Dear CurlyNikki: What is the most effective way to trim? Do you ‘Search and Destroy’, clip the ends of twists, or straighten to trim, or go to a salon? How often do you trim? How do you know when the time has come?
Dear Charrise: My hair is fine and wavy (mostly s curls with a few coils”>. I conduct Search and Destroys and on occasion, will clip the ends of my twists. It depends on the condition of my hair. If my curls are acting a donkey and tangling and snagging, no matter what I do, I’ll snip the ends of the twists prior to rolling them for a Twist-n-Curl (I do this a few times a year”>. Usually it’s a micro trim (less than an inch”>, but sometimes I’ll chop off more (like last December”>.
I conduct Search and Destroys whenever I happen to grab a curl and can see more than a split end or two without straining. I do this while sitting in front of the TV, or standing in the bathroom mirror… even while on the Internet. The lighting in all three situations is perfect! After snipping a few, I become anal and my sessions can last more than an hour. I cut just above the split and apply moisturizer as I go. After I finish a S&D, I’m usually on my way to re-style, because it leaves me with a frizzy, undefined mess.
So yeah, I trim when detangling becomes more difficult than usual, and when I too easily run across split ends.
Also, I buy my hair shears from Target, Sallys, Walgreens, or Ulta. I never spend more than fifteen dollars and ONLY use them for my hair. I threw my shears away in early January because my preggy hormones were making me reach for them more often than usual. I’ll probably buy another pair in August.
