Drop The Dryer: Trimming Your Ends

This week's Drop The Dryer is all about hair maintenance and trimming your ends. Nikita of My 12 Month Natural Hair Challenge drops knowledge about when, where & why:

No one likes when people have scissors close to their head. Why? Because the people with the scissors are often scissor happy. Unfortunately, you can't avoid the scissors forever. At some point, you need to get your ends trimmed because your hair, much like a tree, needs to be pruned so it can continue to grow in a healthy manner. A split end can ruin an entire strand. So how often should you be getting your hair trimmed? When do you know it's time to go in? How do you trim your ends without straightening you hair? I have some answers.

How often should I get my hair trimmed?

There are many different opinions on this. Naptural85 trims her ends about every 8 months according to one of her videos. Some people do it every 3 or 4 months. Personally, I trim mine every 2 months and will not go any longer because without fail my hair will begin to split at that point. Basically, it's different for everyone, but I'm pretty secure in saying that there is no need to get your ends trimmed every month. Every 6 weeks is the shortest amount of time to go in between trims in my opinion. Also, if your hair is suffering from heat or color damage you may have to get your hair trimmed more often so your strands don't split up the shaft.

When do I know it's time to go in?

I think Nicole Hollis of Hair Liberty put it perfectly on Curly Nikki:

"These are a few signs that your hair is overdue for a trim:

• When your hair is wet, the ends clump together like very thin threads. You have to wash and detangle in small sections.
• When your hair is dry, the ends catch on each other and knot easily.
• You find single strand knots often (knots can happen anywhere on the strand, but they are signs that something in your routine is causing problems and you should be getting trims at least every 10 weeks).
• If you straighten your hair, you feel like you have to curl your ends under because they look “raggedy” when hanging straight.
• If you straighten your hair, the upper portion of the strand smooths out easily, but the ends seem to require extra passes (the ends should need the least heat, not the most)"

Single strand knots are a great indicator. I actually go on "search and destroys" for them sometimes.

How do I trim/get a trim without straightening my hair?

I had this question myself for a long time and it was actually my main reason for thinking that going without heat was impossible. How was my stylist going to trim my ends without straightening my hair?! Well, your stylist can do it quite easily (my stylist gave me the "of course I can still trim it silly" look when I asked lol). You just need to make sure that your hair is as stretched as possible. Some people attain a stretched state with heat (blow dryer or blow dryer/flat-iron combo), but it can also be done by doing a twist-out/braid-out and then detangling, or by using water.

Some people like to trim their hair themselves. I am not one of those people at the moment and may never be one, but below is a video that can show you how some people go about trimming their ends:

  

I really hope that was helpful to you all. Let's keep our hair healthy!

Drop The Dryer: Show & Tell!

This week's "Drop The Dryer" featured diva is Savonne Whitfield from Oakland, California!

Savonne Says:

I've never had a perm in my 24 years of living but I have always kept my hair flat ironed. I miss my curl pattern- so I'm on a mission to get it back! I have a very dry scalp so Dr. Miracle's works for me until I find an awesome all natural shampoo that works the same.

I use African Pride Olive Oil moisturizer lotion right after a wash. OR I use both Shea Moisture products (as seen in the picture) immediately after a wash.

I part my hair in 8 sections (6 in back & 2 up front) two-strand twist each section and roll them up in long cushion rods/twist rods. I wrap my hair with a silk scarf around the perimeter of my head (leaving sectioned rodded hair   Exposed I then put a silk bonnet on top of that. Sleep over night and take it down the next day.

Gorgeous Savonne! Thanks so much for sharing. Have a heat-free style you want to share? Email dropthedryer@gmail.com with a pic and a few words about how you achieved the style!