new thread
So many people say "don't trim your hair until it's done growing". While this is obviously the quickest route to long hair, it's not really the quickest route to long, HEALTHY hair.
I have to say that I don't find long locks with ratty, faded looking ends attractive. What's the big deal about getting a dusting trim every 2 months? You hardly even notice. The last time I got a trim, it felt shorter for what...a week? Then it felt the same as before.
I think a tiny trim every so often is well worth it. I don't think ratty, limp, split-end-ridden hair is the best thing just because it gives you a faster route to long hair. Some people on this site look like they've never seen a hair brush, and never wash their hair, for fear of "damage" and I have to say it's fairly ridiculous. I don't know anyone in the "real world" who doesn't use shampoo. That's just strange.
I'm not trying to offend anyone -- I'm just venting -- I don't want people to hate me.
I agree with someone of what you're saying, but I don't agree with the "Every two month" thing. You must take pretty bad care of your hair if you have unhealthy ends after 2 months...
Not unhealthy, no, I don't get split ends for over 6 months. I CHOOSE to trim my hair because it looks better...
I've been growing my hair for 19 months, and I haven't got any split ends, so I haven't gotten a trim. If you know how to care for your hair, constant trimming isn't necessary.
I'm sorry, I don't find every 6 months constant trimming, and it's ridiculous to take the risk of ratty hair just so that you don't lose a half inch every 6 months. Technically you have forever to grow your hair long and it really doesn't take as long as it seems. I've only been growing 7 months and already its way longer than it has ever been; and I'm happy with it already, being this long. Most of it can be tied back. It's still in an awkward stage but it's not unbearable to the point where I wouldn't keep it trim.
As for the shampoo thing, I still cannot believe there are people who just douse their hair with water and call that enough. For me, that doesn't even wash out the oiliness...it just makes it wet and nothing else!
And obviously a lot of people here do NOT know how to care for their hair, because it looks like a ratty, limp mess on some people. They need to brush it, get a trim and stop being paranoid about damage, if you ask me.
On a side note, we're not lions, why in the world would people call hair a "mane"? It makes long haired people stick out separately from everyone else further if we call hair "manes". It's not...natural to me.
You've only been growing your hair for 7 months? You have a lot to learn about caring for/growing hair. Here is my 19 month update from a few weeks back. I don't think my hair looks like a "ratty, limp mess." I haven't had a trim in 19 months, I shampoo every two to three days, condition daily, and only use my fingers to comb. This routine is what works for me, but different hair types require different care. In my opinion, 7 months of growing does not put you in any position to be giving out hair care advice. Cheers.
http://mlhh.org/messages/176342.html
I wasn't giving out advice, I was explaining that I think some people take the "Grow grow, wash with water, don't trim" bit way too far and extreme. It's only hair, and it should be trimmed and kept up a little, if you ask me.
While I wasn't aware that anyone did ask you I thank you for sharing some pointed dissent with what many here think. Indeed, if keeping up a certain appearance of grooming with regular trims makes you happy then by all means do it. There are many places where attempting to have one's growing hair professionally "neatened" places one at the mercy of scissors-happy stylists who have no qualms about dealing a year's setback. Those who have repeated bad experiences at hair salons might take some umbrage with your assertions which do not reflect any empathy for those to whom a trim is synonymous with involuntary abandonment of long hair.
Aggressively "sharing" your point of view with folks who clearly differ with it is not likely to win you any converts. If you wish to offer advice you might take the time to compose your message in a more palatable manner.
Different people do different things. If it works for them, and it doesn't for you, then let them do it, and do whatever works for you.
-Mihnea
Indeed, the water-only washing is probably for real experts only. Don't try that at home, kids! On the other side, maybe using less shampoo is a good idea.
I'm sure its because of humoristic purposes, even my english/czech dictionary confirms it. We're just bored to write "hair" all the time. On the other side, I really have something like a mane, not these neat, clinging hair usual among longhairs.
to describe long hair.
mane
noun
1. long coarse hair growing from the crest of the animal's neck
2. growth of hair covering the scalp of a human being
"Mane" provides a way to distinguish one's scalp hair from one's facial hair, the "beard". Both together make up one's "hair".
