At some point, we all have asked ourselves this question: “How often should I trim my natural hair?”. A simple Google search will tell you that you must trim your hair every six to eight weeks. There is no denying that six to eight weeks is a generally acceptable time period to trim your hair. However, trimming your hair can depend on various factors: the length of your hair, if they are damaged and showing split ends, the texture of the hair, and your haircut.
All you these factors play a part in determining when you must trim your hair. If you have bangs and are trying to retain them, six to eight weeks is too long a time to wait for a trim. In this article, we will explore all you need to know about trimming your hair to keep it healthy and looking good.
Let’s Begin!
Difference Between a Trim and a Haircut
A haircut is what you do when you want to change your look. So, a haircut will be a drastic change and will alter your appearance. Getting bangs when you didn’t have any before(we have all been there) is a haircut.
If, however, you have bangs and they are overgrown, so you want to refresh them, that is a trim. Trimming is usually taking an inch or two out of your hair to maintain and sharpen up your previous hairstyle. You are not looking for a drastic change in your look here.
You will get a trim regularly to help avoid split ends and breakage of your hair and to maintain your hairstyle.
How to Know You Absolutely Need a Trim
For good hair health, it is important to trim your hair regularly. If you have let your hair grow out for a long time without the regular trimming(don’t worry, we all have), there will be some tell-tale signs. Ideally, you would not want these signs to appear, for they mean that the damage has already been done.
Here are a few signs that warrant an immediate trim
- Split Ends: If you have been living on the edge and not trimming your hair, the ends of your hair will be the first to show. Split ends are a nuisance and ruin the texture of your hair. But, they are not just a problem aesthetically; split ends inevitably lead to hair breakage and make it easy for them to fall off.
- You cannot maintain your Hairstyle: Now, we have nothing against long, unruly hair; if that is your style, good for you. But, even unruly wild hair will be better at being that if they get a healthy trim every once in a while. For the rest of you, you might have chosen to go for a haircut, one you like. In this case, it will need to be maintained. When your hair grows out, it can ruin your hairstyle. That is when you know you need a trim. Unless you want your bangs to turn into curtain bangs, go for a trim. You would also not want your bangs to keep poking your eye.
- Other Signs: If your hair is starting to tangle more easily than before or it snags towards the bottom of its length, then this is a sign of hair damage at the ends. You need a trim ASAP. Another sign of damaged ends is having sticky ends. If you have curly hair and you notice that your curls are losing, you require a trim.
Does Regular Trimming Help with Hair Growth?
Well, yes and no. We say so because regular trimming is not going to grow your hair in the way that you might think. If you want to speed up your hair growth, you will have to pay attention to your roots. Having said that, not trimming your hair can be detrimental to your hair growth plans.
It seems obvious that if you don’t cut your hair, it will keep growing, and you will have longer hair. However, that practice is counterintuitive. Not trimming your hair regularly can lead to damaged ends and split ends. Once split ends appear, you cannot repair them. These split ends cause your hair to break, and there goes your plans of growing your hair long. To deal with the split ends(which you must), you will have to cut more length of your hair.
Trimming your hair regularly will help you avoid split ends and allow your hair to grow naturally and healthily.
How often should you trim your natural hair? The answer to this question also depends on the length of the hair.
Let’s explore it further.
1. Short Hair
Naturally, hair will grow out around half an inch per month. If you have a shorter hairstyle, a bob, a pixie cut, or a bob with bangs, you would want to maintain it. For that, more regular trimming will be essential. If not, your short haircut will lose its finish and shape and look haphazard and overgrown. For short hair, trimming every two to four weeks is recommended.
2. Medium Length Hair
There are many ways to style your medium-length hair. Usually, that means that even if they do grow out slightly longer, they don’t lose their shape that easily. You can warp them up in a bun or tie a messy ponytail. Outgrown hair will not look so bad. This way, you can wait longer with trimming medium-length hair, around 6 to 8 weeks, if you want to keep the same length. If you want to grow them a little, as long as they don’t show damage, trimming your medium-length hair every 8- 12 weeks also works well.
3. Long Hair
To those of us who have long hair, we know maintaining them can be a task, not for the weak. So much hair goes into maintaining healthy Rapunzel-like hair. However, when it comes to trimming long hair is slightly more forgiving. Long hair is less likely to look unshapely as they grow out and need trimming less often.
