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View Full Version : Length or hemline?



Kristamommyx3
October 15th, 2011, 11:45 AM
Like the title says, do you hold more importance on the length of your hair or hemline? I wondered about this the other day while I was getting *another* micro trim to keep my hemline neat and tidy. I am trying so hard to reach a full waist length, but it seems that for every inch I grow closer, I need to trim at least half of it off because it starts to look less than ideal to me. I am still slowly creeping closer, but slowly, nevertheless. I just could not let my hemline go scraggly in order to reach waist sooner, which is obviously just my personal preference. Sooo, that's what got me wondering how the rest of you deal with hemlines during the long road to your goal length? Do you turn a blind eye and let it grow wild and free like a weed, or obsessively trim and prune like a topiary (like me)? :p

pink.sara
October 15th, 2011, 12:16 PM
Hemline all the way.
I'm not a great fan of fairytail ends. And my hair seems to grow at dramatically different rates so a year+ of not trimming makes it all uneven.

And with iii hair that's so super straight it just looks like someone's cut it unevenly and in chunks if I leave it!

longhairedwolf
October 15th, 2011, 12:25 PM
Personally the hemline is much more important to me. It really affects how nice the hair looks overall, in my opinion. I'd rather have my hair shorter for a while, but neat and attractive, than longer but scraggly and uneven. I'm seeing my hair dresser next week, and I'll ask her to cut off whatever she has to in order to make sure that my hair looks well shaped and maintained. This may mean that it takes longer to get to my goal length, but looking good in the intermediate stages is important to me.

Polgarra
October 15th, 2011, 12:27 PM
For me length. But I think that is partly due to how lazy (and cheap) I am about going to the hairdresser. And my hair is always up so I never see it to notice that I should trim. Now that I am on LHC I am finding ways to improve my hemline without the trim.

KatjicaMjau
October 15th, 2011, 12:27 PM
I like it neat. But I was there too, I didn't want to cut my hair because I really want to get to my goal faster :D

..But I did it.

BlazingHeart
October 15th, 2011, 12:28 PM
I'm lucky, my hair is thick enough and grows at close enough to the same rate that I don't have to make that decision - my hemline looks good even if I let it grow for up to 2 years without a trim.

~Blaze

Tapioca
October 15th, 2011, 12:34 PM
I've always preferred a thick hemline on myself, but a good friend of mine has fairytale ends and it looks good on her.

thelittlestdoc
October 15th, 2011, 12:36 PM
For me, it's sort of a balance between the two--I'm at BSL now with a decent hemline (I search and destroy with regularity, but put off trims as long as I can), but I could've been at waist by now if I'd gone with the fairytale ends. It's just not a look I love on my thinnish, 2a hair.

Shesta
October 15th, 2011, 12:45 PM
Hemline! But surely I don't obsess with trimming. A small trim every 4-5 months seems to do good job for me. I S&D occasionally as well and I do hope to achieve full waist length by the end of November :)

dulce
October 15th, 2011, 01:00 PM
Length, as I prefer a longer braid down my back and a bigger bun.Will start trimming once I'm at goal,maybe an inch left to get there.

Roscata
October 15th, 2011, 01:09 PM
I'd say length is more important to me. Although I often have inner battles of trimming to get a thicker hemline, in the end length wins because I want long hair so badly. The thin ends make it easier for me to put my hair in updos and I keep my hair up all the time. I'm not a fan of leaving it down.

ddiana1979
October 15th, 2011, 01:13 PM
Length. As long as the ends are healthy (no splits, not dry), I don't fuss with them. I wear my hair up 95% of the time, so other people rarely see what the hemline looks like anyway.

xoxophelia
October 15th, 2011, 01:16 PM
I would say I am a "stategy" grower. I will have a 6 month plan that sometimes involves maintaining to trim off old layers/dye and sometimes about how to gain length with minimal trims.

Right now I am in a period after doing some trims where I want to gain length so I will probably do no trims until the end of the year, a half inch off, and then grow to 35" and maintain for awhile.

So I guess I look for a balance.

Madora
October 15th, 2011, 01:40 PM
For years it was hemline. I trimmed infrequently.

