A dusting can often be tacked onto a salon blowout or color service, and many stylists will charge you a nominal fee (or nothing) for it. By comparison, a true haircut or trim is something you need only do every three to six months, says Huffnagle, and its primary purpose is to reshape a grown-out cut.
A trim is cutting about ¼ to 2 inches off the ends of your hair. There will be no change in style or shape. It's just a removal of split and frayed ends. Simply put, this is a service that's meant to maintain your hair and make it healthier.
Instead, cut, dust, or trim your hair when it's dry so you can see exactly how much length you're removing. You probably only need a full trim every 3 or 4 months, if you have curly hair. In the meantime, dust your hair whenever you notice split ends, about every 6 to 8 weeks.
"Hair dusting is a technique in which you don't get rid of any hair length, but only the damaged hair tips. This can be done by snipping the very bottom of each hair strand. Think of it in terms of removing fuzz from clothes," Los Angeles-based stylist, Sal Salcedo, explained to Refinery29.
Generally, you can get away with dusting every 6 to 8 weeks unless you're going heavy on the heat styling. In that case, keep an eye on those ends and dust every few weeks. However, if most of your ends look fried, it's time for a trim to maintain the health and shape of your hair.
Dusting is important as it reduces your risk of sickness and allergies. While most types of dust don't cause severe illnesses, they can induce mild allergies and sicknesses. This includes: Coughing.
Signs You Need a Trim
"Split ends or dry ends are physical signs a trim is needed," says Amy Abramite. "The cuticle will look damaged and feel rough to the touch, be difficult to comb through, and tangle easily." Another physical trait to look out for are ends appearing lighter in color than the rest of the hair.
Hair dusting is a method of trimming hair without having to part with length — sort of like a baby haircut. “Its main benefit is to specifically remove dry or split ends,” says Colombini.
There are two ways dusting can be done. At home, you can just cut about 1/4 inch off the very ends of your hair. In the salon, stylists have adopted the technique of hair dusting along the length of your hair by clipping away any stray ends that peek out along the section.
If you want to keep your hair at the same length, get it cut every 6 to 8 weeks. But if you want to grow it a little longer, cut it every 8 to 12 weeks.
Trimming your hair actually encourages hair growth. It may sound counter-intuitive, but the appearance of broken and split-ends not only damages the look and feel of your hair, but it also contributes to the appearance of shorter hair and thinner ends. Freshly cut ends also help to de-tangle your hair!
For general dusting
All of the professionals we spoke with suggest dusting tabletops, counters, bookshelves and other smooth surfaces about one a week. They also all agree that the best tool for doing that is a microfiber cloth.
"Hair dusting – or surface cutting – is a technique that can remove all split ends, keep length and restore smoother, healthier looking hair," explains Hollie. "It's done by snipping the bottom of each strand to eliminate the damaged hair tip.
"Many stylists will select to wash your hair prior to cutting since most prefer to cut the hair wet rather than dry." This is especially true when you are looking to remove an inch or more from the ends, have curls or coils that could benefit from stretching before cutting, or are looking to add a lot more texture and ...
Unfortunately, you can't treat or repair split ends. So once the ends of your hair become damaged or frayed, the only way to get rid of them is to cut them off.
Here's the truth: There's no way to fully repair hair once it's been broken. "Products like split end menders, leave-ins, conditioners and treatment masks can seal the outer layer of strands so they temporarily appear smoother and less frayed and feel softer,” says GH Beauty Lab Director Birnur Aral, Ph. D.
Basically, if you don't have a trim, your split ends will run riot and likely split further up the shaft eventually snapping and making your hair short, which stops it from growing long. This way, your hair can continue to grow healthily from your roots, but the ends won't fray and snap shorter.
"If you don't cut your hair, it may appear to stop growing," said Vitale. This is because as the ends get older and split, those splits begin to travel up the hair and cause breakage. So those with long hair may feel like it stays the same length, due to the ends breaking at a similar point."
The science behind why damp dusting is more efficient than a dry cloth comes from the fact that a damp cloth introduces capillary force to the dust particles. In short, the damp cloth draws the particles in and lifts dust from the area instead of moving them around.
If you don't clean, your family could develop some serious allergies and breathing issues. An explosion of dust mites can cause symptoms such as nasal congestion, cough, watery eyes, a runny nose, and sneezing. Ignored symptoms can further lead to more serious conditions such as asthma.