Trimming Natural Hair | Why, When, How, Who & More

madamenoire.com

By Denisha

As you can see, I left out the "What?" because we already know what. Trimming! This topic has always sparked wide and varied opinions. While it is true that everyone has different needs when it comes to hair care, trimming is something that everyone needs in order to maintain healthy hair. There is a lot of misinformation out there so let's get the facts straight. Let's get to the bottom of the Why, When, How, Who & More!

Why should I trim my hair?

For so many reasons! In addition to improving the appearance of your hair, regular trims get rid of split ends and prevents them from occurring in the first place. Don't worry too much about losing length, let's focus on the health of our hair. Besides, hair grows at an average rate of 1/2 an inch a month so every six months, for example, you will have 3 inches of growth. If you trim off 1/2 an inch you will still have 2 1/2 inches of growth! And if you are getting your hair trimmed consistently you won't need to take off that much. Before you know it you will have thick and beautiful healthy hair!

When should I trim my hair? How often?

Well, that really depends on how you style your hair. If you wear your hair out and manipulate it every day you may need to get a trim more often than someone who wears protective styles most of the time. For example, if you wear styles with your own hair such as twist outs, rod sets, flatiron and use heat often, you should trim at least every three to four months. If you wear protective styles such as weaves, wigs and kinky twists, you would only need to trim every five to six months because your ends are usually protected and therefore less susceptible to breakage.

How much should I trim?

Again, that depends on you. Some people have more breakage than others. As mentioned above, your styling technique will determine how much you need to trim. If you use a lot of heat or manipulate your hair frequently your hair will break off more than someone who doesn't. A good rule of thumb is to trim at least a ¼ inch past the “see-through” ends. See through ends are a result of breakage and split ends that will continue to split up the hair shaft resulting in more hair breakage and thin ends. Broken ends that are severely damaged and thin cannot be made healthy again no matter what product you use.

Wet or dry?

Opinions differ on this one but the fact is that curl patterns on the same head aren't uniform. You cannot get an accurate trim on natural hair while it’s wet whereas doing it on blown out hair will allow you to see where the damage is and what needs to be cut off. From a professional standpoint, a dry trim is the best and most accurate way to get a good, healthy trim.

Who should trim my hair? 

Anyone can trim hair but it is your best bet to see a professional stylist for a good trim, preferably one who specializes in natural hair care and knows how to trim natural hair. It may save you a little money to do a self trim but the benefits of a professional trim far exceed the cost. And as noted above, it’s worth it!