The difference between a trim, a cut and a restyle

A trim keeps your shape and takes off half an inch to an inch. A cut reworks the shape you already have, so your layers, outline and length all get adjusted. A restyle is a new shape altogether. Three different jobs, three different chair times, three different prices.

Clients book a trim and then describe a restyle to me once they are sat down. It is not a problem, it just means we either run over or you leave with less change than you wanted.

The short version

A trim keeps the existing shape and removes half an inch to an inch.

A cut reshapes what you have. Layers, outline and length all get worked on.

A restyle changes the shape completely and needs a consultation first.

Cut and finish is £42 to £55 here. A restyle is £60.

Hair grows about 1 cm a month. Most people trim every 8 to 12 weeks.

What a trim actually is

A trim is maintenance. I take off half an inch to an inch, tidy the ends and put back the shape that has grown out. Nothing about the style itself changes.

Hair grows at about 1 cm a month, which works out at around 15 cm a year. That is why the ends start to look thin and see-through somewhere around the ten week mark. A trim takes the worn part off before it splits further up the hair shaft.

In the diary a trim sits inside a cut and finish, so it is the same booking. Cut and finish is £42 to £55 depending on the stylist and how much hair you have.

What we mean by a cut

A cut is a reshape of what you already have. The layers get re-cut rather than tidied, the outline moves, and the length usually comes up by more than an inch.

This is the one most people actually want when they say trim. If your layers have grown into a solid block, or your fringe has crept past your eyebrows and is driving you mad, that is a cut and not a trim.

Cut and finish is £42 to £55 and the finish is the blow dry at the end, so that is in the price. A blow dry on its own is £28 to £35, and a curly blow dry is £30 to £38. The full price list is on the site.

A restyle is a different job

A restyle means you leave with a shape you did not walk in with. Long hair into a bob, one length into a proper layered shape, a full fringe added, a grown-out pixie given some structure.

It is £60 and it needs the time. We talk first, look at your pictures, and I will be straight with you about whether your hair texture will do what the photo is doing. Sabrina and Sheree work the same way.

The consultation is the bit people want to skip. It is also the bit that stops you sitting halfway through a change you are no longer sure about.

Trim, cut or restyle: which one do you need?

Ask yourself one question. Do you want your hair to look like it did six weeks ago, or do you want it to look different?

Same shape, just shorter, book a trim. Same idea but it needs sorting out, book a cut. Genuinely different shape, book a restyle and say so when you ring, so we can put the right amount of time aside.

What you do between appointments decides how long any of the three lasts. The American Academy of Dermatology advises limiting blow drying and flat irons, and using a heat protectant when you do style. Ends that have been cooked come off sooner, which puts you back in my chair earlier than you need to be.

Booking it

Ring 01582 730381 and tell us which of the three you think you need. If you are not sure, describe what is annoying you about your hair and we will work it out on the phone. You can also book online.

We are at Shop 660, Jansel House, Hitchin Rd, Stopsley, Luton LU2 7XH. Open Tuesday and Wednesday 10 to 8, Thursday 10 to 6, Friday 10 to 3, Saturday 10 to 4:30, closed Sunday and Monday. Klarna is there if you would rather spread the cost of a bigger appointment.

And if you have been quietly booking trims for two years while wanting something else, say it out loud. That is what the consultation is for.