Hair so damaged, it wouldn't grow longer?

[HollywoodRouge]

So, at one point i had quite damaged hair, but i wouldn't say it was one of the worst cases you've ever seen, and was told by my hairdresser i had to get it cut if i wanted it to grow any longer because the split ends were so bad it was effectively 'trimming itself', just wanting to get the opinion of you very hair-knowledgeable people here =]
But now my hair is in, what i would say, pretty good condition, and i have almost no split ends, unless i spray on loads of dry shampoo (pretty much stripping all of the oil on my hair) and then i have 1mm white splits on most of my hairs (which disappear once the dry shampoo has fallen off my hair), however i've been told i need to be going back every 8 weeks for a trim (apparently i need an inch off ATLEAST every time), and i don't really feel i need this at all. So what do you think? Can i go 6 months without trimming my hair and still be fine? FYI i take VERY good care with my hair now (NO heat, deep condition every week etc)

[Avital88]

maybe you can stretch trims a bit, every 8 weeks seems a bit much anyway.
Once you get to enough posts i suggest you post a picture so we can see what you are talking about. :) its hard to do by just a description..
And how much damage is there now left in your hair? do you feel like it could still travel up as what your hairdresser said, glad you are taking care of it now!

[woolyleprechaun]

Hairdressers rely on people going back for regular (often unnecessary) trims. Providing your hairs in good condition, I see no reason to be trimming so much so often. Perhaps the white bits after a dry shampoo are residue or something??

[white.chocolate]

I don't know what "dry shampoo causing white splits" you are talking about. Have you looked at your hair under direct sunlight to examine for split ends. I think your hairdresser just wants to make more money. My old hairdresser kept telling me to come back so often as well. 8 months can be too often if your hair is in good condition. I would say if you think you don't need a trim, then don't have a trim. Have you tried doing S&D? They help if done on a regular basis.

[cheetahfast]

Are you using cones that might be masking your white dots?
It might be visible from the dry shampoo stripping out the cones or it could be like a film from it :shrug:.

Also from what it sounds like your hair was disintegrating, yes?
Mine did this at one point too, if you did not cut enough you probably should not wait 6 months to trim.

I say this because even for some people here with healthy hair 6 months is long between trimming. If I were you I would at least learn to S&D.

Waiting 2 months to cut off more sounds reasonable to me, if your hair is still damaged. Though I have no patience for damaged hair, at all.

You didn't say how much you cut, if it was only an inch or two it's likely that it wasn't enough. You also don't say how long ago you cut it last, though it sounds recent.

[jacqueline101]

I'd say you need to trim it maybe every other month and I don't know about the dry shampoo.

[LocustSpawning]

Hmm.. my hair used to be so damaged it barely went past a very stringy BSL for about 2 years. Stayed the same length that whole time cause I refused to cut it. I bit the bullet and cut off all the damage at once to above APL (hard but worth it) and my hair grew well after that, and now I'm almost at waist length with healthy hair :) I'd suggest getting one, kinda big trim, just to make sure you know most of the damage has been gone to maximize your potential of growing healthy hair.

[Amber_Maiden]

It sounds like you still have damage to me. Damage doesn't just disappear. I think need to get a big trim done and then grow it.

[Messyhair]

Damage can definitely prevent hair from getting longer if it's breaking off at the ends. If you get the major damage trimmed off, you can then stretch your regular trims out. I've been stretching mine to one year apart, but that's actually a bit too long for my hair and I end up trimming off way more than I would doing more frequent trims because the damage has gotten too far along. You'll have to just wait and see how often your hair actually needs trimming, but search & destroy (S&D) trims in between can help keep damage in check.

[nala89]

When I started growing my hair was damaged because I had been dying it for years (including going blonde a few months before) and I straightened my hair quite often.
So I went to a hair dresser, got my hair dyed again (this time in my natural color) and had it cut to about chin length. after that I was able to grow my hair for more than a year without any cuts but I don't think I could have done it without the big cut because it was just too much for my hair.
I think maybe you can still start growing right now but you should really keep an eye on your ends and trimm split ends on a regular basis. If you keep up S&D you will see whether your hair gets keeper or whether it would take it months to get better.

