What is it?

Hair dusting is a technique to trim split ends or thinning ends. All ends that appear damaged. It saves your hair length by cutting the shorter hair split ends above your hemline. This is the best long hair secret. You need to try this trimming technique to achieve long healthy hair. I’ll go into detail under Frequently asked questions.

What do I need? 

It requires hair scissors. These are my favorite hair shears. From the color and design, it’s like they were made for me. When I saw them at Sally’s, I gasped and bought my first expensive hair shears. Important to note you don’t need $60 hair shears. I used $15-20 hair shears for years. Whatever you do, do not cut anything other than your hair with them. Hair stylists use higher-end shears because they cut hair every day. You will only be trimming once a month and only your own hair. These Diane shears from Ulta are excellent and affordable. It was my pair before my purple ones.

How often should I do a hair dusting?

I’d say once a month if your only cutting the split or damaged hairs. I used to not do it once a month and only gaged when I needed it based on how my hair felt after brushing. If it was not smooth or tangles easily, I’d target those areas and just cut all hairs that stick out. I have the hair volume and could get away with it. Once a month seems to work well to keep the split ends at bay. See this post for my weekly haircare routine.

How do you trim?

There are two ways to do hair dustings. There’s the twisting method and the method over your index finger. I prefer using the finger method because twisting my long hair takes longer, and it’s more hair friction against my hair strands. 

1. Start by bringing your hair forward on both sides. Section your hair in small sections like the size you’d use to have a sleek straight hair look with a flat iron. 

2. Place your index finger as high as you can on the section and still see the hair over your finger. 

3. Use your thumb to press down on the hair section, and you’ll see hairs stick out. These are not damaged ends. The shorter hairs are because we have hair growth in all stages and thousands of hair lengths. Cut the hairs that stick out damaged by no more than one inch. Slowly bring your finger down in increments to have more new lengths stick out and trim the damaged ends. Continue all the way down the hair section. 

Repeat this throughout your hair in sections. Toss the hair you’ve already dusted to your back to separate the hair to prevent over-trimming, especially if your hair is thinner. 

Frequently asked questions

The comment section gets out of control when I post about the hair dusting technique and it goes viral, many cosmetologist-licensed individuals want to argue this isn’t good to do on your own. Don’t get discouraged, read this section.

I spend years going to hairstylist and coming home crying because some don’t measure an INCH. I used to believe the rule to cut my hair every 3 months, go in for a slight trim, and come home with all my growth lost. I know 100% I’m not alone in this. Even with the same haircare routine, trimming needs will vary from hair thickness to environment. Daily friction will wear thin hair faster than coarse hair. 

Hair isn’t a living organism—it’s dead. Stop believing you need to cut it on schedule and base it only when needed.

There’s no preventative measure for split ends by cutting healthy ends–hair grows from the scalp. The only prevention you can do is damage prevention from excessive bleach, rough hair brushing, excessive heat, etc. 

Why do hair professionals teach us to cut a perfectly healthy hemline to eliminate split ends in hair lengths much above the longest layer? Or cut 5 inches because the hair is “damaged” before a hair detox to see if product buildup caused the dryness.

In my 20 years, I visited salons, and not a single stylist did a hair detox and dusting before determining how much hair needed to be cut off.

Hair dusting is the best way to revive your hair without losing your hair length. There’s a new hair gadget with a similar concept, the split ender pro. I just bought it to review!

Will it make my hair grow uneven?

No, on average, we have 150,000 hairs on our heads. They all fall and grow at different times, so we have thousands of hair lengths. The longest hair length that you cut is your hair hemline. That can’t be affected by you cutting the split ends that are shorter than the longest length. 

Will it cause more split ends?

No, not unless you use full scissors. Only use hair shears and never use them for anything other than hair.

Is it safe for bleached hair? 

Yes, however, keep in mind that if you have extreme bleach damage, cutting the hair may still lead to hair-splitting.

Have any more questions?

Drop any new questions below in the comments. See tomorrow’s Instagram post for an updated video showing how the hair dusting is done! This video also explains it. If you enjoyed reading this blog post, please share and drop a comment. Let me know what other hair questions you want me to cover!

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