Now that my growth seems to have slowed down, I'm more concerned with growth, although I can only take so much scraggly ends. But I do S and D every day, just a little bit.

jaine
October 15th, 2011, 02:59 PM
I don't have to choose between them, because I want fairytale ends in my hemline :)

jojo
October 15th, 2011, 03:06 PM
Hemline for me as I have fine hair and its not long enough for fairy tails yet, but once ive passed hip I might just go for the fairy tails look.

oscarthehamster
October 15th, 2011, 03:34 PM
Length ! I love a tapered hemline on my hair :p

Rowan1980
October 15th, 2011, 03:40 PM
I prefer hemline myself. I figure the length will come with time. My hair doesn't look good with fairytail ends, unfortunately.

pepperminttea
October 15th, 2011, 03:52 PM
Mixture. Fairytale ends can look really lovely, especially on wavy and curly hair, but on myself it would depend how they felt - if they were still workable, not especially tangly or dry, I'd keep the ends until I reached a goal I wanted to maintain at. If they were a complete loss, always tangly and not helped by clarifying or moisture treatments, I'd trim them. The condition matters more to me, and you can have perfectly healthy fairytale ends. :) However, if they were fairytaled to the point where there were so few strands they appeared invisible, I'd cut them even if they were healthy.

owlathena
October 15th, 2011, 04:18 PM
I would say I am a "stategy" grower. I will have a 6 month plan that sometimes involves maintaining to trim off old layers/dye and sometimes about how to gain length with minimal trims.

Right now I am in a period after doing some trims where I want to gain length so I will probably do no trims until the end of the year, a half inch off, and then grow to 35" and maintain for awhile.

So I guess I look for a balance.


I do this too. I'll plan out several months at a time and try my darndest to stick to my plan. Right now I'm planning to get a little trim every two inches. I'm almost to 32in, then I'll trim a half inch or so, then not trim again until 34in. It seems like a much better plan than trimming every X months, because my hair doesn't seem to grow at a steady rate.

I think that overall though, length is more important. I'm not one of those folks who'll get a big chop to have an even hemline.

MissManda
October 15th, 2011, 04:21 PM
I prefer a nicely even, blunt hemline for myself because fairytale ends are not particularly flattering for my hair type. I love how they look on wavy and curly hair, but they aren't for me because uneven ends just make my hair look unkempt. I also think regular trims help my hair grow better by maintaining the quality of the ends. I'm willing to sacrifice length for quality and am usually content with the slightly slower growth rate, but I do get impatient at times.

Right now, my plan is to grow as much as possible while maintaining the thickness of my ends. My intention has been to do a dusting once a month and take off 1/16-1/8" or less to keep my fastest growing hairs from getting too far ahead so everything stays even. Then I am going to microtrim something around 0.25-0.5" periodically. My original goal was to microtrim every three months with dustings in between, but if my ends look okay by month three after my last cut (August), then I'll be more than happy to trim every four or six months instead. I'll assess how my ends are looking and if I really need to take more off next month when my next microtrim is "due."

haibane
October 15th, 2011, 04:21 PM
I don't have to choose between them, because I want fairytale ends in my hemline :)
This. If I ever did trim or cut my hair I'd layer and point cut it so I wouldn't have a blunt hemline anyway.

rock007junkie
October 15th, 2011, 04:34 PM
A little bit of both. I mean, I would like to say length because I'm growing it out trying to reach my goal and therefore trying not to cut my hair too much. However, as soon as I see that my hemline is looking funny (wispy ends and whatnot) my scissors always come out.

Mopolop
October 15th, 2011, 04:39 PM
I pick hemline - I can't stand dry ends because I play with them so often.

Cassie 123
October 15th, 2011, 04:43 PM
Hemline for me. My hair would have to be longer or wavier for fairytale ends to look good.

Anywhere
October 15th, 2011, 04:46 PM
Length for me. I'm maybe 3~4 inches away from true TBL and I microtrim every month or two. My hair takes a serious nosedive in thickness at BSL so I don't wear it down. It's regrowth from severe anemia a year or so back. I refuse to have BSL hair again, it took me so long to get past it the first time.

Juneii
October 15th, 2011, 04:47 PM
Hemline for me, fairytale ends are not for me :) there is something about thick blunt hemlines that look healthy and well cared for

taimatsuko
October 15th, 2011, 05:14 PM
If I could not trim my Hemlines and still grow my hair out I would go for the fairytale ends look. Unfortunately, the moment I neglect my annual trimming schedule my hair starts breaking off like crazy.

