For some people, going to the salon or barber shop is an enjoyable experience. For others, it is something that they would rather not do. Whether it is because of the cost or other factors, if you decide to cut your own hair, you should keep a few things in mind. Here is our hair cut how to guide:
For in-depth guidance on haircutting at home in a variety of styles, I recommend The Beginner's Guide to Cutting Hair. You'll gain the confidence to cut hair like a pro without costly trips to the salon!
Let's get started with these helpful tips.
- Wet hair is much easier to cut than dry hair. Start with freshly shampooed, tangle-free hair. Keep a bottle of water with a spray nozzle nearby so that you can dampen your hair if it begins to dry while you are working on it.
- Be sure that your scissors are nice and sharp to avoid pulling your hair. If you plan to cut your hair on a regular basis, it will be worth investing in a good quality pair of scissors, shears, or clippers designed specifically for use on hair.
- You might even want to get a RoboCut, a great haircutting system. No matter what style you choose, cut a little at a time, especially if you are a beginner. You can always cut it a little shorter, but once you've gone too short, all you can do is wait for it to grow back!
- Simple styles are best for home hair cuts. The easiest cut will be one length everywhere. Decide on an overall length (it's a good idea to measure your hair when you have a cut that you find especially flattering) and then grab your ruler. Working in small sections, comb your hair straight out from your scalp and hold a section smoothly between your index and middle fingers. Measure to the desired length and carefully snip off the excess. Continue in this manner until you have cut all of your hair. This method works equally well for both men and women, with long hair or short hair. The length of the chosen cut can vary from quite short to shoulder length and beyond.
- Do you have dry scalp and dandruff, or do you dream of regrowing hair? I recommend you strengthen the hair you have and regrow what you've lost using this ancient Indian remedy, known simply as the Herbal Hair Solution.
- You may want to start with a professional cut and then just trim about the same amount of hair from all areas of your head every month or two to maintain the style. Be aware that on most people, the hair on one side of their head grows faster than on the other, so if you choose this method, you will need to visit your stylist every now and then as the cut begins to get uneven.
- Another idea for a simple, yet attractive cut is to lean over and comb all of your wet hair straight forward. Smooth sections of your hair through your fingers and cut all hair in one straight line across. Be sure to work in small sections and continue from one side to the other. Double check to see that the cut feels pretty even and then stand upright. Part your hair in the middle and comb it straight down. Run small sections of your hair between your index and middle fingers to see if there are any long pieces. If you find some, carefully snip off the excess.
- If you have curly hair, be sure to cut your hair considerably longer than the desired finished length. Curls shrink up quite a bit as they dry, so you must allow for this. If your hair is very thick or coarse, hold very small sections of hair for trimming. Trying to cut too much hair at once, especially for thick hair, can make the hair bend between the blades of the scissors, instead of cutting evenly.
- For all styles, when you think that you are finished, be sure to check that the cut feels even everywhere. Simply take sections of hair from opposite sides of your head and gently tug them toward your eyes, nose, chin and jaw line to see that the sides are fairly evenly matched. Carefully trim prices that seem a little too long.
- For bangs, begin with your hair parted in the center. Using your comb, take an equal amount of hair from each side of the part line and comb it forward. Smooth the hair between your index and middle fingers and cut across, being careful to maintain a straight line.
- Currently, many men are choosing to wear their hair "buzzed" or cut extremely short. This cut can be easily achieved at home by using an electric hair clipper. These lightweight clippers allow you to set the blades to your desired length, ranging from completely bald to several inches of hair. By simply running the clipper across your head repeatedly, you will clip all hair to the desired length. For the easiest men's haircut of all, simply lather up with a thick shaving cream and shave your head smooth. This look is especially favored by athletes.
- One word of caution--keep it simple. If you are inexperienced at cutting your own hair and looking for a complicated style with many angles or layers, you will probably need to enlist the help of a friend to be sure that your haircut is even in areas that are difficult for you to reach.
- As you get more comfortable cutting your own hair, you may want to attempt more complicated styles. There are a number of terrific books and videos available that offer step-by-step guidance. A video can be especially helpful since you get to see the procedure in action and can replay it as many times as necessary to help you fine-tune your skills.
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Comments
I've tried cutting my own, concluding that I must be crazy. The instructions in the article are good, but practice on a very forgiving friend first.
Well, it's very, very hard to do. I prefer go to the hair stylist!
The instructions are good, but... if you really want a good hair cut, go to a hair stylist. :P
The article is well written, and provides basic info, but does not really detail how to actually give yourself a haircut.
