Is trimming really necessary for growth?

[HairHustla]

Hi Ladies,

I am struggling with this issue of trimming. I know there are some stone cold believers in periodical trimming and there are some who would never allow scissors to touch their hair. I normally do not trim but I am desparate to get some real hard core growth going. I am natural and have been for one year now and I do see a moderate amount of growth but a lot of shrinkage as well. My hair looks like a Florida Evans length fro until I flat iron, then it stretches all the way out to almost shoulder length, how can this be? What are your suggestions about trimming? I am trying to be natural without the BC or big cut although I did cut off 3 inches at the start of my journey. Help a sista out and let me know if I should go Edward Scissorhands on my hair a little more often, and why my hair goes from little bitty fro to the "soul glow" hair length when straight.

Thank you boo boo's!

 

[MizAvalon]

Trimming has nothing to do with your growth rate. Your hair looks short when it's unstraightened because of shrinkage. I would suggest concentrating on protecting and retaining your ends. That is what will help your hair get longer.

 

[HairHustla]

Trimming has nothing to do with your growth rate. Your hair looks short when it's unstraightened because of shrinkage. I would suggest concentrating on protecting and retaining your ends. That is what will help your hair get longer.

Thanks for replying, I have heard people say that trimming stimulates the hair into growing, kind of like when you cut the grass or shave it grows back even more so that's why I was thinking of trimming. Do you trim your hair?

 

[HairHustla]

bumping for more information

 

[Dommo]

For growth, no, but for length retention, yes....But if your ends are well cared for, then you wont have to trim as often, but if you have splits and refuse to trim those ends off; they will split up the hair shaft and eventually you'll have to cut off more than you would have....

 

[HairHustla]

For growth, no, but for length retention, yes....But if your ends are well cared for, then you wont have to trim as often, but if you have splits and refuse to trim those ends off; they will split up the hair shaft and eventually you'll have to cut off more than you would have....

Thanks for replying, it is hard for me to tell if my ends are split, I have a no heat regimen and my hair is very curly down to the ends but they don't feel rough, is that a good sign?

 

[onejamifan]

Have not had a trim since Dec '07 and hair is still growing. I think trimming has to do with hair health and appearance rather than growth. If you want your ends to always look neat and even, you would probably trim frequently, or if you want to get rid of damaged/dry ends...JMO.

 

[mscocoface]

I have not had a trim in years. I do a little dusting once in a while and I have length and healthy ends.

I make it a point to keep my ends moisturized and some type of oil on them even when I am in braids or twists with hair extensions. Where my hair ends in the twist I make sure it has been spritzed and some oil used in that area of the twist or braid. I pay particular attention to that area when I am in protective styles.

I also do deep conditioning on a regular or just slap a conditioning cap on my head and wear it around the house when I am in for the day. Doing that creates moisture in my hair without any effort. I will even mist it lightly with a very light oil like jojoba when I have the conditionig cap on.

 

[harrison]

I had a trim done this month. However prior to feb 2009, my last trim was jan 2008. I too have not had a problem with growth or retaining length. Both trims were done at a salon.

 

[IntoMyhair]

I don't think so since I did not trim my hair enough. Which is why I had so many splits a month ago. I would say that you should trim at least 3 times a year at the most. Or maybe I would say do S&D 3 times a year and 1 good trim.

 

[BostonMaria]

Have not had a trim since Dec '07 and hair is still growing. I think trimming has to do with hair health and appearance rather than growth. If you want your ends to always look neat and even, you would probably trim frequently, or if you want to get rid of damaged/dry ends...JMO.

You have beautiful hair OneJamifan!

HairHustla, I don't believe that's true. If your hair is full of knots and split ends, you might as well trim and start with a healthy head of hair. Trimming doesn't cause your hair to grow faster. I haven't had a haircut in 17 months and my hair is still growing.

 

[SmartyPants]

I haven't trimmed since September. Tomorrow I will get a trim--about 1/2 to 1 inch--because my ends are looking kind of funky. I want growth, but I won't take growth at the expense of healthy looking hair. If it takes me a little longer to get to APL (even with a 1 inch trim I am pretty sure I will be at SL tomorrow) then so be it.

 

[Fleurzty]

I trim only when it's needed which is about once a year or less frequently. I focus on protecting my ends and making sure they remain healthy. As long as I am not seeing split ends and my hair is not becoming difficult to manage, I keep growing. The better I care for my ends, the less often I end up having to trim.