Hypatia415
October 15th, 2011, 05:26 PM
Definitely hemline. I think that fairytale ends with my hair type end up looking very unkempt.

Chromis
October 15th, 2011, 06:13 PM
Length, with the odd concession to hemline. I like having some taper because thick blunt ends are harder to tuck into updos, but I like to keep it somewhat even. I S&D regularly, but do not trim very often.

Really, I like to wear my hair up most of the time, so for me it makes the most sense! I love playing with different updos and hairtoys.

I don't like my braids to be too wispy on the tail, so that is my main signal that it is time to even off an inch or so to thicken up the tail without going too blunt.

MaryRose
October 15th, 2011, 06:57 PM
I have always like hemlines but now that I am anxious about reaching my goal of waist, I am a fan of length. I may trim for a hemline, but right now I am a lenth fan.

Alix
October 15th, 2011, 08:07 PM
My hair is wavy, so I don't even try for the even hemline. I like the feathery look. But I don't want it to fairytale, so I'll probably trim soon. Maybe....

SilentGuardian
October 15th, 2011, 08:42 PM
For now length I suppose

CurlyCap
October 15th, 2011, 10:28 PM
I have curly hair, so I don't much pay attention to the hemline. I can't see it!

I do prefer an even hemline on others. To me, it makes the length seem intentional and well cared for.

I am obsessive about split ends though. While I may go an outrageously long time between trims, the instant I start seeing splits, I'm off to get a trim. Luckily, my hair doesn't split easily, so that can be a every year-18 months.

WaitingSoLong
October 16th, 2011, 05:37 AM
I tend to let my hair go without a trim until it really needs one. Once a year. This year is the first year I have had two trims in one year in a long time. But then, my length seems to have hit a point where age makes the ends bad faster. I have been two years without a trim when my hair was about BSL. These old ends just can't take the beating.

I agree with XOXO and Owlathena, I have various strategies. It was to gain length mostly, but not at the cost of my hemline. I, too, feel the need for a neat hemline. I do have to plan strategies so I don't just do "whatever" on a whim.

rapunzelna
October 16th, 2011, 06:04 AM
For me it was length, but I had to succumb to hemline. My hair grows in a V and at one point, the middle had gotten to be about four inches longer than the rest and I had to even it out. I was rather bummed, since the longer ends had reached classic length, but it just didn't look all that nice anymore.

freckles
October 16th, 2011, 06:13 AM
right now, for me it's length. This is influenced by the fact that I'm now just a few inches from goal length (YESSS!) and therefore I plan to maintain soon, so my hemline will probably improve later. It's also influenced by the fact that my hair doesn't taper so much right now -- it would be more of a balancing act if I was unhappy with my ends (well, actually by measurements it is about half as thick at the bottom as at the top -- but that doesn't visually look tapered much to me). Also, I mostly wear my hair up so I'm not worried about how my ends look particularly.

However, in the past, I have trimmed more (more for damage/split ends than taper). So it depends a lot on my hair and my mood. I guess like someone said above I am a "strategy" grower -- right now my strategy is to get to TB as quickly as possible and then maintain.

arc691
October 16th, 2011, 06:19 AM
Definitely hemline~ in fact, my mom just trimmed about 4 inches off mine last night, because it was getting rather uneven across the bottom. I love the blunt edge my hair has now~ and it actually looks longer LOL

Maverick494
October 16th, 2011, 06:42 AM
Like the title says, do you hold more importance on the length of your hair or hemline? I wondered about this the other day while I was getting *another* micro trim to keep my hemline neat and tidy. I am trying so hard to reach a full waist length, but it seems that for every inch I grow closer, I need to trim at least half of it off because it starts to look less than ideal to me. I am still slowly creeping closer, but slowly, nevertheless. I just could not let my hemline go scraggly in order to reach waist sooner, which is obviously just my personal preference. Sooo, that's what got me wondering how the rest of you deal with hemlines during the long road to your goal length? Do you turn a blind eye and let it grow wild and free like a weed, or obsessively trim and prune like a topiary (like me)? :p

I've grown it the same way you do. Trim, trim trim. What really helps is wearing your hair in protective styles every day and only brushing it once a day. These keeps the damage at bay and therefore you can go longer without trims without sacrificing the hemline. It has taken me atleast 3 years to get to WL, but now atleast I have the hemline I want.