"Mane" is a simple English word but its use is not that common. Some languages have a very common word for the "mane" part of one's hair that everyone uses, but English does not, with most people just calling that their "hair". This causes no confusion, of course, for the majority of people who do not have any facial hair.
My mane and beard all run together, of course, and when I wash my "hair" there is no way I won't be washing both parts of it.
Women will often use the word "hairdo" for their scalp hair, but men, if they don't want to just say "hair", will say "mane".
Bill
It depends on hair type, etc. For example, for a guy that does office work things will be very different than a guy that does construction work in 100 degree heat. Sweat is very hard on my hair and every day in the summer my hair gets soaked in sweat. For me a two month trim may be a good idea. This will remove about 1/4 inch, however my hair will have grown about 1 inch. So, we have 3/4 net growth, with minimal tangles/snags. I should mention that they told me today that if I didn't have bad ends, or tangles then not to worry about a trim, but if I do the amount removed will be insignificant.
Jeffrey.
I think you're right. A trim once in a while is imperative for healthy looking hair. Now, some guys here might be able to get away without trimming, because they have exceptionally good hair that doesn't split, etc, but I can't. To me the whole idea of having long hair is to have "beautiful" hair. Long healthy hair should be beautiful, whether on a man, or a woman.
Jeffrey.
Okay, let's rephrase the original trim time. I got about one half inch taken off after 6 months of growth. To me it looked great afterward with minimal loss. I think a half inch every 6 months is a reasonable trim.
6 months sounds very reasonable in most cases. My hair is fine and is probably more easily damaged than most hair types. I will just have to play it by ear and see how long I can go between trims. Naturally, the fewer the better.
Jeffrey.
I don't know anyone in the "real world" who doesn't use shampoo.
Most people in the "Real world" are not growing long hair
a.
You do have a point there.
Jeffrey.
Despite the fact that hair is just hair for most people, it doesn't mean some people don't take it as a huge thing: I take it like that =)
Anyways, I think it's pretty natural that people try finding out new things about hair, mostly if they are growing it out. It may seem weird to some people, including you, the possibility of not using shampoo, but for most people it looks impossible that I only wash my hair once a week... Most people wash their hair twice a week at most, but they probably don't even know how to relate washing routines to their own type of hair, you know... I know that if my hair is dry, and longer now than ever, I have to let my oils travel down the lenght of my strands to keep them healthy.
With trimming is the same... I agree with you that unhealthy hair is not looking good, but there are poeple who only want lenght, and don't really care about health... Hair health is only about estetics, since hair can't have health, since it's dead materia... Anyways, it's possible not to trim for 2 years without any damage, and I'm a proof of that. I haven't trimmed my hair for the first 2 years of growth, and when I trimmed I did it mostly because my ends were thin because of the layers. Now I haven't trimmed for 6 months, and even my hairdresser says I don't need to trim it yet. So trimming from 2 to 2 months is way too much as well. You can't have any damage on your hair on the next 2 months after a trim, unless you treat your hair very badly. I look at my sister's hair, who hasn't been trimmed for a year now, and it is thick all the way to the tips, and I can't find one single split on her ends! So that regular trim thing is not a true to eveybody's case...
Anyways, most people, even if long haired, don't know how to take proper care of their hair. I know this, because I use to hae many hair conversations with my girl friends, and all of them pile their long hair on their heads for washing... LOL!
I'm proud to be growing my hair and for not needing any trimming... I know my hair is not straight and blunt at the ends, but I prefer reaching my goal and then worrying about the shape of my ends than worrying about things as evening up and so forth before I even get to the ery long haired marks...
But that's just me =P =)
To each his own!!! =D
I just read your other posts on this thread, and you're not acting pretty...
Look, I've seen all the pictures in the directory of users, and I've been collecting long hair pictures for more than 2 years now. Also, I take care of my hair and of my sisters hair (check them out on http://www.littlebirdlonghair.moonfruit.com) and I have to say our hair could not be in better shape, mostly my sister's hair. I also use to advise my friends for hair care, and they always have great results with my advises.
