I've got heat damage in the crown area of my hair. I'm going to condition my hair rather than cut it off. I wear bun 98% of the time, so I am not going to cut it, no point! Twistouts and Braidouts still work but they don't last as long. I'm 1 year into the grow-out process. I will not cut until absolutely necessary! I'm a die hard baby! I do regular trims and won't tollerate split ends and severely damaged, bad looking hair. So, we'll just see how it goes. My goal length is BS. I'll see where I am come end of 09. Best of luck to all those dealing with this.