How Long Should You Go Between Hair Cuts If You Have Long Hair?

So one thing I have noticed over the years is some woman and girls with long hair go months even years with out cutting it.  Why do they do this I asked myself?  The reasons I am always given is because they are growing it out or they want it to stay as long as possible. I totally get it ladies, I am feeling the long hair right now too and am even guilty of leaving it too long between cuts.  This can happen very easily for a couple reasons, it is easy to get away with it because long styles hold their shape a lot longer and when it gets it to the long length you want you might not be sure what to do with it.  So what is the problem with leaving your hair for long periods of time without getting it trimmed or cut?  When hair is left the ends will eventually start to break and split.  Split ends can actaully be seen if looked at closely.  Over time that little split end will run up the hair shaft resulting in many inches of damaged hair.  Damage hair has a very dull, flat look and will cause your hair to knot and split even more.  I always suggest to my long hair clients to come in every 2-3 months even for a small trim to keep those split ends gone.  There is an old wives tale that says that if you cut your hair it will grow faster...well even though it might seem that way that is not what is actually happening.  What is happening is you are getting rid of damage, keeping your hair strong and preventing breakage.  Another thing to consider when growing your hair out to the desired length is if you have been trying for a while and your hair never seems to pass a certain length it probably never will.  Hair grows for a period of time and for each person that length of time is different.  And each individual person grows hair at a different pace as well.  So if your hair grows 1 inch a month for 2 years then you will only be able to grow 2 feet of hair.  On average hairs grow between 1/4 of an inch to 1 inch a month.  The amount of time can really vary from 2 - 10 years.  One of my clients questioned that saying "then how come I could grow my hair to my waist when I was a kid.?"  My response was "because you were a lot shorter:)"  So don't worry ladies getting a little snip sooner then later will help your lovely long locks. 
Long, short, straight or curly, I believe that the best looking hair is healthy looking hair!