8 Tips for Improving Your "Search and Destroy" Trimming Technique

"Search and Destroy" trims are perfect for on-the-go hair maintenance. These custom trims are great for those who wish to grow their hair longer, faster. But there are some mistakes that can make the search and destroy trimming method more damaging than helpful. The following list of Dos and Don'ts will help you prevent common search and destroy trimming blunders.

8 Big Search and Destroy Dos and Don'ts
Finding no split ends is always a good thing! But unless your hair is 100% perfect, you've probably got some split ends playing hide and seek with you! These tips will help you search and destroy with better results!

1.) Don't rush through your "Search and Destroy" trim.
This is the Golden Rule! Everyone has splits. Everyone! Give yourself at least 2-3 minutes to really inspect the lower 2 inches of hair. Split ends can occur up higher on the hair shaft, but most linger near the older, hair ends. Slowing your trim down will help you catch the smallest split ends and will also prevent the common problem of trimming non-splits. Trimming non-splits tends to occur with longer, flowing hair that tends to fall while you are isolating a strand, or in hair that just likes to stick together.

2.) Do: Try rotating the hair section and viewing your hair ends from a variety of different angles. Fan your hair ends out, and carefully isolate each hair you wish to trim. Make sure you have clearance for your scissors. Don't rely on your manual dexterity to weave the scissors through your hair. Up this close, angles have a funny way of shifting. When this happens, perfectly good strands may be snipped inadvertently. Still don't see any split ends? Try searching and destroying another inch or so upshaft.

3.) Don't use dull shears/scissors to "Search and Destroy" the hair.
Using dull scissors or shears to trim the hair actually pushes hair around between the blades. This creates a jagged cut rather than a clean one. Hair with a jagged end cut is more susceptible to future splitting and damage than a hair that has been cleanly cut.

4.) Do: Invest in a pair of small, sharp, quality shears that you can dedicate to hair trimming. Using your hair shears for other purposes can dull the blades. Ideally, small shears (nose trimmer types) are best for searching and destroying. Searching and destroying is all about isolating single strands. Big bulky blades can capture more hair than you want.

5.) Don't "Search and Destroy" dirty hair.
Sometimes product buildup on the hair can masquerade as trichorrhexis nodosa. (Trichorrhexis nodosa is the medical term for those little white "balls" or dots you see along the hair shaft where the hair often bends at an unnatural, hard angle). Those are splits that need to be cut using the Search and destroy method. But if you move too hastily, you may actually end up trimming some innocent hairspray gunk or lint rather than actual split ends!

6.) Do: Make sure your hair is clean prior to searching and destroying. Dirty hair can trick you into cutting perfectly fine strands that just have a little gunk on them!

7.) Don't "Search and Destroy" with poor lighting.
Proper lighting is important for detecting split ends. If your hair is freshly trimmed, you likely won't have very many splits to handle. But if it has been some time since your last real trim and you are searching and destroying, but not seeing any splits, your lighting could be the problem.

8.) Do: Vary the lighting source you use to search and destroy. Natural sunlight seems to uncover the most splits.

Final Word
Search and destroy trims are the ultimate in hair damage prevention and split end management. Snipping splits before they break or unravel on their own is essential. You should be the one controlling how the split end "meets its end." Follow these search and destroy tips and watch your trimming technique improve. You'll keep MORE hair on your head, and you won't "fear the shears"!