Should you cut your own hair?

The hack
Can “micro-trimming” your split ends make your hair stronger and longer, and help you cut down on trips to the hairdresser?

The test
Split ends, caused by the hair shaft becoming brittle and weak – often from heat styling or chemical processing – are incredibly annoying and very common. In fact, I once found a strand of hair with seven split ends: it was like finding a four-leaf clover – except it wasn’t.

Much like a piece of rope, over time the ends become weak and eventually fray, so in theory cutting them off can prevent further fraying and improve the overall strength of the hair.

I do have a few pointers, though. First, you need very good lighting to see the splits; and you also need some very sharp hairdressing scissors.

If your hair is curly like mine, it may be easier to straighten it first (which is bad for your hair, but consider this a one-off). Next, take a section of hair roughly 5cm wide and hold it between your index and middle finger – you should be able to see the shorter bits that stick out. Now, simply trim across the lock and snip off those pesky split ends. Et voilà!

The verdict
A hard yes. This is something that I do regularly, about once a month, in between my usual six- to eight-week trims at the salon.