Good tips, Elizabeth, thank you. I had problems with a cabelereira that put an end to my hair. Today I have fear of going to the living room, therefore, thank you for the hints.
My hairdresser told me about this one: When your bangs get too long, carefully comb just the bangs forward and twist them together directly in front of your face so that you have a pencil-shaped lock of hair. Trim a *bit* off with a good pair of scissors, then comb out the bangs to see how they look. If they are still too long, repeat the process. It works well between cuts.
I have tried it out. But trimming the hairs on the back side of one's head is really difficult. Even if you keep two adjusted mirrors, your hands are not flexible enough to make it comfortable. May be, after all, we cannot do without the barbers.
Good article! If I had read this one month ago, I wouldn't have contracted a cold from that hairdresser!
I've been cutting my own hair for years - used to do it in the shower (with a screen in the drain to keep the pipes flowing). Then I used a Wahl trimmer, but found that I couldn't find attachments longer than 3/4" and it was messy & left me itchy. Two years ago I bought a Flowbee and since then I've done my own and my hubby's hair - no mess, no itchy trimmings around the neck. It's more than paid for itself!
I like it since I too do the same way mostly for my hair is thinning and those neighborhood stylists will do according to their known style.I like your ways well.
Its a very very crazy thing to do as far as cutting your own hair is concerned!!! But definately it is worth trying once as it is also a form of adventure and the only thing out here is that you will loose your original identity hairstyle for a bit:)
A nice attempt!!!
A very nicely written set of instructions. However, the problem is, for persons who already have short hair and try to trim it uniformly, its really difficult. If you do mistakes then you have no option left with you. Especially for many men (and also for some women) who have short hairs, as rightly pointed out by Prosenjit in some earlier comment, cutting your back hair is not easy. No, I have not tried your instructions. But how can I try if I can not imagine the process of how to do it myself. Hair cutting in a salon is much cheaper in India, but the problem is the barber does not cut your hair as per your instructions. That's why anothe article on 'how to cut your hair' specifically designed for short haired persons might be very useful. However, I rate this article 'great' for its simple style of writing.
I have always tried to cut my hair but always ended up going to a parlor. Thanks for sharing the tips - very useful indeed!
Yeah you're right. Plus you save some bucks while you're at it. Great article!
Good, but would never attempt it. I once cut my sister's hair when I was in fourth grade. I cut her whole front fringe just in trying to keep the hair level straight. Got the nastiest rebuke from my horrified mum and my sis bayed for my blood..;-)..
Great article!!! Actually I really tried to do it and when I found I was not able...I ask my mother to read it and she did it on me....wonderful...I got a nice cut now!
He, He...I find this one amusing. This is quite useful for me because I just don't like going to the barber on a regular basis (they always seems to make me look bad afterwards) :-). Gotta try this. TY!
I tried to cut my hair once, but the result was one part of my head got hairless and i became a live joker in front of my class
It's a lot easier with the thick bushy hair of we negroes. I used to enjoy cutting my hair as a teenager. I used a lot of the tips you shared here. But honestly now with my workload at the office and a most energetic toddler at home, I'd really rather visit my barber!
i trim my own hair in between salon cuts to save money, but you defo need skills in scissors to do it right!
I am a hairdresser of 4 years and the last year has been really tough on my family because my wages have dropped considerably! One of the reasons is because the economy has changed and all industries of felt the lash of this! I suggest if you want to save money and gas wait longer between salons visits. Please don't try this at home though! You will end up in the salon having people like me fixing what you have done!! You will more that likely end up with a lot shorter cut than you anticipated too! We are here to help you not to make your life more complicated! When you use at home color no matter how good the box tells you how it is better for you it is not! Just go without color if it is too expensive for you. Most box colors are unpredictable and you may not know what is on your hair, so you wont know what kind of reactions you will recieve and if you have to go into the salon to have it fixed you will pay a lot more than you would probally like. So please don't demean my profession and think you can do it yourself! I take pride in what I do, and have a strong passion for it. If you look around enough you will find the right stylist for you and stick with them! They will take care of you and your budget!
I used to cut my own hair, and even though it looked good and no one could tell (at least they didn't say anything to me!) I decided that spending an hour in my bathroom fretting over whether it was even was way too much work. Now I go to a hairdresser and my cuts are faster, easier and nicer. Plus I get a nice scalp massage! Great instructions, though, for those times you're short on cash & can't justify a salon cut.
