Let’s get it out of the way: you can cut your hair whenever you want… LOL. However, (you knew there was a but coming) if you’re wanting to keep your strands at their healthiest, then yes, how often should you get your haircut?
Let’s start with why we get haircuts.
· To maintain a certain shape.
· To keep it manageable.
· To keep it healthy.
· For fun!
There are certain types of hair textures and densities that may only require a haircut once or twice a year. There is no hard-set rule but here is a general guideline. Just keep in mind this will vary depending on your goals and the texture/condition of your hair.
· Pixie/barber/short styles, about every 4-6 weeks.
· Medium styles, anything that is just above or on the shoulder, about every 6-8 weeks.
· Long hair, anything past your shoulders and beyond, about every 8-12 weeks.
· If you have a bang/fringe, about every 2-4 weeks.
Shorter hair needs cutting more often because these cuts tend to lose their shape quickly. At about 4 weeks your hair has grown on average ½ an inch, it won’t fall as nicely, and it may be harder to style.
For medium styles and long hair, the shape is more forgiving as it grows out. Keeping in mind the condition and texture of your hair, if those ends are looking fragile, it’s time for a haircut regardless of it being 4 or 12 weeks.
These are called maintenance haircuts, you do them regularly to keep your hair healthy and to maintain the style and shape you want.
If you want to grow out a shape, you’d want to reduce the number of haircuts you’re doing. This doesn’t mean not cutting your hair at all. This would depend on the condition of the hair, keeping the ends clean but not cutting off everything you’ve just grown out.
While growing your hair longer, you may need a reshaping or treatment appointment. Work with your professional Hairstylist to assess a good cutting schedule to reach your goals.
Does your hair grow faster when you cut it? Hair grows from your scalp, so technically it doesn’t grow faster but regular haircuts will fortify the ends. This helps to prevent dry ends that start splitting/thinning therefore your hair will be healthier and stronger. Once hair begins splitting, the only way to stop them from travelling up the hair shaft is to cut them off.
Take note: There are plenty of products that say they repair split ends; this is mostly a marketing strategy. What the product is doing is “holding” or “filling” the split hairs together. While I love the right kind of products: that hydrate the hair and help to lock in moisture to reduce dryness and splitting, no product is going to take the split ends away. This is why maintenance haircuts are important. Keeping those ends healthy can help you avoid an unwanted drastic haircut.
If you find yourself in a situation where you have so many split ends your hair feels dry and damaged, but you don’t want to cut it then you might want to:
· Invest in professional quality products. These at best can help keep your hair manageable and replenish hydration to the rest of your hair.
· Avoid using hot tools whenever possible, including your blow-dryer.
· Potentially pausing any colour services specifically where lightener is involved.
· Consider doing some hydrating treatments either at home or in salon.
Questions? Ask me