Trim Your Own Hair

There is no reason to pay a hair dresser $40 to trim your hair unless it is really short and layered. People who do it cheap usually do it lopsided. Needless to say, I cut my own. There are two methods I use to cut my hair. Method One cuts it more or less straight across but a little longer in the front. This is great for people who wear their hair up most of the time because it is even when you pull it back. Method Two makes more of a V or U shape that looks great when it's down. (see also Layering Your Own Hair)

To cut your own hair, you will need hair scissors (no more than $15 for a good pair) that are really sharp and used exclusively for cutting hair. Dull scissors cause split ends by crushing the ends of your hair instead of cutting them cleanly. You will need one hair tie/elastic and a comb. Do not ever use elastics with metal on them for any reason. You also need a wall mirror and a hand mirror. That's it.

Method One is the ponytail method. Wet your hair and comb it all straight back into a ponytail at the nape. Use the mirrors to check and make sure that it's right in the middle. Tuck your chin and pull the hair tie with both hands down toward your desired length. If you pull with one hand it will end up crooked. You can reach behind your back and pull it the rest of the way down your back if your hair is long. Grab the hair tie firmly in one hand and pull it to the front or at least to where you can reach it. Do not attempt to cut it all in one chop. Cut it in layers below the hair tie. Remove the hair tie and check it in the mirror to make sure it's straight.

Awesome Tip for Method One: Not sure how it's going to look? Start with dry hair and do everything before the cutting step. Wet your hair from the elastic down and then let your hair loose. Now you can imagine what your hair would look like if you only had the dry part.

Method Two involves parting your hair down the middle and cutting both sides evenly. Wet your hair and part it down the middle, checking with the mirrors to make sure it's straight. Tie off one side to keep it out of the way. Look straight forward and tuck your chin. The angle that you're looking down will effect the angle of your V shaped hemline. Comb your hair straight down toward the floor. Starting from the hair closest to your neck, cut parallel to the floor, being careful to not tilt your head to the side or change your angle in any way. Comb down the other side of your hair. Pull down a piece of hair closest to your neck and measure it to the piece closest to your neck on the side you already cut. Snip it there so you know what length you're working with. Do the same thing in the front. Cut a straight line between those two points. Check it all to make sure it's the same length with the mirrors. Done.

Awesome Tip for Method Two: Squeegie your wet hair between two flat palms to make it stick together in a straight line for easy cutting.

Troubleshooting.

1. I used method one and I got an inverted U.

You didn't tuck your chin far enough.

2. I used method two and it came uneven.

Measure twice, cut once.