Growing your hair long: cutting the damage without losing the length

A women's haircut at Hair Shak Salon Miami starts at $258 and takes 45 minutes, with Shak from start to finish at 300 Alton Road in South Beach. If you're growing your hair out, say so the moment you sit down. It changes what gets cut.

The part about split ends nobody likes

A split end can't be repaired. Serums and "mending" products coat the hair so the split lies flat and looks better for a while, and that has its place. The split is still there, though, and it opens again after a wash or two. Left alone, a split can keep running up the strand, which is how a small problem at the ends becomes a bigger cut later.

The better news is that taking off damage doesn't have to mean taking off length anyone can see.

What a cut for long hair should do

When you're growing hair out, the job of a cut is to keep the shape working while the length catches up. Sometimes that's a small amount off the bottom. Sometimes the ends look thin because the rest of the hair is heavier, and the answer is in how the weight is shaped rather than in the length. On our haircuts page Shak puts it simply: length, weight and shape, worked with how your hair falls.

Tell him how long you want it to end up, and by when if there's a date. You'll hear what has to come off now and what can wait.

How often to cut while it grows

There isn't one number that suits everyone. It depends on how fast your ends wear out, and that depends on what your hair goes through. Bleach, hot tools and a Miami summer in the pool all wear ends faster. Ask while you're in the chair and you get an answer for your hair instead of a rule from the internet.

Slowing the damage between cuts

General advice, for any long hair:

• Turn the flat iron down, and use a heat protectant before any hot tool.
• Brush from the ends up, gently, and go easy while the hair is wet.
• Rinse out salt and chlorine before they dry in.
• Sleep with your hair loose, or in a soft tie or a braid, instead of a tight elastic.

If your hair is already dry and rough from bleach or the sun, ask about a treatment at the same visit. The hair repair treatment is $95 to $150 and the FUYA protein hair repair treatment is $258.

Booking

Call +1 305-494-7128, or leave your details on the haircuts page and we call you back. There's one stylist here, so the person you tell "please don't take much off" is the person holding the scissors. Parking at 300 Alton Road is free for salon clients, and we're closed on Saturdays.