From trimmer to non-trimmer: is it possible?

[luluj]

Before joining here, I would trim my hair 2-3 times a year, and after joining I took on two years of the no trim challenge. The condition of my hair was much better than I thought it was going to be after all that time. Although I did keep up on S&D, so my hemline was definitely fairytailing more and more.

Overall, I gained a ton of length, and my ends were pretty fine. I switched over from regular trims to treating my hair every so often with conditioning treatments, and S&D sessions instead. So I think if you can find something to add to your routine to replace the trims, and if you’re ok with your hemline slowly changing, then you should be just fine with no trimming.

This a very encouraging post, Reyn127, thank-you.

[luluj]

I like to have a neat hemline, it's pretty important to me. Plus I'm worried by people reporting that they hair has suffered so much damage during no-trim periods that they had to cut off a lot more than they grew. Some hairtypes seem to do better with fairly regular trims, and since my whole journey has been a story of trimming stuff out (or having length I don't mind cutting off), I'm a bit scared about going the no trim route

I feel the same way, LadyCelestina, a neat hemline is pretty important to me, too.

Going the no trim route is something I am willing to try, wish me luck.

[gingerninja]

Before joining i always had my hair cut once a year but i had much larger amounts cut off sometimes up to 5 inches due to the damage.

Now that i take much better care of my hair i haven't trimmed in 18 months and my taper has slowly been growing down with no noticeable damage.

[Lady Stardust]

I’ve been stretching my trims, slightly, over the last couple of years. I started with a pixie cut and had trims every 6 weeks, and found it incredibly hard to wait 12 weeks when I started to grow it longer. I had thin ends due to postpartum shed and the pixie layers combined, and I settled on trimming every 12 weeks so that I could thicken the ends up but carry on growing.

The last inch or so is still a bit thinner but I’m not too worried about it, so I am stretching my trims a little further, to once every four months. I prefer to only have half an inch cut at a time, because then it feels like I’m always moving forwards (or downwards!)

I might stretch the trims further in the future but it depends on how my ends look. When I was a teen I sometimes went six months or a year between hair cuts. Each time I went a whole year my ends would be see through, and this was only going between chin length and shoulder length. It’s obviously different for everyone, but for me, my ends do better when there’s strength in numbers. My hair isn’t very thick either so I would get discouraged if the ends were too thin. I expect that people with thick hair might have a little more leeway.

I think the important thing is to be mindful of how much you are happy to trim in one go, and then keep an eye on your ends to see when the time is right. For instance, if I only want to trim half an inch, I might be happy with 1.5 inches of thinner ends because I know that they’ll be trimmed out over the space of a year. Even then, if it feels and looks like the ends need trimming, clarify and baby the ends and see if that makes a difference.

Setting a target or six months or a year (or more) no trims wouldn’t work for me, but there’s nothing to say that I won’t eventually go as long as that between trims. It all depends on how the ends look, feel and behave. I would rather enjoy the journey and be happy with my ends than race to gain more length.

luluj I agree that deep conditioning or otherwise doing something nice for your hair can help if you have the urge to do something for your hair

[spidermom]

I was going to grow without trimming until waist length, but then I felt I was seeing too many split ends and hitting snags while combing, so I booked with my hair stylist. She told me "I know you think you have a lot of split ends and snaggy hair, but really, you're pretty low on the damage curve." I'm just too damn picky when it comes to my ends! I see problems where none exist! This is funny because when I've tried a hair color that I didn't want to maintain, I've just let it grow out, not in the least bit bothered by the two-toned look.

Anyway, what this boils down to, I guess, is "you do you." You can make a plan, but sometimes plans are made to be changed.

[luluj]

It all depends on how the ends look, feel and behave. I would rather enjoy the journey and be happy with my ends than race to gain more length.

luluj I agree that deep conditioning or otherwise doing something nice for your hair can help if you have the urge to do something for your hair

Hi, Lady Stardust.

I feel much the same way as you do, enjoy the journey, but enjoy it with happy, well maintained ends. We have to do what works best for us, personally, when it comes to hair care. What I have decided to do is go without trimming until December 2019. My ends are very healthy right now, so I should be able to do this while keeping my ends in good shape.

Yes, doing a nice conditioning treatment is the best!

[Lady Stardust]

Hi, Lady Stardust.

I feel much the same way as you do, enjoy the journey, but enjoy it with happy, well maintained ends. We have to do what works best for us, personally, when it comes to hair care. What I have decided to do is go without trimming until December 2019. My ends are very healthy right now, so I should be able to do this while keeping my ends in good shape.

Yes, doing a nice conditioning treatment is the best!

That sounds like a good plan

[luluj]

That sounds like a good plan

Thanks, Lady Stardust. It feels good to have a plan, now I have to baby the ends and keep my hair up as much as possible. As much as I love an updo, I wear my hair down a lot. This is something that I will focus on....anything to get to APL, lol!

[luluj]

Anyway, what this boils down to, I guess, is "you do you." You can make a plan, but sometimes plans are made to be changed.

Yes, this is very true, indeed.

[Corvana]

Funnily enough, after joining LHC I trim more often than I ever used to. I used to ignore my hair until it was "too long" (like BSL/MBL), then cut to shoulder or even mid-neck. The journey from SL to MBL is ~two years?

But now I trim once a year! I could probably continue not trimming for even longer, but I sort of like to start the year with a little trim!