Hair Cutting

[Vella]

Hey, all.

 

Was wondering - does anyone here cut their own hair?  And can it be done with short hair?  Precipitated by not wanting to find a hairdresser in my last, what, 10 days in Dublin, knowing I tend to put off the hairdresser's, and if I can do it at home, it will reduce the chances of me spending weeks with my hair annoying the crap out of me.

 

Also, I just cut my fringe because it was bugging the everloving crap out of me, and I want to assess my chances of messing up entirely if I DIY the entire thing.

 

For reference, my hair type is actually remarkably similar to that of my avatar, but a bit curlier.

[sheltiechick]

I cut my own hair, mostly just trimming up my bangs and the overall length/taking off split ends, or sometimes if I've gone a really long time between hair cuts I'll clean up the layers or put an extra layer in it.  I cut with a razor blade, rarely do I use scissors although I do have some.

I've done it for years and years, and had my share of "whoops... that's too short" moments too.  And curly hair is a bit harder to cut.  But if you're not scared of messing it up (you can always go to a professional and have them clean it up) I say go for it.  YouTube is full of videos on how to cut your own hair!

[I-Jo]

I used to shave my own head- and sometimes cut it-  the cutting didn't go well (short hair cuts are harder)

 

but the shaving was fine- I just used clippers on half my head- worked great. 

[67alecto]

I do, but it's a lot easier for me...a #1 or #2 guard on the trimmer and 5 minutes later I'm done.

[Vella]

I have honestly been very tempted to shave it - but I know I don't want to shave it all off completely, so it's kind of a matter of how long I can leave it while shaving.  Probably not going to be for me  My other concern is I have these amazing waves in it, and I really don't want to lose my hair-ripples.  Yes, I'm vain.

[CestLaVie]

I have longish (currently platinum) hair that I decided to give a trim to after several vodkas the other night... Put it in a ponytail and just cut off the ends then turned the scissors to face the hair (think a straight line) and had a few short snips to make it less blunt... Thankfully it turned out ok. If you're going to do your own hair, I recommend sobriety and taking it slowly - you can always take more off later.

[Red1263]

I've been cutting my hair since high school, and like 67alecto, for me it's pretty easy with clippers.

[KAllen]

I finally tried to buzz my own head the other day. Surprisingly I did a good job.  My wife, who usually does it, is probably going to make me do it from now on.  I might need to re-think this.

 

I shaved my head once for a convention.  That was harder than actually buzzing it.  Mainly because I was sporting my new Klingon headpiece and doing the bald Klingon thing.  Took forever and haven't done it since.  My wife shaved it a couple of times since, but mostly now I just buzz it. 

[Vella]

Is it possible to use clippers and still get longish hair out of it?  Like, maybe cut it down to two, two and a half inches?

[Red1263]

Is it possible to use clippers and still get longish hair out of it?  Like, maybe cut it down to two, two and a half inches?

Not sure, but I think you can with enough practice. 

[Vella]

Clippers with comb might work, from what I've seen?

[Koushiro]

You could probably do clippers with a comb and get it down to 2.5".  The hard part would be getting it even.  They make 1" guards for clippers, so it's definitely easy to do 1".  

 

However, I definitely second looking for videos on YouTube.  I've been cutting my hair since about 2008.  Of course, I'm a guy and it's easier to do guy cuts with clippers.  I just started with buzzing it all the same length with clippers.  But in June or so I decided to try something a little more complicated, making it way shorter on the sides and leaving it longer on top.  YouTube has videos that people have made for all kinds of hairstyles -- guys and girls.  It's definitely tricky doing it to yourself, but I actually really enjoy it.  I kind of wish some of my friends would let me try cutting their hair so I could get some more practice lol

[Vella]

OK, so I finally got sick of my hair and cut it today, in front of the bathroom mirror, with nail scissors.

Actually, it turned out pretty well.  I didn't miss a lot of spots, and I didn't end up bald in places.  I think I'm doing it this way more often

[Basement Cat]

Good job on the hair cut, Vella!

 

I cut my own hair too (can't afford a hair dresser).

 

I sometimes buzzcut, sometimes let it grow out and trim. It really depends on how annoying I find it at the time.

A few tips for next time:

1- Wet your hair before you cut to remove the curl factor, so you know you are cutting everything even.

2-Cut it a bit longer than you think you want it, that way you have room for fixes and adjustments.

3- Set yourself between two mirrors if possible so you see what you are doing in the back (tape them to the wall if you need, or use the bathroom mirror)

4- If you want to trim long hair, slick it back, stick a length of tape at the length you want (easier than hooking a bra ) and cut what's below.

 

Other than that, keep practicing! And bald is a perfectly acceptable do if you mess it up.

[Vella]

Good job on the hair cut, Vella!

 

I cut my own hair too (can't afford a hair dresser).

 

I sometimes buzzcut, sometimes let it grow out and trim. It really depends on how annoying I find it at the time.

A few tips for next time:

1- Wet your hair before you cut to remove the curl factor, so you know you are cutting everything even.

2-Cut it a bit longer than you think you want it, that way you have room for fixes and adjustments.

3- Set yourself between two mirrors if possible so you see what you are doing in the back (tape them to the wall if you need, or use the bathroom mirror)

4- If you want to trim long hair, slick it back, stick a length of tape at the length you want (easier than hooking a bra ) and cut what's below.

 

Other than that, keep practicing! And bald is a perfectly acceptable do if you mess it up.

 

Yeah, I think wetting it works best.  I actually found it quite useful that my hair is curly - I cut curl by curl, which made it much easier not to have bits going everywhere at every length

 

My parents' bathroom mirror folds out so you have a three-sided mirror box thing, which was just about the best thing ever.  I shall need to jury-rig a mirror similar in my own house

 

Thanks - will definitely keep 'bald' in mind if things go wrong!  Mum even gave me her pair of clippers and nail scissors, which I didn't know she had, so next time I'll have some better equipment.