I feel compelled to write this to prevent anyone else from cutting off hair that is neither split nor broken. Many people when looking at their hair notice a lot of little flyaway hairs that make the overall affect of a fuzzy halo. Because this fuzzy look is not what goes with "healthy" shiny hair, they assume them to be split ends. This is not the case. All of those little free fliers are, more than likely, "baby" hairs.
The growth cycle of each individual hair follicle is as follows: "The first three phases — anagen, catagen, and telogen — cover the growth and maturation of hair and the activity of the hair follicles that produce individual hairs. During the final, or exogen, phase, “old” hair sheds, though usually, a new hair is getting ready to take its place"(Roland). Which means that every single hair that is growing on your head had to start at the very root and grow out. With the timing, which varies from hair to hair, of this cycle one can assume that not every hair will be grown all the way out to its full length. Because, the new "baby" hairs are not nearly as long, and have a very tapered end, they tend to not have the weight to them to be able to lay down. This causes the halo of fuzz effect when they stand out.
Now to the point I was originally aiming to make. Please, for the love of all things, stop trimming these hairs. I am speaking specifically of when a stylist or oneself chooses to hold hair or twist strands so these little "babies" stick out and then proceed to cut them off. When you do this, you are not helping the situation, they are still "baby" hairs and now they are a half inch or more shorter than before, which means that they will still stick out, but now with a blunt cut end and a half inch less hair. And every time you take the strand of hair and do this process you are only making the hairs shorter, you will never get to the end of seeing the little poking out hairs. The only place you should find "split ends" and damage is in the last inch of the overall hair length. You can recognize this area by the rough texture and change in color/shine. Generally speaking you will only have to trim the last half to full inch of hair on anyone. If there is damage that far up the hair shaft, it will be from chemicals or heat and will be accompanied by the same markers(rough texture/color change/etc.) and easy to find. If the hair that is poking out has a pointed end, it is a "baby" hair and should not be trimmed off.
This has been a public service announcement brought to you by the kind staff at Coiffeuse Extraordinaire. I only want what is best for your hair, please stop cutting off the new growth.
-Roland, James."What Are the Four Stages of Hair Growth?", Healthline, Cobb, Cynthia. Healthline.com, 25 Sept. 2020, www.healthline.com/health/stages-of-hair-growth
