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Well, I told my mother to trim off 1.5 inches from the ends, since they are pretty ratty looking. Well, first snip, and I saw a bunch of 3 inch hairs lying on the ground. :( Thank god I stopped her from continuing. Now I have a bunch of hairs in the back that are shorter than the rest. :( I completely flipped out on her, but I don't know what to do.
Has anyone ever trimmed their own hair? I think I'm going to. Other people are just not to be trusted with my hair.
LOL! How the heck are you going to trust your mom with the scissors!? What should you do? I say you never trust her with a pair of scissors on her hand ever again. Just let your hair grow. It'll certainly even itself out again. Do not feel hopeless and trim it all off just to start over. Leave it alone for now and let it even itself out. Next time, Choose your hairdresser wisely.
Obviously. I learned it the hard way. :P
I know you won't like this answer but Id almost say go to a stylist and have her even it all out now, the spot with 3" off alone is going to look funny heh
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Well it's not a spot, just a couple strands of hair, less than a centimeter in diameter. I stopped her before any real damage was done.
Ahh okay then I thought you meant there was an entire spot hehe.
Don't trim it.
I haven't had a trim in.... geez... 8?... 9 years?...
Just let it grow man... trimming does nothing but beautify hair.
But the part that was cut makes a fairly noticable difference. It looks quite uneven; the right side is clearly longer looking. Maybe I should cut the rest slightly shorter so it looks a bit more even then now?
Hi Nighfall,
Well, I have to agree with you in one way: that trimming DOES indeed, "beautify hair", --- especially if someone just took a large 3 inch chunk of it off!!
I don't agree with you, though, in another way: your advise not to trim I think is a bit unrealistic... At least I know that if it were me, I wouldn't be able to look in a mirror for a long, long time if I had to see that ugly 3 inches of hair gone every day. Part of the joy of having long hair is that I think it looks good to see it nicely flowing uninterrupted until it tapers smoothly and cleanly away; but seeing a large chunk of hair missing day after day is kind of like wearing the same ripped trousers day after day, --- not my idea of knowing I'm, "looking my best!"
- Ken
For some reason, I'm thinking "beautify" here was a word-choice-typo, correct me if I'm wrong, Matthew.
It's what I picked, for lack of a better one. What I should have suggested he do is get the rest of it trimmed to even out the otherwise now uneven length, and then refrain from having anymore trims.
My take on trimming is much the same as pruning a plant. If you cut off the right stems at the right time, you'll get a nice big shrubbery. You'll still have to trim and trim to maintain the artificial form of the shrubbery whether to keep a flat top or to make a giant green "puff".
However, you'll never get the tree. If the plant grows normally, it will become the tall tall tree which has a majesty of its own. Of course, the tree is the tree. It needs little maintenance of form--nature will keep it in tree shape as opposed to the shrubbery which needs constant attention.
Plus, the tree will go through that sapling and small tree stage which is not quite tall and majestic yet.
Of course, the metaphor is lacking in that plants have different growing points and with lopping off some, the plant preferentially uses its "growing power" elsewhere. Chop off the top and it will grow out. Chop off the side growing points and it will grow up.
Actually, new metaphor. This time, grass. Which has the growing point at the bottom. In a nutshell, do you want the perfectly trimmed lawn grass with constant trimming or do you want the majesty of the prairie...elaboration on a new thread coming soon perhaps...
Nice metaphors, especially the tree one :)
Both your examples are really good comparisons, Antesse. They get to the heart of both looking good but in different ways. The action people should take depends on the goal.
Sadly the default, uncut look has been so devalued by society and it has popularly become relegated to unkempt and ranks (along with the attendant split ends) close to dandruff on the shoulders as a social faux pas. Natural things get devalued when people want to prove they can afford what is supposedly better. It reminds me of what my family in Maine relates about the days when lobster were plentiful and the cove was healthier. It used to be merely picking up the seaweed at low tide would expose lobsters and provide enough for a meal. Of course when company was coming they would never be served lobster because that was poor men's food. Instead guests would be given a real treat- chicken bought from the market!
