When it comes to black hair, trimming usually equals drama.
I remember avoiding certain hair stylists in salons because they were known to be scissor happy and always cut too much hair off. I also recall seeing ladies refusing to trim off extremely thin ends.
In this blog post I will discuss why hair needs to be trimmed, common myths about trimming and my personal approach and advice on trimming.
The first thing I want to set out is that if you trim off more hair than you grow, over time your hair will get shorter and shorter. However damaged ends should be removed for hair to thrive. A balance between these opposite positions must be achieved for success on a hair journey.
WHY HAIR NEEDS TO BE TRIMMED
Trimming is the only real solution to damaged and split ends.
Products that claim to repair damaged /split ends can only seal and strengthen the ends temporarily. The fact is that damaged hair cannot be repaired and will eventually break off. It is better to remove/trim off damaged ends because healthy ends look better. More importantly, healthy ends are better able to resist breakage and tangle less which helps with retaining hair. Remember that retention (minimising breakage and damage) is the key to long hair.
COMMON MYTHS ABOUT TRIMMING
1) In my opinion, the number one myth about trimming is that it makes hair grow longer. This is not true. As I mentioned above trimming off damaged/split ends helps with retention.
Trimming helps with hair retention in two ways:
a)Split ends can latch on to each other which causes tangles. Tangles can easily lead to breakage. More split equals more tangles and breakage. Less split ends will result in less tangles and breakage.
b) There is strength in numbers, when all ends are neat and roughly at the same level it can withstand wear and tear and will resist breakage better. For example, it is very easy to break one or ten spaghetti sticks; it would be more of a challenge to break 1000 spaghetti sticks. So when creating styles or handling your hair, the fuller and healthier your ends are, the better they will at withstanding tension and pulling in comparison to thin weak ends.
For these reasons people tend to see progress in their hair retention and length when they trim off damaged hair. It is not the trim itself that causes the hair to thrive; it is simply that they have removed damaged ends thereby reducing the risk of breakage.
2) A second myth is that black hair must be trimmed every —– weeks to thrive. Some say it’s every 6 weeks, others say it’s every 8 weeks.
I believe that black hair should be trimmed when it needs to be trimmed. It should not be trimmed solely because a certain number of weeks has passed. If a lady has perfectly healthy ends, trimming it just because 8 weeks has passed will not make her hair grow longer. Her hair isn’t just going to fall apart because she did not trim it at 8 weeks. I will expand on this in the section below.
MY APPROACH TO TRIMING
Sorry for the picture quality.
The picture on the left was taken 6 months into my hair journey, you can see how bad my ends were.
The picture on the right was taken almost a year and half into my hair journey.
It took me that long to sort my ends out.
It is not my intention to change how you trim your hair. I simply want to share my view and method on trimming.
For the first year and half of my hair journey, I trimmed often because my hair was badly damaged. To be honest my hair needed a cut not a trim but I just couldn’t cut off that much hair in one go. So I trimmed one inch off every 8 weeks because my ends were damaged. This adds up to 6 inches a year.
When my hair had improved and was thicker and healthier, I made sure my ends were well taken care of and kept in protective styles. This way, I reduced the risk of new split ends forming and minimised damage.
The effect of this was that I could reduce how often and how much hair I trimmed. I began assessing my ends regularly and trimmed when I felt it was necessary. During this period, I was trimming about 2.5 inches a year.
Currently I trim my hair 2 or 3 times a year based on what my hair needs. I am trimming roughly 4 inches a year because I have reached my goal length and I want to remove ends which are naturally thin from age.
My advice for ladies who want to maximise hair growth is that if you have just begun your hair journey, cut off split and damaged ends. As you progress on your hair journey you should see an improvement in your hair. You should then monitor your ends and trim them when they need trimming.
But please don’t lie to yourself; if your ends are damaged and split, don’t hang on to it. If you can’t stomach trimming a lot of hair in on go, trim it gradually.
If you go to a salon for trimming do not be scared to stand your ground on how often and how much hair you want to trim.
I hope you have found this post useful.
Are you scared of trimming your hair? How often do you trim your hair currently and what are your methods? I would love to hear your stories and views on trimming.
In the next blog post, I finally discuss the art of stretching. I hope you’ll be back soon.
X
Lade
Learn | Change | Grow
