How Often Should You Trim | Kelly Beauty Supply

Why hair seems to stall

Hair grows from the scalp at a fairly steady rate, roughly half an inch a month for most people. If the ends are splitting and breaking off at the same pace, the length never changes, and it feels like the hair has stopped growing when it is actually growing and losing at the same time. Trimming removes the damaged section before the split travels further up the strand, which is how you convert growth into visible length.

What dusting is

Taking off a very small amount, an eighth of an inch or less, just enough to remove the frayed tips. Done every couple of months it keeps ends sound without sacrificing length, and it suits anyone actively trying to grow their hair. It is not a substitute for a real trim when the ends are genuinely damaged, but for maintenance it is the gentler routine.

Search and destroy

Going through the hair strand by strand in good light and snipping individual split ends where you find them. It is slow and it appeals to people who cannot bear to lose length. It works as a supplement between trims and does not replace one, since it inevitably misses more than it finds and leaves the ends uneven.

Trimming stretched, not shrunken

Textured hair must be stretched to be trimmed accurately. Cutting shrunken coily hair produces an uneven result that only reveals itself when the hair is stretched later. Blow-dry on low with a comb attachment, band it, or have it done after a blowout. Trimming twist by twist is a common method that works well on coily hair and keeps the shape even.

Signs it is overdue

Ends that tangle far more than the rest of the length. Single strand knots that keep reappearing. Hair that looks thin and see-through at the bottom while the roots look full. A style that will not hold at the ends. If detangling has become noticeably harder over a few months and nothing else changed, the ends are usually the reason.