Although you are providing good tips, the results are far from being guaranteed as they depend on whom uses the scissors or clippers and how well they do with it. I intend to stick with the professionals! The only thing that I do to extend the time between haircuts if money is a problem, I trim around the ears.
i hsve tired cutting my own hair by reading this article thisa v....gud article........i have did bshort haircut for myself and its v...easy and i do this regularl and go to a perlour thrice in a month to have a hair cut for my thre daughter s and for my self . i jave also tired cutting hair of my daughters even thought they dont like but its important for a person to get a haircut atleast twice in a month tht will keep the hair strong and in style and now ii have opened my own parlour and now studying abt differnt hairstyles vv...easy
It's hard work, I would prefer a hair stylist. [Funnily enough, I don't need to because my sis does all my cutting and styling. She, for one, has learned all her cutting and styling techniques from the web. She so needs to see this article]. =D
Written very well... I cut my own hair on a regular basis and it turns out pretty good, my experience with salons has been worse than I could do on my worst day!
Great tips.. but i would say not for the beginners.. you can try it once, twice and thrice.. and fourth time.. its all your guide..
I have cut my own hair several times. Lately I was just letting it grow and wasn't sure what I was going to do with it. However, it gives me headaches when it gets long because of how thick and coarse it is. I finally decided I couldn't take it. I gave myself a great hair cut. In fact, it is one of the bests I have ever had and I have paid a lot of money to go to a hair stylist before. I also cut my husband's and son's hair. When I loose too much shape with my husband I send him to the stylist. I have been using an electric trimmer on my son, it goes faster which makes it easier with a two year old. Anyway...I think you did a good job with this article and if anyone sat down to follow the directions they would find it isn't as hard as they think!
Thanks, Danelle! When my kids were growing up, I gave them most of their haircuts. I usually cut my hubby's too, but like you, I send him to a stylist every once in a while to keep it looking good. I usually cut my own hair -- unless I plan to go really short and then I leave it up to the pros!
Hi Angela! Thanks for reading and commenting. In these uncertain economic times, finding ways to save money is becoming increasingly important for many of us. I'll be sure to take a look at your site!
I have long hair and have always cut my own hair at home, I think that the advice is great for people like me who have had a bad experience with a stylist and the trust is gone with the salon.
Thanks Brett! So many people cut their own hair--or the hair of family members--with terrific results, and I believe that there are many more who would love to try it, but are a little nervous about botching the job! As you've found, it's entirely possible to have great at-home haircuts without the cost or unpredictability of salon cuts.
The instructions are great, but I only cut my own fringe and the hairdresser does the rest I'm not brave enough to cut my own hair.
THE Instructions are good but if someone like me who has very long and heavy hair this does not work.
A realy good article. With long hair, rather than cutting it, try some updos - there are some vids on youtube which should help you
I have never met anyone who is able to accomplish this on their own.
This is helpful! I save money plus i can save my hair!
Well, i can also teach you how to improve your skin and make beautiful!
I think cutting your own hair is a great thing to do. Saves expensive haircuts!
A very useful article since I am planning to enroll, I have decide not to because after reading this article I tried it to my kids and it work well. Thanks.
I think going to a hair saloon is a better option unless and until you don't wish to take any risk with your hair styling :-)
Is it really possible to cut your own hair like a professional hair stylist.....??????
I agree that these are good isntructions but I'm afraid it's a little hard to turn into practice. I've done this a few times myself and also had friends cut my hair - sometimes with messed up results lol. My two cents is that if you're going for something a little more complex than 1 inch off go to the barber.
yes, hair should be trimmed at least every other month. if you could do it on your own then you'd be able to save a lot! nice tips!
Thanks for the instructions. I will try cutting my own hair now.
Thanks for this great article. For women, I think the best advice is to find a stylist who you really trust and stick with them for many years. For men and kids (and even women with short hair) you can save money by doing it at home, but instead of messing with clippers and ending up with a style that looks like a lawnmower cut it, use a professional cutter like the AirCut (aircut.com). I have used mine for years and it works very well.
I already tried cutting my own hair. But I end up going to a hair stylist because twas a disaster. I need more practice :D
I once tried cutting my hair. The result was so unappealing!..They make it look so easy on television!..From then on, I always go to the salon whenever I need a haircut..
I cut my hair last week. My Husband thought that I looked so hot:) Before cutting I really did a lot of research though.
I cut my hair last week. My Husband thought that I looked so hot:) Before cutting I really did a lot of research though.
With so many people's wallets tight these days. Learning how to cut hair can save you some pretty good pocket change ($$) Great post thanks.