Uncut hair seems to get the same treatment. Funny how something can't be seen valuable if you didn't pay anything for it meanwhile our time obsessed society gives no value to the time it took to grow. Value means only an 'expert' designing a cut just for you that they put on ten other people that day and selling gobs of products and color touch-ups to keep it looking the approved way. Kinda makes you feel you are getting away with something if you can get more satisfaction for free.
Elizabeth
Thats a really interesting view Elizabeth. I ahve grown my hiar out from a buzzcut with no trims whatsover. Its does look very natural and almost 'savage' like, some people deem this as scruffy and unkept, but to me its totally natural and its me!
Cheers Dave
I'm imagining you beside somebody who paid big bucks to have his hair cut, styled, and gooped with products to look just like you. Why do I think the exact same look would be touted on a style show if it cost money yet your hair would be seen as something to be fixed.
Dave, next time somebody comments on your scruffy look disparagingly (if anyone ever does) ask them in mock anger if they know how much you paid to get your look. I'd be interested to hear if somebody then changes their tune assuming your style was intentionally produced. It was after all, just not the expensive way they might conclude.
Elizabeth
And for the most part truer words could not have been spoken. (Especially when it comes to certain mothers. Yikes!)
Well, not all is lost and a valuable lesson learned. From now on let your hair grow around 2 years with no trims, thinning-out,even-ups and nit-picking here or nit-picking there about what you think your hair may be doing wrong just sets you back.
Just grow it out and all will fall into place beautifully. It is much later on way down the road that trims might even wanted to be thought about.
No kidding! I made a horrible mistake in February.
The owner/boss of the office where I work is a very nice lady, and when she got her hair done, she paid her high class hairdresser lady for an appointment for me which I could take at any time. I protested slightly, but she pointed out that it will grow longer if the split ends are trimmed off, etc. So since it was paid for, I went in and told the hairdresser that I like maximum length.
She didn't hear me right, and I lost about 3 inches in places! It looked nice and orderly, and I did get positive comments, but after a day or two, I was bummed to realize how much shorter it was!
Now six months later it has caught up to where it was in February. When the subject came up again, I respectfully declined and basically said that no one will ever touch my hair again, at least with scissors. Anyone's fingers are OK, but no scissors. If it needs trimming, I'll do it myself. I used to cut my hair all the time myself anyway using two mirrors.
I trimmed my own hair for many years (mostly back when it was shorter); but, be VERY careful about doing so, --- it's much easier to make a mistake on one's self than it is cutting another's!
If it were me that just experienced this, I would go to the very best salon in town that I could find, and preferably to a stylist who specialized in long hair (best to get referred to one by a friend you can trust who you know is longhair-supportive); but be prepared to pay considerably more $$$ for this, --- it will be worth it, though!
I know some of the guys here suggested that if you just let your hair be left alone as-is, that over time it will, "even itself out"; but, if the 3 inch chunk of hair that was removed by your mother is extremely noticeable, that advise is far, far, "easier said than done!" Waiting a long long time to have your hair look good to you in the mirror again is something I know i can't do too well myself, --- and so that is why I wrote the above paragraph, advising how to pick out a professional hair stylist you can trust... And if you have ANY doubts whatsoever about the stylist recommended to you in your own town, then cancel the appointment and go instead to a bigger city, where there are more choices. But, again, be parepared to pay the extra money for the better quality, --- and don't forget to tip!!!! There is great truth to the old saying, "You get what you pay for!" Your mother probably didn't charge you a penny for what she did; but, I bet you'll never go back to her "butcher shop" again, either!!
- Ken in San Francisco
I wouldn't say it's extremely noticeable, but now the left side is less dense looking, especially if I put all of my hair to the front.
Oh, sorry. I'm sure that you'll get a trim "quand les poules auront des dents" as we say in France.
But, if it's only a litte spot, don't worry too much. I think hair will grow back faster on this spot, due to the natural balance. Someone has told me that it's the result with bangs and layered cuts...
Bye
Vivien
I think that means "when chickens have teeth". I like that saying.
Yeah, it is ;) I didn't know if the expression exist in english...
No, we would probably say something like "when pigs fly".
My moral would be stick with only you really really trust or seek out a good stylist than comes on a recommendation. In my case I've followed that only get the odd trim every couple of years.
But don't worry I will grow out over time and do keep it growing.
Cheers,
John.B