I think it's all about personal preference. I have always chosen quality over length because I think the whole idea of long hair is useless if it is not beautiful. I see many people who just let their hair grow and grow and at one point the ends get so thin and the hemline so transparent I can't help but think they should cut it to where their hair is still thick. Fairytale ends can look very pretty one SOME people, but it sure doesn't suit me.

ya-ya C
October 16th, 2011, 06:47 AM
definately length. My hair is too curly and I wear it up a lot so hemline doesn't matter/show a lot

Maktub
October 16th, 2011, 07:10 AM
Hemline for me !

Lorisal
October 16th, 2011, 07:16 AM
Hemline used to be very important to me, but since it is taking so long to reach my goals, I am focusing more on length.

BabyFirefly
October 16th, 2011, 08:00 AM
For the moment it's all about length but when I reach my next goal, waist, I'll start focusing a bit on the hemline. Mostly to get rid of bleached bits and to get healthier hair, I'm dreaming of virgin tbl hair with fairytale ends.

maborosi
October 16th, 2011, 08:12 AM
The hemline. I would rather not have rat-ended long hair. It simply does not look good. I have a slight V, though, where the middle is just a bit, maybe an inch, longer, and I don't think it looks terrible. Once I hit hip, though, I think I'll try to go for a softer shape.

~maborosi~

lapushka
October 16th, 2011, 09:17 AM
Hemline. Even though I love fairy tail ends, I don't seem to have it in me. :shrug: Maybe if I were to grow it to knee length or something, it would do that, but up to hip, even classic length, it just doesn't taper that much.

jacqueline101
October 16th, 2011, 10:20 AM
I prefer length I don't mind fairy tail ends.

tigereye
October 16th, 2011, 11:45 AM
I get kind of stuck with this. I don't like a totally blunt hemline, but I don't like mega fairytail ends on me either, because then my hem isn't all that thick anymore. So I trim about every 6 months. That way it can grow wild and free for a while before it gets pruned back to thicken up a bit.

Debra83
October 16th, 2011, 11:50 AM
I think there was a poll or thread like this already!!! But, however long ago that was, my answer is still the same. Length for me!!! I want to get to my goal, and a little beyond...then I'll start evening up the ends. I still have layers that I want all one length, and it would take me ages if I caught them all up at the same time. My bangs are now close to chin level, depending on my part for the day, and since I'm all about length....I think if I cut to even things up, I'd probably end up giving up on growing out my hair....and then be depressed, and then eat WAY to MUCH chocolate!!!!

Quetiepi
October 16th, 2011, 04:57 PM
I want it all, a nice thick length with an even hemline. I don't care for fairytale ends.

spidermom
October 16th, 2011, 05:17 PM
For myself, the hem. I want a definite visual edge; am not fond of the "thins away to nothing" look on most people, although a few rock it. I think curly fairy tale ends are quite pretty as long as the hair is in good condition.

Kayla Nyx
October 16th, 2011, 05:54 PM
I really, really want to say length.. but when it come down to it, I'm always feeling my ends are stressing over splits. Until I get all my hair one length, I will stress my inch trimmings every 4-6 months

Dragon Faery
October 16th, 2011, 05:57 PM
I'd say hemline is in general more important to me, but I can't do a blunt hemline exACTly since I'm curly and that would just make it incredibly bushy and triangle-y.

My basic "strategy" or lack thereof is to assess how it looks at each length and go from there. Right now my hair is in a very deep V due to some layers I put in when I thought I was going to keep it shorter. But now that I've changed my mind, I (tentatively) plan to slowly even out my hemline as it grows.

Now (at BSL) I've taken off the very point of the V, and I plan to maintain here-ish for a bit and further round out the shape. But once my shortest layers reach shoulder, I'll let it go again until it gets to waist. At that point I'll try to get it into a U shape with the shortest layers somewhere between APL and BSL, and then, hopefully, it's off to Hip, Tailbone, Classic, and maybe beyond!

I think once it gets to Tailbone or so it may look better with a straighter hemline, especially since I will have a lot less hair that is that entire length. But all this is of course subject to change, depending on what seems to look best at each length as I get there. :)

uptosomeone
October 16th, 2011, 06:06 PM
I can't pick either. Right now I'm going for length, but I wear my hair either curly or up because my hemline is pretty nasty and thin. I guess I value both equally and have to balance them both otherwise I won't be happy with my hair.

