B's Take on Trims...

I'll start off by saying that I'm not a huge fan or advocate of trimming your ends. Hair grows from the root and no amount of trimming will change that fact. Hair will grow regardless of how the ends are doing. With that said...

I don't believe in trimming hair very often, maybe 2-3 times a year unless extremely necessary. I think they are necessary when you have the following:

Tons of split ends and breakage
Uneven hair that you want to level off
Thin, damaged, see thru ends

That's it. Outside of these 3, there is no reason to trim your hair. Most hair dressers will tell you that you need a trim when in most cases, it's mainly for aesthetic reasons...basically, just so your hair will look "nice and healthy".

What's the problem with that you say? I personally like to focus on not making it "look" nice and healthy, but actually making it nice and healthy. Not only that but the hair growth rate of the average person is .5" per month. It takes you months to grow that glorious mane and you're willing to let someone take it away in a 3hr visit just to look nice?? Not me.

I also like to focus on retaining the length that I'm growing each month. Hair grows without any instructions to do so but that's the easy part. Taking care of it so that it stays on your head is a different story.

I like the concept of the Baggie Method. Its just you lightly moisturizing your hair, sealing with an oil and then placing a bag on your ends and securing with a scrunchy. This method is AMAZING! Not only are you growing all this hair but you get to keep it and enjoy it.

Anyway, here are my recommendations on what to do with your hair so you don't have to go for that trim:

Protective styles- up dos that keep your hair from rubbing on your clothes causing split ends and breakage. Also prevents your ends from drying out.

Moisturize those ends!- I can't stress enough how important moisture is for the hair. I recommend water based (Water/aqua Will be the first ingredient listed) Think of it this way, the ends are the oldest part of the hair, it warrants extra care to thrive.

Baggie, Baggie, Baggie!- like I said earlier this allows you to retain length. The concept is such...the plastic keeps the moisture in your hair so the hair is supple. It helps you cut down on needing trims b/c it drastically reduces and /or stops breakage so your ends aren't damaged and they don't thin out.

Treat your hair like SILK- Hair is made of Keratin, which just happens to be very similar in composition to Silk. I don't know about you but I wouldn't rough handle my precious silk garments so why do it to your hair? Comb gently, avoid as many harsh chemicals as you can and just be easy on it in general.

Deep condition- Black/African American hair requires the right kind of care to thrive. I think that deep conditioning is a part of that care, it helps to build hair up when its beaten down by chemicals, the environment and hard water.

Ok, so I don't like trimming, what do I recommend in its place? Dusting/Search and Destroy.
Dusting can mean one of 2 things:

1 Trimming no more than 1/8" from your hair just to focus on eradicating splits
OR
2 Search and destroy. Go thru your ends and look for splits and cut only them.

"Won't that thin out my hair?" Nope! I do it pretty often and my hair is Uber thick. Its still even from my last trim in July b/c of the baggie method. You're not cutting any more than right above the actual split itself.

Either one of these methods is a great way to keep your hair healthy, looking fabulous and LONG!

**I recommend using the Lunar/Moon Cycle calendars to time your trims or dusting to get the best results. Here is a link to 2009's calendar so you can plan them ahead but they change yearly so you can just get on Yahoo or Google and get one :-)

http://www.morroccomethod.com/lunar.shtml