[QMacrocarpa]

Yes, bad splits can cause your hair to break off as fast as it grows, I had that experience. But if something like that is happening to you, you'll know, because each time you comb or brush there will be lots of short broken pieces coming off. If you're not seeing that, I think you can likely wait to trim. My last trim (about an inch) was about 10 months ago, and I don't S&D (and counter to much of the advice in this thread, I don't recommend it). My hair is split-prone though not damaged from heat or coloring.

If you get at least an inch cut off every eight weeks, you're likely to see no gain in length at all. Half an inch per month is the average rate of hair growth. If you feel you need a trim to keep the splits at bay, and you don't want to go to your hairdresser because you're worried you'll lose too much length, you might find Feye's self-trim (http://feyeselftrim.livejournal.com/) useful. Many folks here (including me) do their own trims.

One thing that seems to help postpone the need for trims for me is adding a little oil to my ends (really a little, like start with a drop or two). I've had good results with jojoba and I'm going to try almond oil. Others like coconut, olive, or other oils. You might give that a try if you want to minimize the need for trims.

[Mayflower]

When I use dry shampoo, I sometimes think I have white dots/splits everywhere too, but they're actually residue and dust sticking to the ends. No need to worry about that!

[Madora]

Dry shampoo should be used sparingly. It cleans by friction and can be hard to rinse out, meaning more hair manipulation, which is not good.

If you have white dots along the length of your strands or near the ends, your hair is damaged. Those dots split open and the strand is ruined. There is no repairing that strand unless you cut off the damage (with sharp shears!).

It is best to remove as much of the damage as possible. Then baby the hair by treating it gently and S and D regularly.

A self trim every 3 to 4 months helps keep the ends in good condition also.

[PixxieStix]

If there are white dots on the ends of your hair when it is clean and dry shampoo free, (preferably after a wash without cones that can mask the ends) then there is damage and a microtrim could be in order. If you are babying your hair and wearing it in protective styles with good detangling and combing practices, I do not see a reason why you should need trims so frequently from your hairdresser. I mean, how often you will need them depends entirely on your hair and the care given to it, an only you will really know how often trims are necessary. Until the damage is cut out however, it will probably be more frequent.

[Jessykins]

id say stretch the appointment at the hair dressers longer and longer, and if your hairs fine with having even bigger gaps then just keep doing that until you find a routine that suits you.
i dont go to the hair dressers but i do trim it my self about twice a year and i only get a few splits but i also sometimes go through and cut out only the splits ends
as for the white dots after using dry shampoo it might just be the dust sticking to the ends of your hair

[heidi w.]

So, at one point i had quite damaged hair, but i wouldn't say it was one of the worst cases you've ever seen, and was told by my hairdresser i had to get it cut if i wanted it to grow any longer because the split ends were so bad it was effectively 'trimming itself', just wanting to get the opinion of you very hair-knowledgeable people here =]
But now my hair is in, what i would say, pretty good condition, and i have almost no split ends, unless i spray on loads of dry shampoo (pretty much stripping all of the oil on my hair) and then i have 1mm white splits on most of my hairs (which disappear once the dry shampoo has fallen off my hair), however i've been told i need to be going back every 8 weeks for a trim (apparently i need an inch off ATLEAST every time), and i don't really feel i need this at all. So what do you think? Can i go 6 months without trimming my hair and still be fine? FYI i take VERY good care with my hair now (NO heat, deep condition every week etc)

Generally, trimming every 8 weeks kind of means one doesn't grow length a whole lot. 8 weeks is every other month.

I would say trimming twice a year is approximately maximum for more average folks.

Removing an inch every other month means you are not allowing your hair to grow barely at all. In a good month, one achieves as much as 1/2 inch of hair growth, and removing an inch is two month's worth of growth, based on statistics alone.

Many hairdressers believe stuff that isn't true such as frequent trimming helps hair grow. Mostly no, and a slight yes. Hair doesn't grow from the ends. It grows from the root. The newest hair is always at the scalp area, never the ends. The ends represents the oldest hair on your head. Length must be cared for well because it's gradually older as one goes down the hair length.

Damage in hair is generally in the last inch or less. That's somewhat normal. And then it is less damage as one goes up the hair length.

