Prickly ends? When to trim?

[hmmm]

Since I gave up the whole 'trim every 8 weeks' routine this has been a mild concern, because usually when my ends reach this point I reach for the scissors. I don't have damage on my ends, and they feel fine when I touch them with my fingers, but sometimes they feel prickly on my skin. What is this about? Are they dry? If they're dry why don't they feel different from the rest of my hair?
How do you know when you need a trim? Do you do it once every so many months or do you wait until your ends get noticeably bad?

Thanks for being patient with a hair-newbie.

[Arctic]

It might be just build-up. If a clarifying shampoo (followed by deep treatment) doesn't help, then you might look into your products, if they have proteins in them. Some hair gets like that when it has had too much proteins. If that's the case, remove all the protein-y products from your usage for now and only use moisturizing products. Your hair should be back to normal after few week, more or less depending on many things.

[Spring]

Maybe it's the type of conditioner you're using perhaps?? My memory is a little fuzzy, but at one time my hair had this reaction to something I was using, I just can't remember what I was using to cause that right now. I may have been using conditioners with a lot of cones... I'm not sure though.

Thanks Arctic, I think it was Infusium 23 Repairology ( I do like it occassionally still )

[embee]

If your hair is neck length, I'd guess it is the length - the ends of the hairs are right against your skin. I don't know if you have wavy hair, it looks like it from the avatar. That might make it worse.

You could try wearing something around your neck for a while, a light scarf? Or put your hair up with a claw clip and get it off your neck.

[Anje]

As others have said, it could be buildup or protein. Incidentally, the Infusium Repairology gives me funny, tangly ends too, but I think that's because it has a bunch of amino acids in it (and even if these are single amino acids, I wouldn't be surprised if hair reacts similarly to them as to protein).

I actually tend to notice prickly ends a lot more when they're freshly cut (particularly when my hair was shorter and brushed my arms more). Proteinless moisture might help you, but I generally wouldn't worry about it too much. Sharp, healthy ends can poke sometimes.

[juliaxena]

Maybe your hair grows at different rates like mine so some ends stand out a little making your skin itch...

[Clarisse]

Freshly cut, sharp and healthy ends can prickle. I would see it as a good sign. When growing out shorter hair, waiting till you reach a certain goal (APL, for instance) and then chopping of an inch or two, is a good tactic, according to m opinion. Shorter hair is usually a lot healthier too, as it is very "young". When hair gets longer, the ends gets older and they need more frequent trims, unless your wear your hair up all the time. I trim my and my mother's hair 1 cm once every 3 months. It makes me gain about 8-11 cm of healthy length a year. My mother gains 6-8 cm of length a year.

I wouldn't grab for the scissors in just 8 weeks, if I were you.

[piratejenny23]

hi, i have had very prickly ends for a long time. i could feel them through my shirt; a braid or ponytail would itch all the way down my neck & spine; i kept my hair in a bun most of the time because my hair did not feel soft; and past boyfriends have grumpily demanded that i move my hair if it was touching their arm or shoulder...sigh...and i thought i was being sexy...

a few nights ago i tried a mayonnaise and fresh egg mixture with a little molasses and avocado oil; i applied it only to my ends because i've read of people's hair having bad reactions to protein. however, my hair loved it, and is so soft! i keep rubbing the ends on my face, thinking it won't last, but it feels like a wonderful makeup brush!

(i started a thread on this when i first did it; sorry if it seems obnoxious to repeat myself here, but i don't remember my hair EVER not prickling me, even as a child).

your prickles may be caused by a different reason, or may not have the same result as me, but maybe give it a try on a small section?

[spidermom]

Freshly cut ends feel the prickliest to me, so don't cut them.

[Teacherbear]

When my ends feel prickly (or like little cacti) it means I've put too much protein on my hair. My hair hate protein (and oils, and 'cones, and, and, and). When that happens, I go back to my normal routine (CO, CWC, or CWCC) and wait for my ends to soften back up.