How To Get Away With Trimming Your Natural Hair Only Twice A Year

I’m confident that a lot of you can get away with only trimming your hair every six months because I have gone without a single trim since I first started my transition at the end of 2008.

Whether you’re returning natural without doing the big chop or have a TWA and would like to retain as much length as possible, you can use the following tips to help you.

I find that trimming your hair every 6-8 weeks to be a ridiculous rule and truly feel that it’s a ploy to get us in salons to pay stylists regularly for a service we don’t really need. I also feel that they use scare tactics, like saying that if we don’t, our split ends will travel up the shaft.

But I’m living proof that that’s a lie. My hair isn’t even, but I surely don’t have any portions that have broken off to my root or anywhere near there. Of course, it does help that I wear my hair in it’s natural state, because when worn straight, you can see my minor flaws in the ends, but still no crazy unevenness!

When you do go to get a trim every six months, don’t focus on cutting away all of the splits, just cut off an inch, if needed, so that you aren’t setting yourself back too gravely.

At this rate, you should be able to retain at least 4 of the 6 inches you could grow annually. Once you’ve reached your desired length, you can chop away. Now, here are my tips for stretching out your trimming sessions.

Change your  mindset for length retention

The first thing you absolutely must do is get your mind right. You can’t go into this with a mindset like other women who believe they can do whatever they want to their hair and still retain length.

So if you’re interested in wearing hair dyes, using harsh chemical hair products, weave, braids or straightening your hair with heating tools, then your journey is going to be a long and hectic one. So keep in mind that you won’t be able to do these things if you truly want to retain length and avoid trims.

Give your hair a break from maintenance and styling

The natural community is obsessed with hair care regimens and if you ask me, a lot of them are a bit over the top. Your hair doesn’t really need that much attention, even when you’re transitioning.

Personally, I found that paying it little attention did best for my hair, allowing it to do what it does best…grow. So what this means is stop the frequent shampooing, which requires you to detangle more often.

This will lead to breakage and possible damage to your ends. Washing once every 7-10 days should be enough, since you won’t have buildup from using a bunch of products in your hair.