Is there any credibility to this popular belief?
You’ve all heard it, trimming your hair will make it grow faster. Your friends say it, your hairdresser says it, and your mum said it so it must be true right? Wrong!
There is no scientific basis behind this common misconception. It is a fact that human hair grows at the rate of about 6-10 inches per year the actual rate of which is determined by genetics. Hair is made up of dead cells so unfortunately, there isn’t any way that the live cells at the root of the hair would be aware of their dead cousins getting trimmed off at the end and get stimulated to create more hair like crazy to make up for it! The idea of it is ridiculous.
A possible reason why people think this is because cropped hair that gains an inch in two months looks like a dramatic change hence you would think that the hair is growing faster than shoulder length hair that gains an inch as well but it’s more of a subtle difference.
So is trimming necessary then? Yes and no. If you want to keep your ends blunt and even or you are trying to keep your hair at a certain length then trim away! It certainly is not necessary to the health of your hair. If what you want is to grow your hair long, all you need do is remove any split ends you see. This is called ‘dusting’ the ends.
If you are a huge fan of heat styling your hair (blow drying, flat ironing etc) then you will probably find that you get split ends more than usual due to heat damage. Unfortunately nothing will help heat damaged hair except for a pair of scissors!
Contrary to another common misconception, split ends will not travel all the way down the hair shaft to the root! More likely, it will just peel off to the side leaving a dry fuzzy hair end which will more than likely break off at the point the split end stopped. Remove these split ends as all they do is make your hair ends look dry and unhealthy which is not the idea when your are trying to achieve long healthy hair.
If you are taking care of your hair however, conditioning regularly and keeping the heated appliances to a minimum, a light dusting of your ends now and then is all you need to keep your hair healthy while retaining maximum length. See the article on how to find a regimen.
Seems To work well for me
Actually it makes hair growth healthier not faster
Works for me too
It has definitely worked for me as well. I have gone without trims before and I can certainly tell there is a difference.
Lol It makes hair break less because split ends are addressed before they can get out of control, resulting in less tangling, snagging, tearing and increasing fullness since more hair will be at the same length. The rate of your hair’s actual growth, out your scalp, is affected by genetics and nutrition, not trimming. Trimming only helps preserve what you already have.
Stops the splitting so the hair grows healthier which in turn appears to be growing faster
I can understand the article, but I do believe we need to trim our hair (based on our hair needs), I don’t believe you have to trim 1-2 inches to get healthy or fast long hair. I just trim the tips and yes, my hair grows the way it’s suppose to and is healthy. So in a sense I do believe trimming your hair can cause it to grow longer faster and stay healthy!
Trimming your ends helps you maintain what you already have. It doesn’t make your hair grow faster. You also don’t have to trim your ends to maintain your hair. There are plenty of conditioners that target split ends now. I stopped trimming my ends years ago and have yet to have a problem. My hair is long and healthy. But it does require patience and TLC. So if trimming is what works for you, keep at it. However it is possible to not have to do it nearly as much as the recommended every six weeks, or even at all once you get your method down.
Cheese and crackers I never knew it was recommended every six weeks lol.
Trimming your hair has NEVER made it grow. I’m very lost as to why some of you believe this. It has absolutely nothing to do with it. Does it help with split ends? Yes. And unless your hair grows unbelievably fast, frequent trims does not equal hair grow at all.
It helps retain length by getting the breakage off so it doesn’t go up any higher. Just keeps what you have, not makes it grow.
Trimming helps your hair look healthy
That’s true. I don’t get mine trimmed a whole lot. Last time was this past Aug.
I have to get mine trimmed every 6 months like clockwork lol
Lol! Hmmm so maybe I will in Feb. That’ll be 6 months
“She” (my hair) can be very unruly at times. Lol
LOL!
When I didn’t trim, my ends were skinny and thin. Now they are almost as thick as my roots. That’s healthy hair, that’s all I care about. Nothing you do externally makes your hair do things. Genetics is really what matters. Yeah, drinking water and taking vitamins makes you healthier overall, but it don’t really believe they have super powers. Just my opinion!
I only get my hair trimmed 2x a year…its helps me retain length because it’s not breaking off as it grows…
Maybe but trimming/cutting on the new moon does
I will agree with that
Trimming the tips of your has nothing to do with the roots.
Well I’ll be damned. Thanks.