However, by your own admission you have splits. You say they disappear once the dry shampoo falls off. But I promise: they don't disappear. They just aren't visible to you. Look again in strong light, the best being sunlight, and against a backdrop opposite your hair color for contrast.

You can endeavor over the next several trims to remove this damage by minimally trimming. But you have to work with a hairdresser that follows your instructions well, such as only removing 1/2 or 1/4 inch at a time. Not taking an inch and a little over. You'd be surprised how few stylists can show the length of an inch with their hands. I think in general if you trim this frequently, you may have less damage, but it will slow down the progress of growth.

There are long hair care salons in a few locations in the US and abroad. But most average hairdressers are taught little about caring for long hair, and know very little much less have positive personal experience, whether from their own experience of having long hair or having long-haired clients.

heidi w.

[heidi w.]

Dry shampoo should be used sparingly. It cleans by friction and can be hard to rinse out, meaning more hair manipulation, which is not good.

If you have white dots along the length of your strands or near the ends, your hair is damaged. Those dots split open and the strand is ruined. There is no repairing that strand unless you cut off the damage (with sharp shears!).

It is best to remove as much of the damage as possible. Then baby the hair by treating it gently and S and D regularly.

A self trim every 3 to 4 months helps keep the ends in good condition also.

What Madora said. I personally have no familiarity with dry shampoo, and haven't even heard of such shampoo. I wouldn't dream of using it with my scalp skin condition. It would probably never come out!! LOL

heidi w.

[jeanniet]

Trimming that often really isn't necessary unless your hair is damaged--but it sounds like yours is. Remember that taking better care of your hair is good for the new growth, and will make any damaged hair look and feel better, but it won't really cure the damage. It won't get rid of splits, for instance. The only way to do that is to grow the damage out completely and trim it off. So if your hair is damaged from chemical or heat treatments, I would get regular trims until the damage is gone. That doesn't mean you have to cut off all your growth. If you grow the average 1/2" a month, you can do microtrims of 1/4" a month yourself, or go to a salon for trims every couple of months. You just need to be adamant about the amount you want trimmed off--if you want just 1/2", reiterate that several times, show the stylist how much you mean, and then ask her to show you how much she plans to trim. A good stylist will cut the amount you ask for.

[Madora]

Be sure to SHOW the hair stylist/cutter exactly how much you want to cut. Bring a ruler or tape measure. Be polite but firm! It's your hair and you're paying for the trim!

Once you have had the trim, your hair will be easier to keep tabs on as far as sighting any damage. The ends will move better. If left untreated, damaged hair will continue to split.

It seems wasted effort to let damaged hair grow to a certain length, only to discover that the now long hair still looks crummy because the damage wasn't taken care of when first discovered.

[Rhodugune]

It's hard to help you when you don't have any pictures to show, I think many have given you some good advise, I just want to share what's been my experience in this matter, I'm not been here long and are not quite the hairguru yet, that some of the people here are. :smile:

My dream has always been long hair and for many years I went to get my hair cut by different hairdressers, I just wanted what was best for my hair.

I started growing my hair long when I was about six years old, and my mother was the one who cut my hair until I was about twelve, but she always cut it crocked and had to cut of more to get it straight...so I begged and begged to let me go to a hairdresser...

I always told them that I wanted them to take off as little as possible, but they always wanted to cut more than I had hoped, but I trusted them, when they said that if I didn't let them cut as much and as often, my split ends would eventually work themselfs up futher and futher up the lenght of my hair, so I didn't dare not to and I trusted them to know what they were talking about.

I went and got my hair cut about 3-4 times a year until I was 25, and I never got any real lenght, thought I've been growing my hair for so long.

But then I moved to new town, and I didn't know where to go, who was good, so I decided to try to trim it a little myself.
I didn't do such a bad job, so I just continued, I remembered feeling rather brave! :D
So I also decided to try to cut it less often and take less off.