So, obiously, I can tell when a hair is ratty looking, damaged or anything... And I can assure you than most people on this board have got gorgeous heads of hair, trimmed or not trimmed. I don't know how your hair looks, but at 7 months I can assure you that you don't know a thing about managing long hair. You can't imagine how many timed I changed my routine since I was at 7 months.
And I wonder why calling our hair a "mane" could hurt you so much. It's like a private expression of our board so all of us are really proud to use it. You'll like your mane as well when you get to achieve long hair ;) Please try and be more polite to the guys on this board, they're all wonderfull people who only want to suport other guys to grow long hair.
And for the record, LONG hair doesn takes a LOT of time to grow, so trimming is not the way to go if you wanna get there faster. 1 inch from 6 to 6 months may seem to be nothing, but if you think, if you wanted lonhg mid back lengh hair (30 inches measured in LHC method) it would take you 2.5 years to grow without trims. If you'd loose 1 inch from 6 to 6 months for trimming, you'd have 5 inches less in the same amount of time, and that would take you 10 more months to achieve mid back. So, let's supose someone else was growing it's hair for the same amoud of time I did (I've got 30 inches, mid back) but with trims, my hair would be longer for 5 inches, so that person would hae shoulder blades lenght and 10 more months to go before reaching my lenght... Now doesn't 10 months feel like a long time to you? It sure does to me!
I hope you understood what I tried to explain to you. Long hair itself is a matter of personal choice, and so are trims. I just didn't find it right to state that not trimming hair is not the right thing to do... it's up to each one of us to decide what's best. To me, it's best not to trim... You have to respect me. I respect that you have a trim every 2 months, but you have to knwo it's gonna take you a lot more time.
See you around =)
I don't think there is anything wrong with avoiding trims and washing with water only. It actually does work for some people. I personally must shampoo or else my hair will become extremely greasy. As for the trims, I am not sure if they are important for some hair types. I have wavy/curly hair with extremely uneven ends. I don't think trimming will solve anything. Here is a pic so you can see what i mean.
You obviously don't know the difference between your hair and other people's hair. Just because your hair becomes "unhealthy" so quickly doesn't mean everyone else's does. I apologize if that sounds rude, but it's pretty much the same way your post sounds to the rest of us.
What's the big deal? Not everyone needs it. There are women over at the LHC who don't get trims (or have never gotten them) but have lovely hair (this, like your vent, is subjective, but I'm sure you'd agree if you saw some of the heads of hair I'm referring to). And frankly, you're only thinking of people with straight hair. Trims affect curly hair quite differently from straight hair - they make the curls shrink up from lack of weight. On the other hand, curly hair is probably more prone to damage/splits than straight, so trims would be more useful for it, but certainly not so often. And if you don't need the trim, there's no need to get one. It's the same idea of people eating when they're not hungry simply because they can.
If you don't mean to offend people, you shouldn't have said this. And I don't use shampoo because I follow the curlygirl method, which doesn't use shampoo. I don't blindly follow it - I experimented to see what worked best for me, and this is it. You obviously forget that man did not have access to Pantene millenia ago, and you also forget that shampoo is not the only way to clean your scalp. I use a clarifier, which is even stronger than shampoo. My hair is very curly and thus naturally fairly dry; shampoo only worsens it. I thus condition it frequently.
And as to people who only use water, that's even more natural than what I'm doing. I understand your disgust; you probably think it smells or something. Well, people do it and it works for them, so don't knock it until you've tried it. Please do your research first.
How shrewd of you. This message sure fixes everything you just said. Yessiree.
Obviously this thread has spun out of control. I really didn't mean to hurt anyone -- it was just my opinions...
Well, if you desire blunt ends, regular trims are the way to go, if you prefer a less abrupt taper, fairytale ends, so to speak, you can't get there with trims, either not cutting at all, or morely cutting individual damaged/split hairs.
And I could say the inverse, but I don't on a website devoted to people who are trying to grow their hair longer.
See the attached image. I'll admit to faded ends...there are years of high altitude hiking in the fading there..along with associated direct UV damage to the hair...so I have to do regular S&D throughout the length. I also don't use a hair brush (too much damage and shedding). Not washing is pretty rare, but I know a few who use a NW(No Water) routine, with fine results in long hair. Obviously, I am a proponent of WO (Water Only) washing (if it suits you)...which it does for me, most principally in that it keeps my scalp vastly happier than with shampoo/conditioner.
