hair

A CLEAN CUT

photo kim smith

It’s a new year, which usually means we go back to the gym and get a haircut in order to get off to a fresh start. But what happens after that first haircut of the year? How long until you go back in to get it cleaned up? Every time I cut someone’s hair, I discuss the “expiration date” with them on their way out the door. Because every single haircut is different. You cannot generalize all haircuts with a 6-8 week time period. Here’s my basic breakdown…

• Short cropped hair: 4-6 weeks. Super short (pixie) hair can even need some love and attention at the 3 week mark! Think about it– if the hair is roughly 1″ all over, it can nearly double in length within one month. Really short hair can be low maintenance in the mornings but higher maintenance as far as the cut goes.
• Short or long bob: 4-6 weeks. If you like to keep your hair between your chin and your shoulders, you know that when it hits your collar bone it will start to flip outward due to the natural curve it follows. If your neck is long, you get to go a little longer. If your neck is short, it’s going to hit your collar bone sooner. Keep that in mind.
• Layers: 6-8 weeks. A lot of us get layers to remove the “triangle” that shows up when the haircut grows out. Once the layers are lowered and inch or two from where they started, they don’t move the same. The removed weight comes back and the triangle/bell shape returns. Time for a cut!
• Textured shaggy layers or razor cuts: 4-8 weeks(depending on texture). Curly/wavy hair typically gets longer slower, so you can lean closer to the 6 or 8 week mark if the ends aren’t too split. For straighter hair, you’ll need to clean up a shaggy or razored hair cut every 4-6 weeks. Also keep in mind, razors aren’t as sharp as a good pair of scissors. That means you’ll probably get split ends sooner than you would with a scissor cut. But scissors can’t do what a razor can do texture-wise, so it’s a bit of a catch 22. If you like shaggy or rough texture, proper maintenance is key, otherwise it can get quite messy looking, and not in a good way.
• Medium to long hair: 8-12 weeks. This is the most flexible hair length as far as cut maintenance goes. You can honestly just go in when it feels too heavy or when you notice a lot of split ends. My clients who have medium to long hair usually come in every 10-12 weeks because most of them are growing their hair out. However, in between cuts, my clients book appointments for a gloss or deep treatment to seal their ends down temporarily and hold them over. Due to the fact that this length is the most low maintenance, it can always use lots of love at home (ie: conditioning treatments)!
• Long hair: 6-8 weeks. Please don’t go too long. Keep your hair in check. I’m just going to say it… excessively long hair can appear dry, brittle, unhealthy and shapeless. Hair grows 3/4 of an inch to 1 inch per month on average. Cutting a full inch off every month and a half will still leave your hair super long, but not too long. Please remember that really long hair needs extra love and attention on the ends as well. Try applying coconut or jojoba oil on the ends before bed, sleeping on it, then shampoo and condition as usual in the morning. Jojoba oil is the closest thing to our own natural oils and your ends need that!