trim...how often??

Hi Mitch,

Your routine sounds ok. I've seen similar.
Thanks for sharing all that info. That does help.
I would say let it grow for about 3-6 months and see how it looks. In the meantime you can get rid of any splits you find.

It will be up to you whether or not you want your hemline to look perfectly trimmed all the time. Some people want that neatly trimmed look while others want a more natural grown out look. And some want it to be somewhere in the middle.

One factor in this is whether you have a stylist you can trust to only take off the minimum amount. Make sure you specify the amount. If you only want 1/4 inch tell them that you mean 1/4 inch and not 1/4 to 1/2. Don't just say trim because some stylists don't understand that a trim means the minimum. Some hear trim and think cut the hair to the best looking hair. Which is like what you just got. Don't be afraid to bring a friend to watch them or bring a ruler and ask to be shown the hair from the first snip. That first snip, usually done in the back, is the guideline cut. If the stylist cuts 1/4 inch the rest should be 1/4. If they cut 2 inches the rest will be 2 inches. You can also measure your hair before and after. Most of us measure from the forehead back to the hemline. Because it's easier to keep a consistant starting point.

Ask for them to section your hair. I say this because then they will start in the back and the outer hair will be pinned up. They will make the first cut on hair closer to the neck and when the other hair gets unpinned it will cover that hair. So if they make a mistake on that first cut you can tell them that's too short and the outer hair will hide that little spot.

Thanks for the compliments. :)



Edited by PurpleBubba

One of the things that you can do is snip your own split ends. This means that you go through your hair and search for hairs that have splits anywhere on them. Some splits are not by the ends.
When you see something that looks like some sort of Y shape snip that hair just above it. Be sure to use sharp scissors. Hair scissors are best but many people use sewing scissors. Just be sure that the scissors you use are only used on hair so that they don't get dull. Trimming a split off with dull scissors is defeating the purpose because  it's like tearing through the hair instead of a clean slice.
Avoid razor cuts because those also tear the hair.

You don't have to do the whole head at one time. If you need more help I've written some articles on my homepages

~~ How Often To Trim & Self Split End Trimming ~~
~~ For Maintaining Your Hair Ends Yourself ~~
http://www.angelfire.com/mi/bbubba/LHC/Trim.html

~~ Scissor Information, How To Choose A Good Pair ~~
http://www.angelfire.com/mi/bbubba/LHC/Scissors.html

There's a link to a page by Feye on my site for self trimming. Her page is currently down but if you go over to the Long Hair Support board there should be a thread where you can find a link to a temporary similar page by Anais Satin.

I trim my own hair using Feye's method so I decide for myself when i want to trim. My plan for this year is to do about half an inch every 3 months but I'm also far along on my growing out and not in a hurry.

Some people trim once per year, some twice, some once every other year. It all depends on the individual and their situation.




Edited by PurpleBubba

I think that's way too soon if you're wanting to grow it long again. Go read the posts in the long hair section. I hear them all saying they're NOT getting cuts/trims at all! If your hair is healthy I don't think you need to trim at all. Just go once a year if you want ... just go whenever you want to! Twice a year -- whatever. There are no rules. Forget your stylist -- she gave you that look because you're her bread and butter ($$$)!