New Haircut! Getting Rid of Stringy ends + Tips for Low Density Curls

I’m so excited to share my new haircut with y’all! It’s been WAY overdue.

Why I Cut My Hair

I finally bit the bullet and got quite a bit cut off to help with my thin ends. I’ve struggled with the balance of wanting long hair, but also having fullness at the ends. Since I have low density/thin curls, I’ve come to the realization that perhaps it’s best that I don’t have long hair. My curls clump together well, which is great, but that can also give the appearance of just a couple curls in total. I never loved the look of my hair from the back because it looked so sparse as it got longer.

I also wanted to remove the damage on my ends and the old highlighted strands I’ve been growing out. After the My Mane Bio hair analysis I had done, they explained to me that I had about 3cm of damage. Those damaged ends were such high porosity that I was easily losing protein and moisture.

I’m not sure exactly how much my hairstylist trimmed, but I know I saw a couple inches removed from the curls that we’re hanging so much longer. I think it’s normal for curls to grow out somewhat uneven, so getting regular trims to freshen up your shape are ideal.

What Haircut Did I Get?

I’ve never had a Devacut or an official “curly cut” where the hair is cut dry, curl by curl. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to find a curly hair specialist in my small town, so I’ve always gotten a traditional wet cut. Luckily, I love my hairstylist and she understands curls and knows that a little trim goes a long way because of shrinkage.

We started with my hair dry (I had previously styled it), and my stylist cut straight across the bottom to even out the curls that were hanging much longer than the rest. This evened out the hemline and moved the “V” shape that my hair always tends to grow in. I asked for more of a “U” shape to the hemline.

Then after the dry shaping, she washed my hair and did a regular wet “blunt” cut to even everything out and help my ends appear thicker. Last time I got a haircut we did long layers, which is a slight difference in the top section’s length. However I found that it made my curls look thinner on the lower layer. Instead, I asked that she keep it mostly all one length. She also asked if I wanted face framing pieces again, which is just where the very front pieces are a bit shorter and then tapered down to the bottom. I found this also made my ends appear less full, so we skipped it this time.

After the wet cut we styled and dried, and we were then able to double check if everything was even across the back. I LOVED the results and could instantly feel a difference in my hair.

Curly Haircut Tips

• Always go into your salon with your hair dry, and styled with product the way you normally wear it. It also helps to have your hair parted straight, and how you usually wear it.
• Show your stylist photos of your own hair when you liked how it looked, or photos that show the change that you want. I showed my stylist a photo of the back of my curls where you could tell how uneven the hemline was, and I had drawn on it to show where I wanted it cut.
• Bring inspiration photos of other people that have similar hair to yours to give your stylist a realistic idea of what you are wanting done. I wouldn’t make sense for me to bring in a photo of someone with thick, high density, long curly hair and ask for that.
• Always make it clear how much you are wanting them to cut. If you want a simple trim to remove split ends but retain length, ask for a “dusting” which just moves a tiny amount. If you’re getting a traditional wet cut, it’s ideal to go to a stylist that understands how much curly hair shrinks up once it’s dry so they don’t cut too much.

Tips for Cutting Thin Curly Hair

• Ask for a “blunt” cut where the hair is cut straight across instead of vertically, into the hair.
• Never get “slicing” or thinning done. Some stylist may do this when they are trying to reduce weight on the hair but that is for thick, dense curly hair.
• Layers may help add volume, but will thin the ends out if you don’t have very thick hair. Long layers are a better option if you want a layered cut.

How to Avoid the “Big Chop”

I was never brave enough to get a big chop when I started transitioning to the curly girl method. Instead, I got frequent trims as my hair grew. However with doing this gradual transitioning, you can’t be using heat or bleaching your new growth. I stopped straightening my hair, stopped coloring it and highlighting it, and got trims every 8 weeks. I finally feel like it’s the healthiest it’s been yet.

Changes

Holy smokes, where do I start?! My hair is SO much easier to manage since I got it cut. The first thing I noticed was how easy styling was. It wasn’t tangling up as I was applying my styling products so I had less shedding. It was so easy to detangle too. When the cuticle is raised on damaged ends, it causes friction and the hair to stick together, making a tangled mess.

Refreshing next day hair is a breeze! I wake up with less frizz and tangles. It’s easier to refresh with just water when it’s not so tangled. I also was able to air dry which I NEVER did previously because I needed the diffuser to help shrink my ends up to make the back hang evenly.

Now, I don’t have to use as much heat when diffusing to try and get shrinkage, and I don’t have to make direct contact with the diffuser. Before, this was causing so many split ends. Now I can hover the diffuser the entire time to reduce heat damage.

Overall, I’m so happy I cut and wish I didn’t wait so long!

Do you struggle with thin curls and sparse ends? Do you have short, medium, or long hair?

Watch my video on Signs You Need a Trim for more on curly haircuts.