Long hair - hair cuts

[SardineJam]

I had overprocessed my hair so much in my 20s that I got to a point of having to cut it all off because it was in an awful condition due to bleach and never cutting the ends.
Growing my hair since has been a long and arduous process but I actually really like my natural colour (who'd have thought?!). Up until a few months ago my hair was about 10cm below my bra strap but not in great condition because I have been reluctant to cut it because I wanted long hair. (Since getting my hair to about shoulder length I was probably only having a trim (a few cms max) maybe once a year.)
I have been to the hairdresser 3 times this year so far and it has paid off because my hair is in a great condition but she cuts off about 10cm each time - which is heartbreaking for me. I have my hair cut in a "U" shape now, and longest length is bra strap length.
Long haired ladies, how often do you cut your hair and how much do you have cut off? Lower back length hair seems like such an unreachable goal at the moment 👎👎

If you really want to grow your hair long you probably need to do trims yourself. Invest in proper hair cutting scissors and watch you tube videos for some great ideas on serif trims. I just dust my ends periodically now. You also need to avoid doing whatever damages your hair. For me that's avoiding silicones like the plague. My hair is now very long (bum length) --- leaving it alone is how it got there.

Which shampoos and conditioners do you use babymouse? I've never really found a product that works well (also i don't colour my hair or use heat on it, so it probably is through washing that it gets wrecked)

I use Aussie Volume shampoo and conditioner, and I probably have a trim once every 2 or 3 months - I have a hairdresser friend who usually does it for me, but have also had another friend just straightens the ends with a trimmer. If I leave it longer than 3 months between trims it gets wispy ends, look much healthier with a blunt cut. I've also used Aussie Luscious Long - but the Volume seems to work better, for me, as my hair is finer now (I'm 58) than it used to be, although there's still a lot of it - finer as in individual hairs, not thinner as in fewer hairs. It comes to the bottom of my bra now - maybe 4" off waist length - and, to be honest, is a right pain to wash and dry!

Yes, I definitely get the wispy ends look (up to 10 cms worth) and that's what she cuts off each time, so what I grow ends up being cut off, which is disheartening!!
I also struggle for any sort of volume so do have longer blunt layers too.

I'm very much "wash and wear", my hair dries really quickly naturally so the longer length maintenance doesn't bother me too much

I use L'Oréal Extraordinary Clay conditioner and a selection of silicone free shampoos. It's the conditioner that makes it out breaks it with my hair - there are some silicone free conditioners that wreck my hair so it's been a try everything process.

There’s no point in growing your hair whilst it’s in a poor condition. If it’s splitting it will just continue to split. You would be far better off keeping it at its current length and getting it trimmed every 12/13 weeks. When it is in a better condition, that’s the point to grow it down. It’s also worth bearing in mind that everyone has a natural maximum length, beyond which point the hair will not grow until it is trimmed again.

This was my last effort at growing my hair...