Many hairdressers advise you to update your hair every 6 to 8 weeks, but is that necessary? No, not always. When is it time to cut your hair? That’s what I’m telling you in this article.
When should you have your hair cut?
Cutting your hair is really only necessary if you suffer from split ends and/or hair breakage. How quickly you get it and how often you have to cut it, that varies enormously from person to person. One person will suffer from it quickly and the other will not. So look closely at your own hair.
The reason you always have to cut split ends and cracks is that you can’t repair them: your hair is broken. Although products from hair products want you to believe otherwise: a serum or conditioner is not going to change that. If you don’t cut them off, splits and cracks will only continue to split and unravel.
How do you recognize split ends and fractures?
With split ends, your hair splits and unravels lengthways into two or more parts. This makes them look just like twigs. See also a diagram of ‘types’ of split ends below for help in recognizing split ends.
The name fractions says it all: in these places your hair is as it were broken in half and only hangs on a few fibres. In places where there are fractures, you often see white dots/spheres. That white colour is because the inside of your hair becomes visible. The white dots are not only found on the ends of your hair, but often also a little higher in your hair.
Don’t be confused by the term ‘dead ends’.
Dead dots do not exist and are therefore certainly not a good reason to cut your hair. Your hair is already dead, except for the part in your scalp. So make sure your points are split or broken, and not just dry. The former cannot be fixed, but the latter certainly can and it would be a shame if you cut dry points for nothing.
Other reasons to cut
Although split ends and fractures are in my opinion the only reason why you really need to cut your hair, there are of course a lot of other reasons why you might want to cut your hair. Here are a few examples:
To maintain a beautiful shape
You can choose to cut your hair to keep it a nice shape in your hair. For example, I like a U-shape very much on my own and when I notice that my hair at the bottom is losing its shape, cut off a little bit so that it fits neatly again.
To prevent split ends
Do you quickly suffer from split ends and fractures? Then a regular haircut can help to prevent them. Your hair is a lot weaker at the bottom and by cutting it you don’t even give it the chance to split and unravel it.
Different ways to cut
Self-cutting
Do you want more control over exactly how much of your hair goes off or don’t you always want to go to the hairdresser? Then think about cutting it yourself. If you want a simple straight line, u-shape or v-shape, Feye’s method, for example, is very well suited.
Tip: a sharp pair of scissors is an absolute must-have when you cut your own hair.
Dusting
If you cut your hair or have it cut, you don’t always have to take centimeters off. Sometimes a dusting, where you really only remove millimetres from the bottom, can be enough to freshen up the bottom and strengthen your hair.
Search & Destroy
If you let your hair grow for a long time, but often suffer from split ends, you can also do the Search & Destroy method. You only cut off the split ends and fractures, but leave the healthy hairs alone. However, if you do this often, you may notice that the underside loses its shape a little. But it is a very nice way to let your hair grow long despite split ends.
To the hairdresser
Whether cutting yourself is not really your thing, or because you just want a nice moment of pampering, going to the hairdresser can be very nice. Don’t forget that you are with the hairdresser for yourself and for your hair. Dare to be clear and communicate well with your hairdresser about what you want and what is possible.
For example, show exactly how much you want your hair to be cut and/or ask your hairdresser to show you exactly how much she is going to cut off. Bringing sample photos with you if you want a different haircut will often help you to make clear what you would like.
Fillable Illinois Form IL-4852: https://pdfliner.com/illinois-form-il-4852
