trimming vs not trimming

[brightonwoman]

What are the pros and cons? Which way is best for me to get maximum growth?

I started about 2 1/2 years ago by cutting off ALL damaged hair and of course it re-grew those first 8-10inches pretty fast (back to the prior length) but now it doesn't seem to be growing so much...I trim every 2-3 months (just a half inch or so) but I noticed the other day that I really don't have any split ends, so I don't know that I need to keep up with the trimming...that was a habit from my pre-major-cut days, when I did have split ends all the time. But since I no longer seem to have them, I don't know if/why I should trim. So I'd be very interested to hear the arguments for and against.
(or point me to a thread that already has the info!)
thanks in advance!

[lady_hero]

I trim every 4 months. I might go less when my hair gets longer, but it works for now.

[ladystar]

Well I am not really sure if my hair grows faster when I trim. I just trim it when I start to see my ends looking a little bit thinner, about every 5 months or so. I try to go longer because I would like my hair longer so I say trim but not to often if you are trying to gain length. Maybe once at my goal of classic I will trim much more often.

[jel]

There are those who claim that trimming somehow kicks their hair into faster growth. Then there are those who claim that trimming shortens their hair and they want length. I belong in the second group :D

Feel free to check out the No-Trimming Club thread in my signature. :flower:

ETA: My view is that trimming is useful (and necessary) for maintaining a blunt hemline. For getting rid of split ends, individual snips (search & destroy) work better and don't affect the overall length. After a year or two, this leads to uneven ends, known as fairy tale ends on LHC. Some people love them, others loathe them. To each their own.

[Siowiel]

I haven't trimmed for over a year and have some damage from previous dye-jobs in my length.

I decided not to cut (until I can't stand my ends anymore, which is far, far away, considering the current condition) because I want to grow FAST and I am willing to make some sacrifices concerning thickness of ends for now. I do S&D, though, to keep my hair in good shape. I would cut if my hemline got too uneven, but it is just a slight fairytale so far.
I decided to go this route because my ultimate goal isankle, and this will take LONG anyway, if I do not hit terminal long before that.
No-trimming requires, imho, even more attention, because mistakes in this area will show for quite some time, in extreme, until the natural life-circle of the hair is over (about 7 years...): Moisturizing, no build-up, careful handling...

Pro:
- Faster growth
- Possibility of discovering terminal length
- Natural fairytale-ends (this is a pro for me, might be a con for someone else)

Con:
- Hair has less thickness further down
- Increased split in the lower parts (can be minimized by S&D)
- Hemline might grow VERY uneven due to S&D and natural growth
- Damaged hair might lead to frustration which leads to the risk of a frustrated chop, so that ultimately, more is cut off than small trims would have taken off.

[MagmaMaggie]

jel and Siowiel~ thanks for your posts they were very helpful. :)

Can anyone point me in the direction of a picture of fairytale ends?

[vindo]

I have experiencing back and forth with trimming and can tell with no doubt that for me monthly mini trims (5mm) are the best way to maintain my thickness and hemline while getting enough growth (1cm+)

Right now I am testing to trim every 2-3 mths but I can see how my hemline gets out of control and V-ish:rolleyes:

[Magicknthenight]

I just S&D every so often as i can. But if i see LOADS of split ends then i eventuially go out and get a small hair trim. But only when theirs so much it seems like S&D wouldn't help. I think i get a trim about once a year on average....
I wouldn't wanna go without S&D or a hair trim every so often because when i S&D and i see the hair that is about to break off i can trim it. If i just left it there it would continue to break off. If you don't have any split ends then i see no need for you to trim. You could try going without so you'd get to keep all your length and look through every so often to see if its reoccuring. If it does then you could always just start trimming again.

[Stagecoach]

I used to trim every 3-4 months like clock work.

But the hair in my siggy has only been trimmed once in the past 25 months. That trim was 1*1/2" I had taken off last June to even my hemline a bit.

I quit trims because of a challeng to see if I could go 1 year without one. Then I decided to go another year, and this time around I'm not planning on trimming now that my 12 months are up... I'll wait till I think my ends need it before I trim.

[julya]

I went for 3.5 years without a trim. I waited until my ends were feeling rough and too tangly for me to deal with.

[orangeeyecrayon]

i trim once every three months.

i have very fragile hair (and the ends are still a little damaged from old dye i am cutting out) i will prob go once every 4 months once i get all the dyed stuff of.

but my thought behind the trimming is that if i get trims every so often that keep split ends away, than i wont have to get a huge cut ever because i wont have to worry about split ends traveling up the shaft

[danacc]

This thread has photo links which has several people responding with "fairytale end envy": http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?p=175921&mode=linear#post175921

If your ends are healthy and aren't tangly, you'll get the fastest growth by not trimming. If the ends are healthy but tangly, try a clarifying wash before moving to a trim to solve it. If you have a few splits, you can take care of those with S&D.

As others mentioned, there are personal preference reasons to trim other than for growth. For example, if later you're looking to even up or re-shape your hemline, the way to accomplish that is to trim. Trimming will also often thicken up a hemline since the length is usually the thinnest at the ends. But if you're asking purely about length, the only reasons I know for trimming are damaged or tangly ends.

[getoffmyskittle]

I have experiencing back and forth with trimming and can tell with no doubt that for me monthly mini trims (5mm) are the best way to maintain my thickness and hemline while getting enough growth (1cm+)

Right now I am testing to trim every 2-3 mths but I can see how my hemline gets out of control and V-ish:rolleyes:

I am firmly with Emi in this camp. This is exactly my trimming style too, and I recently restarted it in January after about a 6-month period of no trims at all. They didn't at shorter lengths, but at this length, my ends fairytale really fast; I like the blunt, even hemline, so I trim. I think my hair has been filling in and getting less see-through while gaining length.

[Nevermore]

I haven't trimmed since the last time I was trimming to maintain my short haircut, so sometime in mid 05 or thereabouts. I S&D when I notice splits (which isn't often now that I got rid of the old ones and do updos daily) and my hemline still looks even and thick. I do have the benefit of wurly hair, which can hide unevenness but when I see my hem wet, it seems to have a nice line to it.

[harpgal]

I think my hair has been filling in and getting less see-through while gaining length.
Yup! This is one reason that I trim. The bulk usually moves down and managing the trim times helps to keep a hemline full.

[paper]

I've been trimming an inch every 3-4 months. Just to get rid of layers. After that, I'm not sure how long I'll go between trims.

[silentwisp]

My ends stay pretty healthy for a long time,
but I actually just trimmed my hair about half an hour ago for the first time in a LOOONNNNNG time.

I was doing S&D a little bit but honestly since I didn't have many splits and I have very thick hair, it was too much of a pain for me so I just left my ends to their own devices. After a long while my splits become more numerous, then they start grabbing other hairs and getting tangly,
and they'd been doing that for a little now so I decided to trim.

I could never go with no-trims forever just because I love that fresh-trimmed ends feeling and it makes my hair less likely to tangle and split.