Despite our best efforts to care for our hair with the right products
and treatments, there are times when it just does not act or feel
right. Our products may no longer work like they used to and the feel of
our hair may scream damage despite its healthy appearance. When that
happens, we may be baffled, but sometimes the answer is as simple as
examining our ends closely. Damage caused by every day wear and tear,
heat styling or simply the age of our hair can cause it to act out. A
simple trim may fix it, but some of the damage may still be there. Why
not consider doing a mini chop and cutting two or more inches off at
your next trim?
Read On!>>>
What Can You Fix With a Mini Chop?
Split ends
Trichoptilosis, more commonly known as a split ends,
is caused when the protective cuticle at the very end of the hair
becomes damaged causing it to split into two or more strands. Damage
resulting in splits can come from day to day wear and tear, and once you
have them, they cannot be repaired. The best course of action is to
trim the hair to get rid of them. Small trims that remove the last ½ an
inch from the hair are good, but the problem is that many naturals can
attest to having seen splits that are inches up from the end of the
strand. It would be impossible to check each strand for splits, so it’s
best to give your hair a thorough trim to get rid of most of them.
Single strand knots
A single strand knot is created when the hair curls in on itself and
creates a knot along the length of the hair. For the most part, these
knots do not really pose a threat to the health of the hair and are
barely noticeable. They do, however, affect your ability to detangle
since the knots make the hair tangle prone. Also, the ends of the hair
may feel rough and single strand knots may be more apparent when doing
stretched styles like braid and twist outs when the ends of the hair
refuse to become smooth. As with split ends, a small trim may rid you of
the single strand knots lower down the length of the hair, but they
have also been known to form several inches up the hair shaft.
Getting Rid of Damage
Over the years, anything from heat to poor hair care and a lack of
strengthening treatments can cause our hair to weaken and become
damaged. Over time this damage worsens, and since the ends of our hair
are the oldest, they are more than likely the most damaged. Those ends
are usually frizzier and duller than the rest of our hair, so rid
yourself of those dead ends with a mini chop to improve the look of your
entire do.
Here are some things to keep in mind when doing a mini chop:
- Removing that much hair can leave it uneven if not done properly. If
you are a DIY curly, trim gradually trimming less than you desire, then
more and more as you become more confident with your trimming skills.
It’s best to use this method, because if you cut too little, you can
always go back and cut more, but you can’t put it back if you cut too
much.
- Use hair shears to cut your hair. I cannot stress this enough. Using
ordinary blunt scissors can do more harm than good and cause more split
ends to develop.
- Finally, after your mini chop, expect to have smoother silkier hair
that will detangle like a dream. You”ll also have to use less product to
get your hair to cooperate.
I hope this article helped a curly in need. As always, remember to have love, peace and curly haired bliss.