Keildra
October 16th, 2011, 06:17 PM
I prefer length right now, I like my fairytale ends and they look good with my curly hair. A year ago I went through a postpartum shed and if I wait until that grows out I will never get to the length i want (okay I will but it will take too long and I'm impatient). I will eventually maintain and worry about my hemline but that won't be until I get to my goal length of knee.

long&blonde
October 16th, 2011, 06:25 PM
Length, totally length. I've never ever had a trim I was happy I got. Even tho my hemline would be thicker or improved, i'd be missing the few rogue layers that had just made it down to "there."

jdbermes
October 16th, 2011, 06:30 PM
I never liked fairy tale ends before and always kept up a blunt hemline until it reached my waist. I haven't trimmed for over a year and now my TBL is turning fairy tale and I like it!

Debra83
October 16th, 2011, 06:31 PM
Ha!!! That'll teach me!!! After posting on here that length was more important....I ended up self-trimming today!!!!

luthein
October 16th, 2011, 08:08 PM
For me, it's length. The rest will catch up to the runners, eventually.

summergreen
October 17th, 2011, 10:34 AM
Length all the way, I love fairytails, and 'wild and free' totally sums up how I want my hair to be!

Anje
October 17th, 2011, 10:39 AM
I try to balance the two. Grew to tailbone, have been maintaining there til I get a hemline I like. May eventually grow longer. I wear enough braids that having some substance to the ends is nice.

celebriangel
October 17th, 2011, 10:59 AM
It's a balance, for me. If my hemline is damaged, I will trim, but for unevenness - which is hard to see anyway on my curly, always-up hair - I'll wait for the next growth milestone then maintain till I get decent end-thickness, before pushing for the next milestone.

Columbia River
October 17th, 2011, 11:09 AM
I would go with whatever looks healthiest and best on the person. Ive seen some people who rock fairytale ends, and Ive seen some people look unkempt. I guess it always comes down to what looks "healthiest" for me...I really believe health always looks beautiful...if you have healthy looking hair and "fairytale" ends and you like it...I say Rock it!

unheardletters
October 17th, 2011, 11:11 AM
I prefer hemline, yet my hemline is always thick, so I don't have to worry about that. But I get regular trims to tidy up the unevenness and remove damage.

Yozhik
October 17th, 2011, 01:05 PM
Definitely length.

As a wurly, my hemline hardly ever looks straight and usually my hair grows in a gentle U. Who am I to try to change it? :p

Plus, I like the way fairytale ends look. I didn't trim for 16 months, then gave myself a 2 inch trim; that was 8 months ago, and my hemline still looks fine, despite heavy S&Ding. :)

heidi w.
October 17th, 2011, 01:17 PM
I have a bad habit of not trimming, acquiring what folks here label "fairytale" ends, and then getting to some kind of point of disgust, and then finally trimming after something like two years of non-trimming.

I find trimming helps best when wanting the look of a 'thicker' hemline. My hair tends to look it's best a little closer to the knees, not the ankles. I will never have good-looking floor length hair. That's ok. I'm happy.

heidi w.

heidi w.
October 17th, 2011, 01:18 PM
Definitely length.

As a wurly, my hemline hardly ever looks straight and usually my hair grows in a gentle U. Who am I to try to change it? :p

Plus, I like the way fairytale ends look. I didn't trim for 16 months, then gave myself a 2 inch trim; that was 8 months ago, and my hemline still looks fine, despite heavy S&Ding. :)

FYI for whomever may like to know, GM recommends trimming in a gentle smile. This is because this is how most hair grows. The sides a little less long than the back strip. I think this is in part due to drawing hair over the shoulders. The sides are then naturally a bit shorter than the thickest crop of hair growth down the back from the crown of the head (the back of the top of the head, that strip is crown hair.)

heidi w.

Theobroma
October 17th, 2011, 01:34 PM
I want both, but since I can't have both right this minute, I'm opting for length over hemline thickness. I dislike my fairytale ends, but I dislike short hair on me even more. So for the moment I'm going for length. When I'm solidly at hip curly, I'll start microtrimming to thicken the hemline.