The Trim - How often should you really be cutting your hair?
How often should you really be cutting your hair? The recommendations on how frequently to cut your hair seem to vary greatly.
Some stylists advocate the 6-week cycle, while others say you can go as long as 3-months between chops if you’re moisturizing regularly and not subjecting your mane to an aggressive styling routine.
So what’s true? Not surprisingly, the answer is different for everyone and depends on the texture, oil, length and style of your locks. You know you need a haircut when ends start to fray, your cut looses its shape or it becomes difficult to remove tangles and knots. If ends start to split, do head to the salon ASAP as split ends can travel up the entire hair shaft, leaving them thin, brittle and impossible to repair.
Keep in mind: if you’re trying to grow your hair for length, you need to space out the trims and cut less than you’re growing (obviously). With that being said, here are six common cuts with the corresponding maintenance recommendations.
Tight curls: 3 months
People with tight curls don’t need to shampoo as often, so hair naturally stays more moisturized. Also, because of the bounce of the curl, it takes longer to grow length, so cuts can be spaced as far as 3 months apart if split ends aren’t an issue.
Long, straight hair: 9-12 weeks
If you have a low maintenance cut and aren’t exposing your locks to daily blowouts or hot styling tools you might be able to wait 3 months. Start checking in with the ends around 9 weeks.
Long layers: 6-8 weeks
For long layers the aim is to maintain length and keep the face-framing pieces in place. This will vary depending on how fast your hair grows. You’ll know it’s time for a cut when you start looking overly shaggy or limp.
Bob: 6 weeks
If a bob is cut properly, you can get in a good 6 weeks before it’s time for a trim. Especially since long bobs (or lobs) are in vogue these days.
Short: 4 weeks
Pixie and bowl cuts need more frequent maintenance to stay looking neat and sharp. If a 4-week cycle seems too much, keep in mind each visit to the salon will be shorter and easier than less frequent visits. You can schedule regular trims in advance.
Bangs: 2 weeks
True, thick, straight bangs need to be touched up every 2 weeks. The trim should be quick and easy, but necessary if you want to avoid looking like a Chinese temple dog and walking into walls.
