"Trimming every 6 weeks will make your hair grow faster"

[gogirlanime]

How valid is this? I was arguing with a co-worker about this and she said, "trim your hair every 6 weeks to make it grow faster and better" I know there is some truth to this if your hair is damaged not trimming it will risk your virgin hair to grow weaker and damaged because the damage can travel up

I've always believed, "and inch cut is an inch lost" so if you get the average 6" a year and trim it (probably at a salon since she isn't a LHC-er) at 1/2" every 6 weeks your hair will only have gained 1 1/2" at the end of the year where as if you don't you gain 6" is she right about anything?

Lets say you have super healthy hair and are trying to grow it super long is trimming it 1/2" every 6 weeks right or should you trim only a few times a year. I know results vary but over all is she more right or am I?

P.S. lets take moon trimming out of this she doesn't know about that.

[Tuna]

When I trimmed my hair, they didn't grow. I was always around shoulder lenght... and then suddenly, I stopped going to hairdresser. My hair is butt lenght now (only 2,5 years later). I recomend search and destroy method to keep your hair long and healthy at the same time! But you have to have good scissors.

Btw, It's not true. Hair don't know how long it is.... cutting them won't make them grow faster. Growth depends on chemicals proceses in your body. Your hair is dead product.

[MissHair]

I still dont understand how trimming each 6 weeks would make hair grow in a faster rate. Technically when you go to a salon they will trim an inch or two. So if your hair only grows half an inch per month, how would that increase the growth lenght?

[nobeltonya]

The benefits of frequent trims are to remove breakage, splits, even up the hemline, etc. If you OVER trim your hair, then it'll take a lot longer to get to your goal. But it doesn't speed up or slow down growth, as that's at the roots.. it just keeps the ends neat. :) And when you can trim your own hair, you have a lot more control over how much is trimmed off at a time. Stop going to the salon, unless you trust them dearly. ;)

[Amber_Maiden]

It doesn't make your hair grow faster, it just removes damage.

[jacqueline101]

Trims remove damage and breakage.

[spidermom]

You know what? We just plain don't know whether that is true or not. You may believe one thing or another, but belief does not equal truth.

An LHCer (who isn't active anymore) and her husband did a study of her hair. He measured it every single week, and without exception her growth rate was always a little faster the week immediately following a trim.

Without a comprehensive scientific study along those lines (and I do not believe that one has been done), there's no way to know.

[Macaroni]

She's wrong, you're right.

[lapushka]

I don't think it's going to grow much if you do trim every 6 weeks. That may very well be necessary for hair that gets bleached, dyed, or heat styled a lot, but for normal virgin hair that's taken care of the LHC way, I don't think it's necessary to trim that much.

[auburntressed]

Even if it does grow faster, trimming too often could cause one to lose all of the "extra" growth to the cut that was gained from the last trim.

[Khiwanean]

Given the way she worded it, she's dead wrong. Trimming doesn't affect growth at all. The point of trimming is to prevent the loss of length due to damage. You could end up losing overall length if your hair is damaged enough that it is breaking off faster than it grows, but it will still grow out of your head the same way it always does. more overall length =/= faster growth Trimming off healthy ends will lose you length just as damaged ends breaking off will. Best practice is to get small trims on an as-needed basis.

[Maiken]

Nothing done to the strands o the hair will make them grow faster. Hair is death.
I only go for a trim every 8-10 months, and my hair looks pretty good most of that time.

[Chetanlaiho]

Trimming 'regularly' (4 times a year) just got me stuck at BSL for a long time :rolleyes:

[writer_mom]

I have to ask this (no offense intended) but why do people think hair is grass? this rule is mostly true for grass, not hair. *shakes head* does anyone know where this originated from?

I know trimming helps with split ends, but that is about it.

[Gladtobemom]

Pphhht!

NOTHING you do to the ends of the hair will actually have any effect on the "growth rate" of your hair. A trim can take off damage and if it takes off a split, it could stop the split spreading . . . but this doesn't affect how fast your hair grows at your scalp.

Each follicle has a cycle.
New hair grows, has a "pointy fine" terminal to start.
Hair grows at a rate and gets to its nominal thickness.
Hair speeds up and slows down based on the health and nutrients available to the follicle.
Hair goes dormant and "sits" in the follicle.
Hair falls out.

With minor variations, that's it.

