Hello everyone I just wanted to write a post on this topic and answer the question whether trimming our hair can actually make it grow longer. I am sure we have all heard people say that if you want your hair to grow you should get a trim. Now we need to consider whether this statement is actually true. However before we can answer that question we need to first find out how hair grows.

Hair grows in 3 cycles at about half an inch a month. At any given time about 85-90% of our hair will be growing this is referred to as the anagen phase which tends to last between 2 to 6 years. The remainder of our hair will either be in the catagen (transitioning) or telogen (resting) phases. This means that any given time the different strands of our hair will be at various growth phases. The catagen phase is the transitional/intermediate growth phase, where the hair follicle begins to prepare to shed hair that has grown during the anagen phase. It typically lasts between 1 to 3 weeks. The telogen phase is a resting phase where the hair is released and falls out and it may last between 2 – 4 months.

Genetics usually has a great role to play in how long the anagen (growing) phase can last. A person with a longer anagen phase will tend to have much longer hair than someone with a shorter anagen phase. At the end of the anagen phase, the hair will usually fall out. The hair follicle will then remain dormant for about 2 – 4 months before a new strand begins to form and then the anagen phase can start all over again.

From the explanation above it can be seen that hair growth actually has to do with the roots of our hair i.e. our hair follicles. So as long as our hair follicles continue to grow hair, our hair will grow. It therefore appears that trimming or cutting your hair cannot send a message to your roots to produce longer hair. Now let us look into how trimming your hair can actually help our hair as regards growth and retention of length:

After a trim my hair looks fuller and healthier

Trimming gets rid of split ends: Split ends are not good for your hair and actually prevent your hair from growing to its fullest potential. This is because when your ends split; if they are not cut off they can potentially split upwards which can affect the length of your hair. Hair that has a lot of split ends tends to not look healthy and may actually be quite damaged. In the end it is best to cut those split ends off to aid retention of length.

Trimming gets rids of damaged/broken ends:Our ends may not necessarily be split but they may be still damaged or broken. To prevent damage to your ends please refer to this post hereDamaged ends could be caused by over processing e.g. someone who keeps on getting their entire hair including the ends relaxed all the time. In a situation where your ends are damaged the best option to get rid of the damaged ends may be to cut off such ends, this may actually improve length retention in the long run.

Trimming should be done as needed: If our ends are trimmed too frequently, any progress that we may have made will not have a chance to translate to the length of our hair. It is therefore important to keep trims to the barest minimum for example every 3 months or less. Examine your ends, if you do not need a trim there would be no reason to get one. There may be times were only dusting of the ends is needed. For the difference between trimming and dusting and how to do both please refer to this post here.It is important therefore to maintain a healthy and proper hair regimen suited to you so that you can get away with less trimming. To promote hair growth and length retention when getting a trim only cut off what you need to. There is no need to cut off/trim ends that are perfectly fine and healthy except if you are going for a haircut.

Trimming reduces hair breakage: When you trim your ends as needed, your hair would be less susceptible to breakage. This is because when you have split/broken ends, they usually tend to remain that way or get worse. This could lead to a situation where any form of manipulation may result in more breakage. For example whilst detangling or styling your hair you may experience breakage, at this point it may be important to get a trim. Notice that anytime you get a fresh trim, you experience less breakage/shedding. This could be because the ends are fresh; so they do not tangle amongst themselves to result in breakage.

Trimming gives the illusion of thicker/healthier hair: There is truly no point hanging on to dead/uneven ends. You will find that after getting a trim your hair appears thicker and it is easier to hold a style. It also improves the overall look and feel of your hair.

I can therefore conclude this post by stating that although trimming your hair does not make your hair grow, in the long run it can actually lead to longer and healthier hair.

I would love to hear your views about trimming. What is your take on it? How often do you get trims? Or do you prefer to dust?

PS. Kindly refer to some of my articles on Bella Naija if you have not done so already, I provide some excellent tips in my articles here and here.

TONKA, xoxo

“And he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in your weakness”. Therefore most gladly I would rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me”. – The Holy Bible, 2 Cor 12:9 (NKJV)