The Truth About Trimming for Hair Growth

When it comes to hair growth, one of the biggest myths in the natural hair care community is that frequent trims are required to see progress. For years, I believed that trimming my hair regularly was the secret to long, healthy hair until I stopped trimming altogether.

When I went several years without cutting my ends, that’s when I actually noticed the most growth and length retention. This experience completely changed how I think about trimming and maintaining healthy hair.

Do You Really Need to Trim for Hair Growth?

Many people believe that you must cut split ends to prevent breakage and promote hair growth, but this is not entirely true. Trimming doesn’t make your hair grow faster. Hair growth happens from the scalp, not the ends. What trimming really does is help remove damaged or split ends that could travel upward if left untreated.

However, if your ends are healthy and you’re taking good care of them, trimming can actually remove inches unnecessarily. The real secret to hair growth and length retention is keeping your ends sealed, moisturized, and protected.

How to Maintain Your Ends Without Constant Trimming

The key to longer hair isn’t in the scissors, it’s in your hair care routine. Consistently moisturizing your strands and sealing your ends with oil can help lock in hydration and reduce breakage. I like to “lather” my hair with a rich moisturizer, then seal the ends with my nourishing oil blend before putting it into a protective style.

This process helps prevent dryness, frizz, and split ends while promoting healthy hair growth over time. When your ends stay strong and protected, you retain more of the length you naturally grow each month.

When a Trim Is Necessary

If your hair is severely damaged from perms, bleach, or constant heat styling, then a trim might be necessary especially if your ends are breaking faster than you can retain length. However, for most people with healthy or mildly dry ends, regular moisturizing and protective styling can make trimming far less frequent.

My Hair Growth Journey

Since starting my hair regrowth journey earlier this year, I haven’t trimmed my ends and I don’t plan to for at least another year. As I share my updates along the way, you’ll be able to see whether delaying trims truly helps with hair growth and length retention. Stay tuned, I’ll let you be the judge!