I'll note, that among the very longest haired people of my acquaintance (that is, long compared to me, not you), most do NOT use shampoo in the standard way, either not at all or scalp only...finding other paths to clean and care for their hair.
I think you have succeeded despite your protestations, but I doubt people will hate you...after all, this is a habitually friendly board.
And, um, most people growing their hair out, are going to look to people with longer hair for advice...and what I have learned from my (hair) seniors is that everyone's hair and scalp are different, and you have to find the routine that works for you...no matter how different from others or the norm it may be.
Awesome hair of course, but what I'm really wondering is... where is that magnificent wood carving?
In the Portland Chinese Garden...at an LHC meet.
Portland, OR? I'm sorry but I don't follow this board or the LHC board as often as I used to. When was the meet? I live in Portland as well.
Sorry for the off-topic discussion. :/
New Year's Eve, I think.
When you trim you take the risk that the hair salon might dislike your long hair and take more off than you want. Also if you maintain your hair and not do things like bleach or perm or blow dry, you should not need a trim for a year or more, depending on hair type.
why does it bother you so much that folks here want to avoid trims?if its working for them then good for them(I'm one of those folk btw).and yes,no trims IS the quickest way to HEALTHY hair,for even if you have damaged ends at the and of the road,a good trim will remove all of that.and Presto!!there you have healthy looking hair..
part of the reason we tell folk not to trim,as some here have already pointed out,is because hairdressers are notorious for taking off waay too much.it's hard to find a good stylist,nonetheless they ARE out there somewhere.
some people like the fading ends,and some like thick,even ends.it's a personal preference.I think getting a trim every 2 months is way too much IMO,you'd have to be pretty brutal to your hair if ya need trims every 2 months.
some hair types just fight the comb/brush too much.curly hair is like that.it's better for curly hair to just fingercomb it,otherwise it just frizzes up.
the non-shampoo method works for some people,especially for those with super long hair.again,why does it bother you?it's their hair,not yours.unlike armpits,the scalp won't start smelling if you stop applying shampoo.
This is ridiculous. Nobody needs a trim every two months unless they glue an iron to their hair all the time. Damange can be achieved for 2 months if you treat it very badly but that can be prevented it, right? Also, some people will tell you that if you don't trim your hair it will start falling and you'll go bald?!?! What's that about, I mean, if that's the case then it is meant for all of us to be bald by nature.
Hair deteriorates after time but you can just see for yourself when it's damaged and not. I have a lot of uneven ends but they're not split and if I wnat to even them a bit, which I want, I'll make a minor trim for like half an inch at the end of May but then I'll have passed my 1 year mark.
Shampoo is obligatory for me because grease makes it look like sticks but everyone's hair is different so it may work for some.
PS So I should correct myself and say it's not ridiculous to trim your hair every 2 months if you want to and it is so fragile because everyone's different.
I think that trims should be done like every 6 months when the ankward (how do we spell this word lol) is passed, and the hair is down the shoulders. Trims during this phase only slows down the growth, and are useless.
But it's different for each person...But me too I also think that quality is more important than quantity...
And for the shampoo, I was shampooing every days, but now I shampoo every 3 days and my hair looks a lot better...Again, it's different for each person..
And I also think people are too ''gentle''. I've seen amazing here, but I've also seen very bad hair, and even when it was bad people said it was looking great...I also think that for some people long hair just doesn't fit with their face..But well, it is my opinion...
I got mine trimmed every 12 weeks (I had a standing appointment with my stylist) during the growing period (it got to my waist in just over 3 years). She maybe trimmed 1/8" each time. Like you, I wanted long, healthy, beautiful hair. And I agree that you can't get that with little effort.
Some seem satisfied with just long hair, regardless of how it looks. Personally, I believe these men give the rest of us a negative reputation. But of course, they can wear their hair however they like....but surely they can't think it looks good.
Most women get their hair trimmed while growing it. I believe this is why most women's hair looks nicer than most men's throughout the growing process (and after ;-)