With the coronavirus pandemic limiting Americans’ access to salon services, you may have found yourself taking haircuts into your own hands lately – literally, as you reach for the scissors to do it yourself. You might also find yourself questioning salons’ usual advice to get a hair cut every six weeks. So, how often do you really need to trim those ends?
The answer depends on a lot of variables, including the type of hair you have, how long it is, and the level of damage it has sustained. If you want to trim your hair for growth, you should adhere to stylists’ recommendation of six to eight weeks between trims. However, if you have any of the following hair types, you should reduce or increase the frequency:
• Shorthair: Trim every two to four weeks, to keep your hair’s shape intact and looking good.
• Mid-length hair: Trim every eight to twelve weeks to maintain length.
• Long hair: Long hair is forgiving, and healthy long hair can go up to six months between trims. Just be mindful of breakage, which is more likely to occur on long hair.
• Thick hair: Like long hair, thick hair can be trimmed every six months.
• Curly hair: If your curls are still holding their shape well, you can wait six months between trims. If your hair is starting to look frizzy or undefined, It's probably time for a trim.
• Fine hair: Trim every four to six weeks, since fine hair needs a shape to lay well.
• Straight hair: Trim straight hair every four to eight weeks, depending on thickness.
• Natural hair: Every three to four months will suffice for natural hair, unless you use chemical treatments, like relaxers. In that case, up to your frequency to every eight weeks.
• Layered hair: Trim every eight to twelve weeks, in order to maintain the shape of your style.
• Hair with bangs: Freshen up your bangs monthly, unless you are aiming to grow them out or have more low-maintenance styles, like wispy or curtain bangs.
Though you might be able to space out your haircuts, there are a few signs that your hair is in desperate need of a trim. If you notice split ends, if split ends are traveling up the shaft of your hair, or if your hair tangles or snags easily, it’s time for a cut. You should also look for sticky, frayed, or breaking ends, which all signal damage. Finally, if you have curly hair, you should consider a trim anytime your curl patterns start changing or losing shape.
It’s always fun to learn something new! At Sapphire Apartments in San Antonio, Texas, we love to provide you with fun, thought-provoking tidbits that will make you reflect on different aspects of life.