 

[HairHustla]

Have not had a trim since Dec '07 and hair is still growing. I think trimming has to do with hair health and appearance rather than growth. If you want your ends to always look neat and even, you would probably trim frequently, or if you want to get rid of damaged/dry ends...JMO.

Onejamifan, your hair is stunning and believe it or not, it was hair like yours that got me started on this journey. I tend to lean towards your opinion that it is just for appearance sake but there are those that swear it helps with growth so I just wanted to gauge some of the responses to see if my perception was correct. Thanks so much for replying!

 

[HairHustla]

You have beautiful hair OneJamifan!

HairHustla, I don't believe that's true. If your hair is full of knots and split ends, you might as well trim and start with a healthy head of hair. Trimming doesn't cause your hair to grow faster. I haven't had a haircut in 17 months and my hair is still growing.

BostonMaria your hair looks beautiful as well, do you find that your hair grew better when you were getting trims? I tend to get the knots when I go days without co-washing but haven't had too bad of a problem with it.

 

[HairHustla]

I haven't trimmed since September. Tomorrow I will get a trim--about 1/2 to 1 inch--because my ends are looking kind of funky. I want growth, but I won't take growth at the expense of healthy looking hair. If it takes me a little longer to get to APL (even with a 1 inch trim I am pretty sure I will be at SL tomorrow) then so be it.

Hi SmartyPants,

So you get regular trims? I have seen some members cut off 3 inches and within a few months their hair has grown back and then some. It's all a mystery to me! I feel like you are of the opinion that it is more of an aesthetic thing than a growth factor..that seems to be the going trend here from what I see.

 

[HairHustla]

I trim only when it's needed which is about once a year or less frequently. I focus on protecting my ends and making sure they remain healthy. As long as I am not seeing split ends and my hair is not becoming difficult to manage, I keep growing. The better I care for my ends, the less often I end up having to trim.

Fleurzty

I see you have some serious length going there, how do you go about protecting your ends? The only thing I know to do is keep my hair plaited under a half wig and I try not to use heat. Do you wear braids? Another thing, I found out I can not wear braids as a protective style because each time I have taken down my hair, I have suffered from more damage and breakage even though I do not wear the braids for more than a month or two. My hair does not like braids! Anyone else have that problem?

 

[FeelinIt]

If your ends are straight crap like mine are then YES YES AND YES you MUST MUST MUST have regular trims. I am just figuring this mess out and I have been on this board for years.

Right now I',m getting mine trimmed every 6-8 weeks because my damage goes up 2-3 inches up my shaft. It has been this way for well over 7 years. My hair never grew past SL. When I was natural (tex'ed now) and I would straighten my hair out, the ends would stick and snag to all of my clothes. My presses would never last because my ragged ends would go first.

Once the damaged ends are gone, you will start to see the length progress. From there it's just maintenance with quartly, bi-annual to yearly trims/cuts. Also you want to ensure that you do not damage your ends with constant heat, bad products and rough handling.

Ends are sooooo key to retaining what you have grown!!!! TRUST!!!

 

[HairHustla]

If your ends are straight crap like mine are then YES YES AND YES you MUST MUST MUST have regular trims. I am just figuring this mess out and I have been on this board for years.

Right now I',m getting mine trimmed every 6-8 weeks because my damage goes up 2-3 inches up my shaft. It has been this way for well over 7 years. My hair never grew past SL. When I was natural (tex'ed now) and I would straighten my hair out, the ends would stick and snag to all of my clothes. My presses would never last because my ragged ends would go first.

Once the damaged ends are gone, you will start to see the length progress. From there it's just maintenance with quartly, bi-annual to yearly trims/cuts. Also you want to ensure that you do not damage your ends with constant heat, bad products and rough handling.

Ends are sooooo key to retaining what you have grown!!!! TRUST!!!

Thank you so much Feelinit!

I thought that I could just get by without trims but the way you described your hair is how mine is, it is shoulder length and that is about the longest it has ever gotten and I am doing all the right things by protecting the ends, co-washing, deep conditioning, no heat and everything. I think that I will just do a light trim to see what happens and see if I can get a breakthrough.

