If you’ve ever had longer hair, you have probably experienced this before. It can tend to get pretty dead at the ends when in between haircuts, and if you don’t really have a hair “style” per se, it can be easy to go a long time between cuts without noticing too much of a difference. However, this can work both for and against you when it comes to your hair’s overall behavior and appearance.

I’ve done this multiple times since I do wear my hair on the longer side. The shortest I’ve ever gone is a ‘lob’ cut which is a very blunt shoulder length hairstyle. And it usually happens every couple years when I just can’t take my hair any more, and need to do something drastic to kick start it into health again.

And Guess What – It Works!!

I let my hair grow way too long recently, and kept giving myself micro-trims. Related: Can Micro Trims Improve Your Hair's Appearance? Micro trims are a great way to help keep your hair healthy and fresh in between real haircuts. Plus, other than the cost of a good, sharp pair of hair cutting shears, it’s free!

But micro trims will only get you so far. My hair got to a point where I suddenly looked at it one day and was like, nope this all needs to come off – a lot of it! And my usual hair dresser was booked solid for a month. So I went to a walk-in salon and just asked them to give me a very blunt cut.

I asked for 4 inches off. That may not seem a lot if you have Rapunzel-length hair, but for my shoulder blade length hair, it took it to just above my shoulders.  And they gave me exactly what I asked for, with no frills. 

No hair washing/conditioning, no wetting. Just sat me down in the chair with dry hair, and snipped off several inches of hair. And I felt may hair was immediately rejuvenated and lighter. It’s amazing what a little more drastic length off can do to help make your hair full of life again.

If Your Hair is Not Living – Can It Really Be "Healthy"?

Hair is actually a very interesting type of tissue, if you want to look at it that way. The hair that is visible (ie the hair shaft), which grows out of the follicles where a root is alive and sprouting the hair you see on your head, is not actually living. The root and follicles are biologically active, living things whereas the stuff that we see on our head that gets all that attention, care and focus, is not even technically alive!

So you can see why it might be challenging to keep hair healthy looking, especially as it gets longer. The longer your hair is, the more you need to give it TLC because it’s been just hanging out with nothing to feed it other than what you put on it. Related: Porous Hair? There are Remedies for That!

Hair does not have a blood supply or anything like that, it’s just “there” for decorative purposes. And it’s all on us to put products on it to keep it looking like it is something that is living and vibrant. This is why a hair cut can really freshen up the appearance of the hair – it helps to give it some shape and levity so it can be bouncy and light again. You may even see some fresh wave and body after taking several inches off since there isn't as much weight to pull on the volume and curl.