If you cut your hair all at one length, some of those hairs at the hemline are "older" slower or dormant, some of them are newer. That's why it grows unevenly. Some follicles seem to have a longer life cycle, some seem to go "almost" dormant and restart growing. Those newer hairs will always grow faster. When you trim, then some of the newer ones are now closer to the hemline.

Really, best practice for growing hair is:

Protect your hair from mechanical damage, especially the ends.
Eat well and stay healthy.
Minimize breakage and prematurely pulling out of hairs.
Gently remove shed hairs so that they don't knot with growing hair and pill them out.

"Benign neglect" seems to be the fastest way to grow hair.
Don't over scrub or over manipulate, either spread the natural oils through gently or add oil, and wear hair in styles that protect the ends and minimize mechanical damage.
If you see splits ore nasty blasted apart hairs that have those white dots, trim them perpendicular to the shaft to minimize future splits.

Then just wait.

[Shermie Girl]

Trimming your hair every six weeks won't make it grow faster. Hair grows as fast as it grows based on genetics, not how often you cut it. I would love to know who started this widespread myth turned hair wisdom. It's crazy. :rolleyes:

[QMacrocarpa]

Overall, you are more right. Years ago a work acquaintance asked me how my hair was so long (it wasn't particularly long, maybe BSL at most, and I wasn't doing anything to it except not getting it cut). She was trying to grow hers out, but was following the recommendation to get regular trims, and she wasn't seeing any growth as she lost it all to the trims. Her hair was about the same length (barely shoulder) for the year we worked together.

Now, I have had my split-prone hair break off as fast as it grows, so for me, occasional, small, as-needed trims to control damage and reduce breakage are indeed important if I want my hair to get longer, but once- or twice-a-year tiny self-trims (http://feyeselftrim.livejournal.com/) are enough.

I pretty much agree with the remarks on frequent trims here (http://www.prismnet.com/~cortese/hair/index.html#trims).

[proo]

Well ain't this the volatile subject!
When I microdust my ends once a week they instantly feel smoother, stronger and healthier;
the sebum spreads more easily, my whole mane feels thicker, and looks better too - immediately.
These feeling pervade all aspects of my life - I feel healthier and glossier.
My body responds, skin glows, hair grows.

I've got a personal challenge going, 2" in 2 months that's coming due May 15;
I'll let y'all know how it turns out, despite the weekly trims.

[LaurelSpring]

I started doing monthly microtrim dustings (just a tiny bit of the tips, probably less than 1/4") and my hair grows much faster now. I cant explain it, it just works.

[gogirlanime]

I'm glad cuz she was making me mad lol. So it sounds like no regular-length trims every 6 weeks won't do much but get rid of damage BUT micro trims very small trims seem to work for some. Either way she was incorrect 1/2" to 1" trims every 6 weeks is just going to result in no extra length or shorter hair.

BTW: I think this myth came along so hair dressers would get their clients to come back more often for more $$$

[florenonite]

I have to ask this (no offense intended) but why do people think hair is grass? this rule is mostly true for grass, not hair. *shakes head* does anyone know where this originated from?

I assumed it was a lie told by parents tired of dealing with their young daughters' princess hair. However, given the number of adult women who believe it, I'm not sure that's the case.

I think the 'trim every 6-8 weeks to make your hair grow' comes from a misinterpretation of the advice to go to the hairdresser every 6-8 weeks. If you're maintaining a style, particularly a short one, you need to get it trimmed about that often, because 1.5-2" difference in a pixie or bob is a lot. Somewhere along the line, I think, that became interpreted as 'trim every 6-8 weeks for hair health', and then, because healthy hair, in theory, grows faster than unhealthy hair (when all other things like a person's health and genetics are controlled for), 'trim every 6-8 weeks to grow your hair'.

I think this idea is also corroborated by the fact that damaged hair doesn't show growth as much as undamaged hair, so people appear to have a growth spurt after getting a trim because there's less breakage.

There's a recent discussion on whether or not trimming can make hair grow faster and how to test it in this (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=92680) thread. To summarise, the scientific understanding we currently have of hair suggests that, no, trimming can't make hair grow because it's dead, but because no one has ever conducted an experiment specifically assessing whether or not trimming makes hair grow we can't know for certain.

[gogirlanime]

I assumed it was a lie told by parents tired of dealing with their young daughters' princess hair. However, given the number of adult women who believe it, I'm not sure that's the case.

