How often should I trim my hair?

Emanuele Bortolotto
Sep 10
5 min read

Updated: Sep 11

There’s a scam that’s been haunting humanity since the dawn of salons: the myth of the “six-week trim.” Every hairdresser whispers it like a biblical commandment: thou shalt return every month and a half, or else the hair gods shall smite thee with frizz.

I once believed it. Back in Torino, my barber convinced me I’d go bald if I didn’t sit in his chair religiously. I was 16, broke, and handing him money that should have gone to espressi and Rhapsody (not yet of Fire) CDs. Fast forward to Finland, where a single haircut can cost more than a week of groceries, and I started questioning the dogma.

If hair grows about one centimetre per month, and the stylist trims two centimetres every six weeks… mathematics reveals a cruel truth: you’re running in place.

So here’s the real answer: frequent trims are not the secret to hair growth. They can actually prevent you from gaining length. The smarter principle is: trim only when your ends start to feel tangly or rough. Everything else is just salon propaganda.

Why trims matter (but not on a calendar) ✂️

Let’s be clear: trims have their place. Hair is dead once it leaves your scalp. The cuticle is your armour. When it frays, splits can creep higher under stress, tangling, snapping, and leaving your ends rougher than a Finnish road in April after the snow melts. God I hate those little rocks everywhere.

But the fact that trims are necessary sometimes doesn’t mean they’re necessary frequently. Cutting hair that isn’t split is like sharpening a sword that’s already razor-keen — sure, it looks professional, but you’re wasting steel.

The six-week mantra started because stylists love uniformity. It keeps their schedules predictable, their espresso machines humming, and their tips flowing. But for your hair? Trimming without reason just robs you of length.

The condition-based rule 🔍

Instead of living by a calendar, live by feedback from your strands. Here’s your diagnostic:

Run fingers down your ends. Do they glide smooth or catch like Gollum scrambling over rocks? If smooth, no scissors needed.
Brush test. If the brush snags mostly at the bottom, it’s trim time. If it flows like Light's endless list of names on the Death Note, you are golden.
Moisture test. Condition your ends. If they still feel straw-like, damage is present.
Visual split check. Y-shaped ends = non-negotiable dusting.

Otherwise? Keep growing.

Hair type timelines (if cared for properly) 🌍

Straight & fine hair

Fragile, prone to splits, but easy to detangle. With gentle care, can go 12–16 weeks before trimming.

Wavy & medium hair

Durable enough to last 16–20 weeks if heat and bleach are minimal. Tangling at the ends is the true red flag.

Curly & coily hair

Curls mask unevenness. Many go 4–6 months between trims. Dusting is enough unless ends knot into fairy tangles.

Bleached, coloured, or fried hair

This category lives in permanent “high maintenance.” Bleach lifts cuticles like a Skyrim bandit trying to rip off your armour. You may need trims every 10–12 weeks, but still—judge by condition, not the calendar.

Why salons push frequent trims 💇

Let’s be cynical for a moment. Why do stylists insist on the six-week law?

Money. More appointments = more revenue. Shocking, I know.
Control. Frequent cuts make it easier to maintain sharp lines, especially on bobs or pixies.
Myth inertia. Like the belief that carrots improve night vision (WWII propaganda, not nutrition science), the trim myth stuck because it sounded plausible.

Don’t get me wrong—I respect hairdressers. Cutting layers that don’t look like Zoro’s random sword slashes is an art. But let’s not confuse business models with biology.

Finnish winters vs Italian summers on hair health ❄️☀️

This is where geography gets personal. In Italy, humidity keeps hair flexible. Even split ends seem less dramatic—like they’re too lazy under the sun to unravel fully. In Finland? The air is so dry in January it feels like you’re living inside a desiccant packet. Combine that with wool scarves and constant hat friction, and your ends break like your new year's resolution on the 15th of January.

That’s why in Helsinki, people think trims are always urgent. But the truth is, what’s urgent is moisture and protection, not scissors. Microfiber towels, silk pillowcases, leave-ins—these extend your hair’s lifespan even in -20°C wind.

Hair science meets routine 🔬

If you want to avoid trims, your routine must actively defend your ends.

Wash smarter 🚿: shampoo only at the scalp, condition mid-lengths to ends. Preserves cuticle.
Microfiber press 🧴: press water out, don’t rub. Cotton towels shred fibres.
Detangle carefully 🪮: start at ends, move upward. Use flexible bristles.
Heat discipline 🔥: lowest setting that works. Flat-ironing daily at 230°C = self-sabotage.
Oil as polish 💧: one drop to ends after styling. Any more is marinade.
Protect at night 🛡️: silk pillowcases reduce friction. Sleeping on cotton is like rolling in sandpaper.

With these habits, you delay split formation. That’s how you stretch trims to months instead of weeks.

Questions from the Internet 🤔

Does trimming make hair grow faster?

No 🚫. Growth rate is controlled at the follicle, not the ends. Trimming only prevents splits from stealing length.

How do I know it’s time?

When ends feel rough, tangly, or visibly split—even after conditioner. Smooth = keep growing.

Can I skip trims for a year?

Yes, if your care is impeccable. Many long-haired people do it, braiding daily and oiling ends. Just be ready for a dusting when tangles arrive.

Should men trim differently?

Short cuts (fades, buzzes) are style-based, so trims stay frequent. Long hair? Same rule as women: trim by condition, not calendar.

What’s dusting?

Snipping just the very tips (1–2 mm). Looks like nothing, but removes the splits before they worsen. It’s the secret weapon for length goals.

Alternatives and caveats 🎭

Protective styles: Braids, buns, updos reduce friction, extend trim-free periods.
Clarifying shampoos: Use occasionally to remove buildup that mimics “dry ends.”
Extensions: Tape-ins stress natural ends, requiring more dusting. Hand-tied wefts are gentler.
Curly vs straight hair: Straight shows damage sooner. Curlies can disguise unevenness.

What happens if you trim too often ✂️🚫

Here’s the part salons don’t advertise:

You lose length faster than you gain it.
You may feel stuck in the same mid-length purgatory forever.
Your hair becomes conditioned to blunt lines, making it harder to grow into natural layers.

I had a friend who trimmed every six weeks for a year. Result: his hair grew exactly zero centimetres. Meanwhile, a Finnish guy I know didn’t cut his hair for 14 months, lived on black coffee and rye bread, and looked like Marko Hietala, previous Nightwish bassist—but his hair? Past his shoulders, no problem.

Conclusion 🎇

So, how often should you trim your hair? The old answer was “every 6–8 weeks.” The new, smarter answer is: only when your ends demand it.

Tangly, rough, split ends = trim.
Smooth, healthy, cooperative ends = leave them.

Avoid trimming for trimming’s sake. Focus on care—washing smarter, minimising heat, silk protection, oil discipline—and you’ll stretch trims to months, even half a year. That’s how you escape mid-length purgatory and finally grow the mane of your Skyrim Dragonborn dreams 🐉⚔️.

And if you want to push your care routine even further, check out my piece on the science of how shampoo actually works. Spoiler: you’ve probably been lathering wrong your entire life.