Having said that, long hair is more susceptible to breakage. This is because the longer the hair, the older they are, and the more difficult it is to maintain them. So, even though you can go as long as 6 months between trims for longer hair, if you see split ends, snags, or any other signs of damage, go get a trim immediately.
How often should I trim my natural hair? Let’s answer this question based on types of hair.
4. Thick Hair
Hair types are an important consideration when deciding how often you must trim your hair. Thick hair fares well for a few months without getting a trim. While they can stay without a trim longer, thick hair is notorious for being unmanageable and unruly, especially if you let them grow out. So, getting a trim when that happens will be a good call. Then again, as we have said before, if you want to wear them wild and unruly, that is perfectly alright. Just watch out for any damage.
5. Fine or Thin Hair
Fine hair is more prone to breakage than thick hair. They develop split ends more easily and can accumulate more damage in a few weeks if left untrimmed. If you have thin hair, going for a trim every four to eight weeks will ensure the health of your hair. A well-trimmed hair will not only take care of breakage and split ends, but it will also make your hair look fuller. If you are a fan of the ’90s blowout, then you need those ends trimmed.
6. Naturally Curly Hair
Curly hair grows naturally in a way that doesn’t look uneven or untidy. When they grow out, they have their natural texture and look presentable. Unless your curls are showing signs of damage, you can go for a trim every ten to twelve weeks. However, if you want to keep them short, you may be required to trim them every four to six weeks.
Here is a small tip about curly hair: When going for a trim, remember that curly hair will dry up to a shorter length. Keep that in mind when you are trimming your wet curls. With curly hair, unless your curls are looking a bit loose and lackluster, you can also trim them once every six months, and they should be okay.
7. Straight Hair
With straight hair, you will be able to tell that you haven’t trimmed your hair for a while. The overgrowth can mess up your style, which calls for a trim. Trimming your hair every four to eight weeks will help them look sharp and well-managed. If you have straight hair that also happens to be fine, then trimming them every month will keep them healthy and protect them from breakage.
8. The Bangs Problem
For those of you who have bangs, we need to not tell you that overgrown bangs can be an issue. They can be annoying as they constantly poke at your eyes. Bangs frame your face in a particular way; overgrown bags defeat that purpose and can make you look funny (not in a fun way).
Whether you have curtain bangs or the Anna Wintour ones, they need to be trimmed every four to six weeks to make them look sharp and frame your face beautifully.
Unless you are trying to grow out your bangs, they need to be trimmed almost every month to maintain them.
About Chemically Treated Or Hair Styled Regularly Using Hot Tools
Well, we all know that hot tools are straighteners and curling irons or ever blow dryers can damage your hair. They dry out the hair, making them brittle and prone to breakage.
If you are in the habit of styling your hair regularly with hot tools, you will need to take care of that damage. Most of it accumulates at the ends of your hair. The best way to deal with damaged ends is to cut them off. That will help your hair look healthy.
Depending on the damage, whatever type of hair you have, trimming them off every few weeks will be beneficial for them.
The same rule applies to hair that has been chemically treated. They will require trimming more often because of all the accumulated damage.
Some Tips for Healthy Hair Between Trims
- Use a sulphate-free shampoo and conditioner that suits your hair
- Remember to use a heat protectant whenever you use hot tools for styling
- A healthy diet rich in essential nutrients will be the best friend of your hair
- Where a healthy diet is a friend to your hair, stress is your hair’s arch-nemesis, so manage it well.
- You can take some vitamin supplements to ensure the health of your hair. We would suggest you consult your general physician for it.
- Using a hair mask every month or once in two weeks would help strengthen your hair further.
- If you can help it, try to avoid over-styling your hair.
Conclusion
We started this article with the question, “How often should I trim my natural hair?” We hope by now you have an answer to it. Hair is very important; we all know that a good hair day is statistically a good day altogether(we can source the statistics because it’s our own). And what makes for good hair? – healthy hair.
Trimming is essential to maintain the hair’s health, and it prevents split ends and breakage of the hair. If you have developed damaged ends, the best way to take care of them is by trimming them off. Trimming regularly is a healthy hair care habit and will ensure the general health of your hair. This is true even if you want to grow out your hair.
We hope we have been helpful to you and that you already know when your next trimming appointment will be.
