Many naturals boast about avoiding trims. Depending on how your ends are maintained, it’s almost impossible to go extreme amounts of time without getting normal trims.
Why are trims important?
Trims are VERY important. Especially if and when your ends are splitting. Some naturals are too caught up on having long hair, that they don’t pay attention to their ends. Many run from trims for that reason alone. but the truth is, paying attention to your ends makes the length retaining and growth process that much easier.
When the ends of your hair start “splitting” the damage can travel up the hair shaft and continue to damage the rest of the strand. It can get as bad as splitting the hair root and hair bulb. Then everything that grows out of your scalp would be damaged and naturally split. That type of damage can truly cause a problem to fix.
No one is saying that you have to cut a few inches off at a time. BUT you do have to pay attention to your ends, just to make sure you aren’t getting breakage because of it.
When do you know that it’s time for a trim? Here are a few things to look for:
1. If the ends of your twist or braids have a hard time holding together, than it could be time for a trim. Using this method, I normally just trim the ends of each twist until the ends twist perfectly.
2. If the ends of your twist are too thin or just look straggly.
3. when all of your hair has perfect definition after a twist out or braid out and your ends looks rough and extra dry.
4. When you can see through your ends.
5. When your ends are rough, dry and uncooperative.
6. When styles don’t last or turn out right. Your ends can throw off everything.
7. When the ends of your hair look extra thin. (ends of twist, flat twist, etc)
There are many ways to go about getting a trim.
I have never blown out my hair for a trim. I have never paid for them either. I have always done them myself, on my wash days. I trim my ends in individual twist just to be sure that I am cutting all of the damaged ends and nothing more.
You can find ways or people to trim your hair for you, it is all up to you.
Make sure you have an actual pair of hair shears. I bought mine from Target for about 10 dollars, if it was even that much.
sealing your ends with an oil or hair butter also keeps your ends from splitting longer.
