4 Reasons NOT to Trim Your Hair

Trimming is an important part of a natural hair routine helping to keep damage at bay and allowing the hair to keep gaining length. Your routine could be as simple as trimming half an inch every 4 months, regularly dusting the ends (cutting off a quarter inch or less of hair) or the more time consuming but more hair preserving ‘search and destroy’ where only damaged strands are targeted. Some naturals, however, can fall into the trap of trimming too much. Here are 4 instances when trimming is not necessary and possibly counterproductive.

1. You trimmed it last week

If you have recently trimmed your hair and you spot split ends soon after it may be the case that you need another trim, however it could also be the case that you missed a few damaged strands. Wait for at least two months before you pick up the scissors again. Constantly cutting your hair may lead to very slow or no progress. Do not obsess about having no split ends, for some hair, this is just not possible.

2. You notice one side is longer than the other

The purpose of trimming is to get rid of split ends and old damaged ends. You can also use it to even up hair length but  for some people one part of their hair can grow faster than the other. Sometimes it is the front that grows longer than the back or the left side faster than the right or the crown faster than all other areas. In whatever case, it can be very  counterproductive to keep evening out the length if all that is happening is that one part of your hair is growing faster. Natural hair worn in a curly or stretched style really does not require even length.  As long as the ends are free of split ends or obvious damage, keep the uneven lengths and grow all the hair to your desired length before choosing to even it up.

3. Your ends appear thin/ see through but you regularly do search and destroy trims

If your chosen method of trimming is only cutting off damaged ends, it is highly likely that your ends may appear much thinner than the bulk of the hair. In this case, it is not necessary to trim your hair to get rid of the see through ends.  Since you are only cutting damage, it is always the case that some strands will be longer than others. As long as you are able to keep on top of damage and split ends, you do not need to trim the hair any further.

4. Your ends are dry or do not curl like they used to but you cannot see split ends

As hair gets older, it will be more difficult to maintain moisture simply because the cuticle layers are depleted and it is easier to lose moisture. Dry ends or ends that are not able to curl are not necessarily signs that you need a trim. Examine the hair and see if you can see visible signs of damage such as split ends. If you do not see damage, all those ends require is a little more water, oil and/or moisturiser and spending a lot time in tucked in styles to conserve moisture.