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Hey there fellows!
You know... in three months my ends will be 2 years old... this is a lot of time, more than I ever tought I could go without cutting my hair... It's funny to know that now I'm never planning to cut again =) Either ways, my ends have problems... They are really really thin (I mean, my ends almost have no hair at all, because of the layering and shedding of the last 21 months)and they are probably causing a little or much damage to my hair... I truely think that a trim somewhat is part of caring of long hair, because I would really prefer to have 1 to 2 centimeters cut off of my hair than breaking 3 centimeters off of it by combing through the knots this fine ends do. Also, yesterday I tried doing a serach and destroy for splits and I did find some that could also go... I actually cutted them above the split but I can't do that all aroung my hair yet, and it wouldn't solve my problem... I'm actually thinking of waiting untill my 2nd year mark and having a trim with my ever trusted style, who has been kind of suporting me to wear my hair as I like it. I just wanted to know your opinion =P I've been having the biggest urge to trim my ends for a long time, but due to lenght problems I never went for one. But now I really think my hair is long already and I don't think loosing some lenght from really thin and broken ends wouldn only make my hair healthier. Thin ends are really fragile, and they are really dry, but I have one inch or so of thin ends, and I don't want to loose and inch so I might go for a half inch taken off and maybe in another two years I'll just take the rest of the layers off, gradually... I don't really know, but I wanted to get a bit of the thin ends taken off, so I would have softer ends, like my sister has now. Actually, her hair was nearing waist when she trimmed it and now it's past her waist, so it grew a little faster (don't ask me why it would)... But my ends don't look like long hair ends... they look like a spiked-dog =S I'm not really sure what to ask the hairdresser anyways... I don't want to loose lenght, only the thin ends, but I've got thin ends on the upper layers as well, that stick out and turn things really awkward... but I might leave them because I don't want to keep the layers anyways... What do you think?? I know that most people here don't agree with trimming hair while it's growing, but when it's got to be, it's got to be... My ends already survived to two years of beach, salty water, sun, shampooing... maybe it's time for them to go =( Besides, this same ends were already short hair, and they had gel on them, and harsh hair treatment, before I decieded to grow it out... they also had a lot of blowdrying, which I'm not planing to do again... Oh well... My only problem is that my hair could loose some of it's moves like staying in the front of my shoulders, or geting this closer to a braid, but I do think I might be needing a trim...
So... what do you guys think? (I also have to know I'm against trims, as long as hair doesn't need them...)
Hi João, unless you are getting a lot of tangles due to damage, you may just want to let it grow a bit longer for now.
Absalom
Hi João,
I wouldn't go for a trim, because, if you ask for a trim now, your hair will end up getting cut in layers, and it will possibly look a lot less full and thick.
Rather I'd use a bit of "anti-frizz" gel, a clear oily fluid mainly consisting of dimethicone and cyclomethicone. Whenever your ends stick out, I'd spread some of that fluid in my palms and wipe it over the hair wherever the spikey ends are.
That way you should be able to avoid trims for quite a while.
Good luck,
Hans-Uwe
It took me 3.5 years to reach waistlength, and that was with trims every 8 weeks. A trim does not need to be .5 inches. It can be 1/8 inch, if you have a good stylist.
The longer you wait, the longer the split-ends will be (then the more you'll have to cut off.)
You'll love the look of your hair much better with a just the smallest of trims!
3.5 years only to reach your waist? From short hair? That's crazy; I've been growing mine for a similar amount of time and it hasn't even reached mid-back.
Hey Joao
I have quite a few ends that are such as yours, and they are starting to get near the 4 year mark. All blend together as a whole however and are giving me no problems and don't bother me.
"If" you were to have them removed by a very trusted stylist, at your stage it would only be a set-back of a couple of months.
But before that, 2 suggestions just in case:
1.) Always begin by Finger Combing. If you hit a knot or snag it doesn't take long to free it. "If" you are hitting very many combing in this mannor and it is taking far too long, I would be suspicious of Split Ends which of course would need to go as they are destructive.
2.) Perhaps instead of a trim everywhere, only have your hair targeted for Split Ends and thin ends?
Well, for whatever it is worth. Your long hair is just so outstanding and I surely understand you not wanting to lose length as well as wanting it to continue to grow much longer.
In the end, if you just can't rest because of the thin ends I would say (because you have arrived now so far) have the trim. The ends will now be no longer so fragile and it will take you so little time to regain your present length. "If" the thin ends are not cut entirely to the larger diameter, you will still be looking at thin ends. Sometimes I think Thin Ends on long hair are just a normal thing and will just wear-out on their own as one goes along.
One thing I wouldn't do however is have anything else messed around with. ie: Thinning, Layering, Even-up of all etc.
Good luck with your decision. Whew.........at least you have gotten through the most difficult stages. From now on you will find compared to before that having really long hair is a breeze. I am most sure you will love it the longer it gets.
All the best -
Justin~
