How Often Should You Trim Your Hair?

By Jonna Scott-Blakes

If you want healthy hair, regular trims are essential. No one is exempt from experiencing split ends and hair breakage. Normal wear and tear, exposure to the elements, and just hair getting old can all be rough on the ends of your hair, since the ends are the oldest part of the hair strand. But the question is: how often should you trim your hair? 

Most of us have heard the time frame "every 6 to 8 weeks'' when it comes to trimming your hair, but many hairstylists disagree. Since your hair strands get longer at the same rate each month (around half an inch), trimming your hair more often won't make it get longer any faster. Depending on your level of breakage, you may need to trim more than usual each time.

As a general rule of thumb, many experts suggest an average time frame of 3 to 4 months between trims. This gives your ends adequate time to get longer before your next cut, reducing the need for unnecessary trims in the meantime.

However, there are many factors that might make the time between trims vary from person to person, from overall hair health to length, texture, & much more, so let’s take a closer look at those factors to help you decide when it’s time to trim your hair.

If your hair is healthy, getting a trim about three or four times a year should suffice. This is more of a preventive measure to maintain healthy ends and prevent split ends before they even start. I get my ends trimmed by my hairstylist whenever the seasons change as a way to ensure I stay on schedule. This also gives my stylist a chance to assess the health of my hair, recommend treatments I might need, and address any concerns if my hair isn’t doing well.

If your hair is fine, then more regular trimming is necessary, because fine hair is more fragile and splits more rapidly. Consider trimming every five to six weeks to retain more length and keep your ends looking healthy.

Since curly and coily hair is more prone to tangles, it is important to trim regularly, because a split end will tend to curl around itself and lead to knots. With natural hair, oils have to travel further to get to the ends, so they tend to get dry, and dry ends equal split ends. If you notice your hair – especially the ends – are extremely frizzy, then you will know it's time for a trim. Some can wait up to eight weeks between trims, while others who wear protective and low-manipulation styles can go up to twelve weeks.

The rule of thumb for processed hair is to get a trim with every treatment. If you're getting your roots touched up, you should trim your ends at the same time. Color-treated hair tends to be drier, which can result in split ends and breakage more easily. The goal here, again, is healthy hair maintenance — trim those ends before they start to split.

Getting a professional haircut is not cheap, so don’t waste the money you invested by letting your cut go by the wayside. Based on the fact that your hair gets longer about half an inch per month, you’ll want to get a trim between three and seven weeks. This will help maintain the shape of the cut that you have, and keep your style looking fierce.

For example, if you have bangs, you might want to get them trimmed as often as every 2 weeks to keep them the exact length you want, but most people tend to extend that time frame to every 3 to 4 weeks to keep the bangs out of their eyes and to keep them from looking messy.

Or, if you have face-framing layers, you’ll probably want to stay on a 6-8 week schedule to best highlight your features and keep your layers nice.

Heat styling, coloring, and other chemical treatments can cause damage to your hair strands. If your hair is more prone to split ends due to damage from these treatments, then trimming your hair every eight weeks will help keep your hair healthy. If your hair is fine and more susceptible to breakage, then you may need to trim even more often. You should try our Babassu and Mint Deep Conditioner to help you strengthen your hair as well.

These are some general guidelines to follow when you are creating a trim schedule for your hair. Of course, seeking the guidance of a hair care professional is always recommended to ensure you are getting your hair trimmed at the right time for your specific hair needs.