I think the 'trim every 6-8 weeks to make your hair grow' comes from a misinterpretation of the advice to go to the hairdresser every 6-8 weeks. If you're maintaining a style, particularly a short one, you need to get it trimmed about that often, because 1.5-2" difference in a pixie or bob is a lot. Somewhere along the line, I think, that became interpreted as 'trim every 6-8 weeks for hair health', and then, because healthy hair, in theory, grows faster than unhealthy hair (when all other things like a person's health and genetics are controlled for), 'trim every 6-8 weeks to grow your hair'.

I think this idea is also corroborated by the fact that damaged hair doesn't show growth as much as undamaged hair, so people appear to have a growth spurt after getting a trim because there's less breakage.

There's a recent discussion on whether or not trimming can make hair grow faster and how to test it in this (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=92680) thread. To summarise, the scientific understanding we currently have of hair suggests that, no, trimming can't make hair grow because it's dead, but because no one has ever conducted an experiment specifically assessing whether or not trimming makes hair grow we can't know for certain.

Such a great explanation it makes sense to me thank you :)

[spidermom]

It does seem obvious that unless you have a very fast growth rate, 1/2-1" trimmed every 6 weeks is going to maintain your length if not shorten it over time, definitely not allow it to grow longer.

[lunalocks]

Some people can get away with not trimming at all and having healthy hair. I cannot. I either have to trim 1/4 every 6 to 8 weeks, or go longer and have to trim more. I love my hair after a trim. Even 1/4 inch off evens it up (I also S and D) and makes it feel thicker overall. If I never trimmed my hair, it would look horrible all of the time.

[lolot]

is good when you are removing the damage that is causing breakage
at one time of my life my hair was very damaged i didnt trimmed it at all for 2 years, i wanted it long but it "didnt" grew until i get a haircut and after that to waist - hip, during those 2 years my hair was breaking because i wasnt taking care of it, with trims i would have save a lot of time

[Bedhead]

Strange, I was taught every 3 months for long hair, 6 weeks for maintaining a specific style that's cut into the hair (otherwise it looks wonky) i.e. really short or bob.

Anyway.... There's trimming and then there's cutting. To me a trim is 3/4 of an inch and less. A cut is any more than that (my personal opinion). I agree with many here, unless your dusting/micro-trimming or happen to grow an inch a month, for the most part, all you're doing is dealing with damage. Of course we need to take into consideration the differing ways people's hair grow; some people have plateaus and sprouts in their growth, others have a consistent growth throughout the year. I'm suspecting the former would notice moreso if their hair grows more after a trim, and this makes me question just what is it that makes them have these variances in their hair growth? Perhaps a trim does send some sort of stimulating message to the follicles? Again, I'm just hypothesizing here. I know for myself, I notice no such change, but I have a consistent hair growth, no matter what the circumstances.

[Sunny_side_up]

Peoples bodies react differently to various things, my trims have been quite large in the last couple years and i have pretty much no growth progress to show:rolleyes: In my teens i went from shoulder to passing BSL without paying my hair any attention. I used a horrid brush, wore it up in a double pony all the time and typically blow dried. Got fed up with the length and had my mum cut it back to shoulder!
Maybe regular dusting help those ends feel fresh and tangle free, more often, resulting in pleasurable brushing/combing, breakage and damage is kept under control and the longest lengths are 'healthier' thanks to this maintenance? My hair type definately does well with mini trims, in the summer i get faster growth in general- sunshine vit and good circulation, though thinking about it thats when i have the most regular trims to keep the suns drying effects under control! Who's to know.I suddenly have the urge for a micro trim!:p

[Stagecoach]

You know what? We just plain don't know whether that is true or not. You may believe one thing or another, but belief does not equal truth.

An LHCer (who isn't active anymore) and her husband did a study of her hair. He measured it every single week, and without exception her growth rate was always a little faster the week immediately following a trim.

Without a comprehensive scientific study along those lines (and I do not believe that one has been done), there's no way to know.

I tend to agree. As much as my brain says it's crazy, my hair seems to grow faster shortly after trims.

In the past 2 months I've started micro trimming to maintain at the current length I've been at for nearly 3 years. Since I started, I've had to trim 4 times already, or about 1.5 inches off. Before, I'd trim about 3" off per year, so do the math.