:

Thanks! It's surprised me quite a few people have said they think my hair looks fine, I wish you could somehow feel it! it'd be a different story then :laugh:

[MrsGuther]

Thanks :) I'm going to look in to some kind of conditioner/oil to moisturise my hair. And I think my ends look really thick because they're damaged, someone told me dry damaged ends don't lie flat making the ends look bushy?

I have relatively thick (ii/iii) wavy/curly hair and that's pretty much exactly what my ends look like with a blunt hair cut. It doesn't mean it's damaged. That look can definitely be attributed to your hair type.

[isabelx]

I have relatively thick (ii/iii) wavy/curly hair and that's pretty much exactly what my ends look like with a blunt hair cut. It doesn't mean it's damaged. That look can definitely be attributed to your hair type.

Your hair is lovely! Unfortunately my ends are extremely dry and like I said almost every strand is split :(

[celebriangel]

Yes, henna is more permanent than "permanent" hair dye

henna by itself can be lightened (to a lighter red/orange) but henna + indigo lightened will go green (because of the indigo).

I would get the trim - just a small one. You probably won't need to grow out all your damaged hair to see growth. Also, I am a curly too and sometimes it appears that I get no growth because the curls eat it. I am sure that you will see a growth spurt after the trim.

If you colour all your hair every 8 weeks, I do not think you will be able to grow your hair much past BSL. Though actually, if you are using a permanent hair dye at the moment and still having to get it redone every 8 weeks, you might as well switch to a semi, which will last just as long and be less damaging.

[isabelx]

Yes, henna is more permanent than "permanent" hair dye

henna by itself can be lightened (to a lighter red/orange) but henna + indigo lightened will go green (because of the indigo).

I would get the trim - just a small one. You probably won't need to grow out all your damaged hair to see growth. Also, I am a curly too and sometimes it appears that I get no growth because the curls eat it. I am sure that you will see a growth spurt after the trim.

If you colour all your hair every 8 weeks, I do not think you will be able to grow your hair much past BSL. Though actually, if you are using a permanent hair dye at the moment and still having to get it redone every 8 weeks, you might as well switch to a semi, which will last just as long and be less damaging.

To be honest, I'd be over the moon with BSL hair! my hair as been at my shoulders all my life, I'd be thrilled with APL hair!

I was considering just getting half a head of dye instead of a full, but I've had it done in the past and it just looks as though no dye has been applied to my head whatsoever. Switching to semi seems a good idea though, thanks :)