 

[SmartyPants]

Hi SmartyPants,

So you get regular trims? I have seen some members cut off 3 inches and within a few months their hair has grown back and then some. It's all a mystery to me! I feel like you are of the opinion that it is more of an aesthetic thing than a growth factor..that seems to be the going trend here from what I see.

I wouldn't say that I get regular trims. Prior to the trim in September 2008 (which was only about 1/2 inch) my previous trim was in March 2008 (the March trim was because I was growing out some breakage and I wanted to even my hair off). I trim when my ends look funky not because I am on some type of schedule.

 

[SouthernTease]

I went a whole year without trimming it worked for me but now I think I'll go 3 months. It's a personal preference. See my siggy... to some people my hair looks ok but I've trimmed it a bit because the ends aren't as sleek as I would like. Being natural though your ends can know up with split ends so you need to stay on top of that. I'd say trim every 3-6 months but if you have a loose curl pattern and don't use heat you can probably go a lot longer.

 

[Highly Favored8]

For me the jury is still out on this one.

 

[DaDragonPrincess]

You got to baby your ends seal with them oils and moisturize them. People sometimes neglect those ends.

 

[HairHustla]

I went a whole year without trimming it worked for me but now I think I'll go 3 months. It's a personal preference. See my siggy... to some people my hair looks ok but I've trimmed it a bit because the ends aren't as sleek as I would like. Being natural though your ends can know up with split ends so you need to stay on top of that. I'd say trim every 3-6 months but if you have a loose curl pattern and don't use heat you can probably go a lot longer.

Southerntease

Oohwee girl your hair is pretty and shiny, I think that I will try a light trim of a half inch because it has been over a year since I had any kind of trim. Did you have your trim professionally done?

 

[HairHustla]

You got to baby your ends seal with them oils and moisturize them. People sometimes neglect those ends.

DDP you are so doggone right, I need to be more attentive to my ends, I only put a shea moisturizer on them when I am in the mirror and think about it, I just forget about those babies. Thanks for the tip girl!

 

[FeelinIt]

I would say, do one big even cut. I'm contemplating getting a nice bob to get all of the bad ends off for good and then from there baby my ends with much consistency, little to no heat nor harsh products. I don't believe cutting it "makes" it grow. I do think that cutting off bad ends will help you to retain what you have grown.

And then after that, cut or get trimmed as you see fit.

 

[CurlyMoo]

When I trim my hair tangles less and I spend less time on it. I will be getting a slight trim soon, as much as it pains me to do it as I am trying to make midback by summer. But when I did my last trim in October I noticed that I got some really good growth by January. I think my hair was retaining length because my ends did not tangle, knot or break. Now I am starting to see little hairs in the sink and serious tangles which is a sign that I need a trim. I normlly trim every 6 months but I think I will change that to every 3 months. I would recommend gradual trims per year maybe every 3 months. I don't agree with trimming every 6-8 weeks that's too soon unless you are trying to maintain a length or you have heat damage.

 

[FlowerHair]

If you have split ends you have to cut them.
Otherwise, there is no need. I haven't trimmed since Feb last year (2008) and that wasn't really necessary either.

Treat your hair gently to avoid split and raggedy ends...
Happy Hair Growing!

 

[HairHustla]

I would say, do one big even cut. I'm contemplating getting a nice bob to get all of the bad ends off for good and then from there baby my ends with much consistency, little to no heat nor harsh products. I don't believe cutting it "makes" it grow. I do think that cutting off bad ends will help you to retain what you have grown.

And then after that, cut or get trimmed as you see fit.

All you ladies have some good suggestions, I know that I am getting impatient as a natural I think, I really need my hair to grow so bad that I am just searching for something, anything that might tip that strand on over in my favor. Make it so bad, my hair is so curly that I can not even tell if I have bad ends or not, it looks the same all over. What's a girl to do...What is a sista ta do???

 

[HairHustla]

If you have split ends you have to cut them.
Otherwise, there is no need. I haven't trimmed since Feb last year (2008) and that wasn't really necessary either.

Treat your hair gently to avoid split and raggedy ends...
Happy Hair Growing!

FlowerHair, the lady in your avatar has just dreamy thick hair Is that you? If so, your hair is mad gorgeous. My hair is really thick but I can't tell if I have split ends cause all the hair looks wild. I will try to get my picture up so you ladies can see what I am talking about.