MUST I TRIM MY HAIR?

It sounds counterproductive to tell you to trim your hair while you are actually trying to grow it out. But the truth is that it is important for us to regularly trim our hair. If you have been keeping away from doing this, it is time to stop, and begin to do the needful for your hair health.

A lot of people erroneously believe that there is no benefit to trimming hair, but I want to let you know that there are several benefits to getting a regular trim.

But first, what does trimming hair really entail?

Getting a regular trim means that you are doing away with some of the damage your hair sustained through your daily activities. When very little hair is taken (let's say one inch or less), it is called light dusting. The idea of a light dusting is to take the tiniest bit of hair at the tips to prevent split ends from forming and travelling down your hair.

It is important to note than a hair trim is different from a haircut. When you trim hair, only a small amount of hair it taken off, perhaps half an inch at a time. Meanwhile, a haircut is much more distinct and can be any amount of hair.

Benefits of trimming hair

Gives your hair a healthy foundation for growth: If you are trying to retain length, trimming your hair sounds counterproductive, but trimming hair takes away the parts of the hair that are causing more damage than good, thus giving your hair a healthy foundation for growth.

Makes for healthier hair: It makes no sense to have long hair that is frizzed or that looks fried and utterly dry. Hair that is not trimmed often has damaged ends, but trimming hair regularly keeps it in the best possible condition, as it helps you get rid of split ends. When your hair starts to develop split ends, there is no way to repair it than to trim it. What has happened is that a single healthy strand has now divided into two strands, making it a lot weaker and shabby looking. And the sad truth is that split ends travel. It doesn’t matter how gentle you are with split ends, it will still travel. The only way to get rid of split ends completely is to trim it off.

It is a great option for heat damaged hair: Just like split ends, there is often no other cure for heat damaged hair than to trim off the damaged part. Yes, there are certain products manufacturers who claim that their products can reverse heat damage. This is, more often than not, marketing tactics. The surest way to treat heat damaged hair is to trim it off.

Trimmed hair is easier to style: If you have ever seen hair that has never been trimmed in styles such as bobs, you will agree that it doesn’t look its best. Damaged hair often has a mind of its own and does not style well. Trimming your dead ends will make styling a lot easier.

Your hair will look thicker: Regularly trimmed hair looks much thicker and healthier from root to tip. So, if you are looking for fullness and thickness, regular trim it is.

You avoid single strand knots: For persons with naturally curly hair, single strand knots (strands of hair that tend to twist and tangle around each other) can be a bit of a nightmare. While there really is nothing you can do to prevent single strand knots, getting a regular trim helps you beat this problem.

It is easier to detangle: Because regularly trimmed hair is less frizzy than hair that doesn’t get a trim every now and then, detangling becomes easier since you are not managing split ends and breakage.

So, how often?

There are so many different opinions on how often we should get our hair trimmed. As someone who works with different kinds of hair, I like to say that the decision on how often to get a trim should be based on each person’s personal circumstances.

For example, persons who often carry low maintenance hairstyles such as twist outs may not need to trim their hair as much as people who tend to do a lot of things with their hair. If you manipulate your hair more often than the average person, you will most likely need a trim more often than others.

However, if you are new to trimming, you may want to do so every four months or so (this is a general guide). If you want to wait longer, it is important that you are very careful with your hair and keep manipulation to a minimum.

And, should you trim your hair yourself?

I am not a big fan of giving yourself hair trims. If you must do so, however, it is best to use professional scissors. You might end up with split ends if you trim your hair with regular scissors, as they are not made for that purpose.

But as much as is possible, visit your stylist for a hair trim. You can get one here at our salon.

Final thoughts

It is important to make trimming a part of your regular routine if you want your natural hair to grow the right way.

Once you see the ends of your hair looking a little bit more raggedy than usual, it is very possible that your hair could be due for a trim. So go ahead and get it done. Your hair will thank you for it.