Ah, haircuts. Not only are they one of the most common appointments booked in the salon, they’re also one of the ones that bring in the most questions. And we don't blame you---there is a LOT of information out there!
So how often should we get our hair cut? How do we keep our hair healthy while growing it out? Should we style our hair before we arrive? Luckily, May, a Lead Stylist who specializes in cutting hair, is filling us in on the need-to-know details for success both during and in between haircut services.
Q: How often should I get my haircut? Why?
A: Your stylist will give you the best individual plan of action, but generally speaking, it really depends on your hairstyle.
With a shorter style—a fade, a pixie cut, something like that—you’re going to want to be in the range of every four to six weeks. (For longer pixies, you might only need one every eight weeks.) This will help maintain your shape and make sure it doesn’t start to feel too shaggy in the interim.
For bobs to mid-length styles, I would say every eight to ten weeks, again, just to make sure that shape is staying nice and clean for you, especially if you have more of a blunt-cut style.
Anything longer than that, think long layers or longer shags, I would say once a season, or once every three months, is good. With longer styles, you really don’t need to come in too frequently. Those shapes tend to hold their style longer, so you have a bit more leeway. They just grow out really well and typically don’t need as much attention in between. Some clients can even go every six months; it really just depends on your hair and what you’re doing to it day-to-day.
Beyond reasons for maintaining the shape of your haircut, you’ll want to come in on a schedule because it helps to make sure that any damage or split ends don’t work their way up your hair. If you’re heat-styling at home, for example, that can cause damage, so you want to make sure you’re getting ahead of split ends. Even if you’re not somebody who’s heat-styling, your hair is exposed to various elements all day—we’re going into summertime, that’s some heat on your hair—that can lead to damage. Coming in for regularly scheduled cuts just maintains the healthiest hair possible.
Q: What if I’m trying to grow my hair out?
A: If you’re growing your hair out, I would say once-a-season cuts are good. If you’re coming in more frequently than that, you might just end up cutting off what you’ve grown out over that timeframe.
The caveats to that are:
-if you’re growing out a short style like a pixie cut, you’ll want to come in more frequently for neck trims. Not an entire haircut, but just maintaining your nape so it doesn’t start feeling too overgrown.
-if you’re working through some damage on the ends or just some compromised hair, even if your hair is already a bit longer, you might want to come in every eight weeks just to keep any breakage at a minimum.
Q: How can I ensure there’s an appointment available when I need one?
A: Prebooking is the best way to do that for sure. I hear a lot from my clients that they are really happy they prebooked because it will get to the time when their hair is telling them they NEED a haircut, and then they’ll look at their calendar and find an appointment already on the books, so it’s kind of just peace of mind overall. It also ensures that you’re not all of a sudden one week realizing you need a cut and there’s no availability. It kind of just helps your future self out.
Q: How can I keep my hair healthy between haircuts?
A: Keeping your hair healthy between cuts definitely starts at home. Listen to what products your stylist is recommending. You want to make sure you’re using a leave-in. If you heat-style your hair, you want to use a heat protectant. Use a shampoo and conditioner that’s appropriate for your hair type, so if you’re experiencing dryness, the HYDRATE-ME.WASH and HYDRATE-ME.RINSE is great. If you want more volume, you can go with the ANGEL.WASH and ANGEL.RINSE or PLUMPING.WASH and PLUMPING.RINSE (available in salon!).
You can also do treatments at home too. The Fabulous.Hair.Shit Scalp Treatment from Ginger & Maude is awesome because it’s balancing for your scalp, which is important for hair growth if you are trying to grow your hair out, and it just adds a lot of moisture and nourishment to your hair itself to help keep damage at bay. You just really want to make sure that the products you’re using correlate with the outcome you’re wanting, and that you’re focusing on preventing damage versus repairing damage.
Q: How should I prepare for my appointment?
A: To prepare for your haircut appointment, I would say two main things:
1. You’ll want to come in with your hair relatively clean and styled how you normally wear it. This is especially important if you have a very specific style you like or for things like bangs or if you like your face-framing a certain way. It gives us an idea of what is going to work for you.
2. The second thing is if you have any inspiration photos, those are great to have on hand and ready to show at the beginning of your appointment.
If reading this has made you realize YOUR locks are in need of a bit of cleanup, schedule your next haircut online or by calling/texting 971.267.4080!