And at last I got some length! :cheese:

My ends is not as blunt as they where before, some of it is because of ware and tare, I just didn't know how to care for it and some are because I cut them that way wanting fairytale endings.
I was coloured it at the time, and didn't ware it up and let it become rather tangle sometimes before detangle it with a hard plastic brush... :o

I haven't coloured it for 7 years now, I've been co-ing for a years and a half, and since I joined LHC this last August I been putting it up during the day and I've gotten myself som nice brushes and sleeping with my hair in a braid.

I have started measure it since i joined and I gain about 0.4 in a month, I'm not one of the fastest growers, so looking back I know that I had most of my growth cut off every year, during those years I went to get it cut at a hair salon. :cool:


So my advise is dare try to stretch your trims and see what happens.
And last is a pic of my hair growing journey, the first from before I started growing, to a glich in my middle twenties, I haven't gotten around to scan any of my photos from that time.
The last one is taken last month and the one before that is from when I joined LHC in August last year.

I thought you might find it interesting to see for yourself what happend to my hair when I started to trim less often and compair it to how it looked and how long it was before.
The numbers on the pics are my age in the photo.

http://archive.pixbox.se/arkivet/synligt_38/32870000-32879999/640x480/32871634.jpg (http://www.pixbox.se/pic32871634)

I hope this thread helps you decide what to do! :flower:

[planetqueenie]

If your hair is damaged, it will grow, but break. It will never look as smooth and shiny and healthy as you want if you don't trim. For me, trimming has been (ironically?) what has helped me grow my hair.
I used to spend time looking up hair care products and tools, trying lots of different things, and even though I was babying my hair, it still woudn't grow but a few inches past my shoulders, look horrible, and then I would cut off a few inches to help it.
I would always try to avoid trims so my hair would get longer, faster, but then I gave up the 'grow it fast' thoughts and decided to just trim it! Just a little, and quite frequently. I use the lunar hair chart from morroccomethod.com which works! I do a trim at least once per season and I do my trims myself! My hair now grows, and looks healthy! No more need to chop:)

[HollywoodRouge]

Thanks for all the advice guys, but i probably should have mentioned i got about 2 inches off when i found out the ends were damaged, and went back 3 times after that and got 1 inch off each time, so the damage in my hair is all gone. Also, regarding the dry shampoo, i have looked at my ends in good light, and i do have a few split ends, but very few, and considering its been over 4 weeks since my last cut, my ends are looking in very good condition, almost no splits, which is far better than how many splits i used to get, even in 3 weeks!

[Athena's Owl]

Damaged hair can't be un-damaged, so you are going to have to cut off the hair that was mistreated. Having said that, hairdressers don't make money if you walk out the door and never come back, so strike the balance that works for -you.-

[Avital88]

Well if it isnt damaged anymore i would say try selftrimming every 3 to 4 months if you dont want to do it yourself then i wouldnt go to a hairdresser more than every 6 months, i remember going myself every 6 months and it was still pretty hard to gain length but better than when i went more frequently..

[white.chocolate]

Thanks for all the advice guys, but i probably should have mentioned i got about 2 inches off when i found out the ends were damaged, and went back 3 times after that and got 1 inch off each time, so the damage in my hair is all gone. Also, regarding the dry shampoo, i have looked at my ends in good light, and i do have a few split ends, but very few, and considering its been over 4 weeks since my last cut, my ends are looking in very good condition, almost no splits, which is far better than how many splits i used to get, even in 3 weeks!

Well then, if you say a few, then you could do S&D. :)

[Purdy Bear]

As far as I know the only thing that stops hair growing is damage or illness (ie alopecia) to the actual hair folicle.

In your case I would do an S&D (this means to take a small pair of nail scissors and go find those nasty split ends and cut them off from each hair), however if you have too many it may mean a big trim is needed.

Do be careful with hairdressers, some have a cutting passion and really go mad. They see you in a certain style and arent happy until you have it, wether you wish it or not. One hair dresser cut 8 years worth of growth of my hair (when I had it) and I only wanted an inch taken off.

You dont need a trim every six weeks if your growing, that is only to retain the hair style you currently have. So have regularly 8 week or so trims until youv cut out the damage and then either trim yourself or go back every few months depending what the others say here.

As far as I know the split end will travel up the hair folicle so does need attention. I would also suggest you have a look out of some good threads on here for deep treatments etc to get your hair in the best condition so limits any more splits occuring.