How often should your cut your curly hair? You can get away with cutting curly hair less often than straight hair, since curls can hide a lot of unevenness. Still, there is no one-size-fits-all rule on how often you should trim your curls – it will depend on your hair shape and length. My hair is shoulder length with layers, so I find mine needs cutting every 4 months or so, but I know curlies with nearly waist-length hair who can get away with cutting it every 6 months.

But if you’re not sure, there are some signs to look out for. Read on and see if any of these apply to you!

1. You’re getting split ends

This is the most obvious sign! The ends of our hair are the oldest parts of our hair, and as a result it has gone through the most wear and tear. The more damaged our hair gets, the more prone it is to fracturing, causing split ends, and the longer we leave those split ends, the more likely they are to split further up the shaft too. Trim your ends every so often to prevent this breakage from happening.

2. Your ends are getting tangly or straggly

If the ends of your hair are starting to look thin and straggly, or you’re suddenly getting more single-hair knots (aka fairy knots), this is also a sign that you need a haircut. The dryness and split ends mentioned above can cause the hair to lose its elasticity, causing a thinner appearance and sometimes causing hairs to tangle around themselves. Trimming off these straggly ends will keep your ends looking fuller, and help the overall health of your hair too.

3. Your curly routine stops working

If you have a go-to curly hair routine that suddenly isn’t giving you the results you expect, or your curls aren’t lasting very long, think about when was the last time you had your hair cut. It could be that the added extra weight and length, or the extra dryness at the ends of your hair, is affecting your results and making you lose your curls. Don’t forget that some hair types curl better when it’s short, whereas others need a bit of length before it starts curling properly.

4. You’re struggling to get volume

This is a big sign for me – if I look in the mirror and think “why are my roots struggling to curl? They’re practically straight!” I think about how long it’s been since my last haircut. Sure enough, it’s usually close to the 4-month mark!

Because my curls are quite bottom-heavy, the longer my hair gets, the more weighed down it gets. This means that my roots get flat and stretched out once my curls approach boob length. This isn’t a problem in itself, but I prefer how my curls look when they’re shorter, so I like to get them trimmed to help them spring up.

5. Your layers start looking blocky

If you have layers in your hair, they might start looking a bit square once they grow out, or perhaps they’re struggling to blend with the rest of your hair. If you want to keep your hair shape the same, it’s worth getting the layers re-shaped and tidied up every few months or so.

In my next post, I’ll talk more about curly cuts, how to find a curly hairdresser, what you should ask for and discuss with your hairdresser, and whether it’s best to get a wet or dry cut. Happy haircutting!