How To Cut Your Own Hair: Don’t Look Like The Three Stooges

One thing the plan demic showed us was personal care doesn’t always have to be farmed out. Many people probably don’t know that most hairstylists always trim their hair since they have the understanding and education of how to do it properly. Since the policing of the world happened, a lot of hairstylists and barbers started making Youtube videos to show people the most effective way to do their own haircut without completely messing it up, and no, they weren’t a bunch of Flowbee commercials.

Learn How To Cut Your Own Hair

There are five elements of hair design to consider before you go snip-snip: line, form, space, texture, and color. Here are some helpful tips on how to do your own haircut if you have to. That is unless you are more of a Steel Magnolias fanboy than you’re willing to admit. To quote Dolly Parton, Truvy: “I don’t like her. I don’t trust anyone who does their own hair. I don’t think it’s natural.” Just kidding, we know you’d never admit how many times you can quote those old Southern dolls.

Stay Inside The Lines

Everything is on a Grid. The first step is combing your hair into the style you want when the haircut is complete. Lines, lines, lines. Men probably know this more than women due to shorter haircuts and being able to feel the clippers against their scalps. There is a grid and lines the barber or hairstylist must follow, whether you’re getting a fade or not. Lines create the shape, design, and movement of the hairstyle.

One way to make this foolproof is to buy a curved silicone band. Place this bad boy around your head like a sweatband and follow the curvature while changing your clipper guide every time you move the band. Easier still, you can start with a longer level, such as a 3 or 4, and use that from the neckline to the middle of the head and move from longer to shorter for your fade.

Have Good Form

A general outline of a style is the mass of a good hairstyle. It is three-dimensional as it accounts for length, width, and depth, just like furniture. Interesting how important the silhouette is of the overall design that we all respond to first. The form should be in proportion to the shape of the head, face, neck, and for the ladies shoulder line. I know there are some guys with long hair this will matter too, but if we are still allowed to pretend that women usually still rock the longer looks that involve more style and shape, then again, that one is for the ladies.

Make sure you use a handheld mirror to check the back and sides from each angle. Don’t be obsessive about it, but check each section from a few different angles before moving on.

Understand Your Space

Positive and negative space. So wait, I really will need some of that algebra and geometry in my life I learned in high school? Yup! We are more aware of the positive space versus the negative space in hair design, but you will want to know when you have holes in your hair so pay attention. Especially you men with your long locks. A hairstyle must look good from every angle. Remember that your space includes curls, waves, straight, or combination hair.

Men pay attention to the thinner spots and cowlicks. Ladies, these problem areas usually happen more behind the ears and down the neck at the curvature where the neck meets the shoulder. Too much layering or tapering can cause holes in this area and make you look like a bad Halloween wig. You need to understand your hair, to know how to cut your hair.

Understanding Texture

Design texture is huge when cutting hair. The blond with thinner stands and super straight hair vs. the brunette with thick, wavy, or kinky hair has to seriously consider the wave patterns before taking that first slice. For example, straight hair reflects light better when cut a single length and can look flat and not much fun.

For the guys, when cutting the longer part of the hair at the top of the head, it can be as simple as brushing and then running your fingers through and trimming off the end. Some will cut the tips where they are starting to have a slight curl, which will help the longer hair lay better if you’re not looking to lose too much length.

World Of Color

Hair color plays an important role, more than some of us even realize. If you have naturally darker hair, you can rock a much shorter haircut and still feel that you have a full head of hair when you look in the mirror. On the other hand, our blond brothers go too short with the levels on the clipper, and you will quickly look bald, which is a sad fate if that’s not the look you were going for.

If you feel like giving yourself a haircut after reading this, I encourage you to do so. You should also watch a few videos like the one referenced in this article. Videos will explain more than a written step-by-step with something as artistic as a haircut/style. Also, one last tip, pick the video or article that breaks it down to the simplest form for your brain to understand, as we all learn differently. One stylist’s method will make more sense to you than others, which is the one I suggest you go with. Good luck, and remember, it’s only hair; it will grow back.