Cut Your Own Hair
If you are adventurous, or just need a way to hold on to a few dollars every month, one thing you might have thought of doing is cutting your own hair. With the price of Beauty Parlors rising, you can find that you’re now paying up to $200 to get your hair cut and perhaps even more to get it professionally styled.
Being your own stylist needs the precise instruments and some amount of practice before you get it right and will be difficult depending on the actual length of your hair and how you want to cut your hair. If you are honestly concerned about doing damage, its best to get your hair cut at a beauty salon then do the care yourself for the months that follow. If you are set to plunge head first into cutting your own hair, this guide will help. Always remember: Hair grows back, and in case of mistakes, wear a hat!
Required tools/materials:
1. Sharp scissors
2. Two mirrors (Hand mirror and a wall mounted mirror)
3. Combs, Brush
4. Shampoo/ Conditioner and detangler (If needed)
5. Towels
6. Old t-shirt
7. News Paper / Garbage bag
Instructions:
Step one:
Wash hair extensively and condition thoroughly. Use detangler if you have thick or kinky hair to make drying and combing out easier.
Step two:
Dry hair extensively using a towel or blow dryer.
Step three:
lay news paper or garbage bag on the floor of the bathroom and put on the old t-shirt.
Step four:
Determine the length of your style and use a feature as marker. For example, chin length, shoulder length just below the ears etc.
Step five:
For an straight cut: comb your hair out and let it settle as naturally as possible. Separate hair into 3 sections getting a center part that stops in the middle of your scalp and then a part that goes from ear to ear.
Step six:
Cut one side at a time, parting the hair into small segments cutting and then duplicating small strands with the length that was cut before. Continue this on the other side and for the back, employing the mounted mirror and handheld to checkout your progress.
Step seven:
For an at-home layered style : comb all your hair forward and then slowly cut a precise line across the ends. The hair closest to your brow will be the shortest and will increase in length as it moves towards the back. This cut will mask mistakes the best when cutting your own hair.
Tips and Warnings:
1. Always use extremely sharp scissors or professional hair stylist scissors as a dull pair will cause split ends
2. Do not cut your hair when it is wet. This is especially true if you have kinky and full hair. Stylists can predict how wet hair dries but if you don t have any past experience there s a bigger risk that your style will be off.
3. Keep combing through your hair as you go, this way there won t be errors due to tangled areas
4. Persons with extremely kinky hair may wish to flat iron or otherwise straighten their hair before cutting
5. Be willing to pay to have your attempt adjusted the first time you cut your hair alone.
6. Get assistance: If you want an super short cut, it will get difficult once you reach the back of your head. Ask a friend or family member for help in these areas if you’re having problems reaching or unable to see clearly with both mirrors.
7. At all times remember that hair grows back so don t worry about it if your style doesn’t come out perfectly.
Here’s more tips on how to cut your own hair.