How often should you really get a haircut?

Every stylist has heard the question. The honest answer is that it depends on your hair, your length, and how much heat you put it through. Here is a plain guide we give clients in the chair.

Short hair

If you wear a structured short cut, you will see it lose its shape in about four to five weeks. Book every four weeks to keep the outline clean. Push to six and the back starts to grow over the collar.

Medium to long hair

Longer hair does not need a full cut as often, but it does need the ends addressed. Every eight to twelve weeks is enough for most people. If you heat-style daily or color your hair, lean toward the shorter end of that range. Split ends travel up the shaft once they start.

• Color-treated hair: trim every 8 weeks.
• Heat-styled daily: trim every 8 to 10 weeks.
• Air-dried, no color: 10 to 12 weeks is fine.

Growing it out

This is the one people get wrong. If you are growing your hair long, you still need a dusting every ten weeks. Skipping cuts does not make hair grow faster. It makes the ends break off, which cancels out the growth. A small trim now saves length later.