When was your last haircut? Mine was January 12th, and it shows. My ends are splitting and my layers are frizzing. To help save the day, our favorite stylist Reagan Baker shares seven tips for cutting your own hair…
1. Assess what your hair needs (bang trim, dusting the ends for health, shaping up the layers), and keep it as simple as possible. This is not the time for a big length or shape change. Don’t get too fancy or technical. Instead, think of this as a cheat sheet to get you by until your next professional cut.
2. Cut dry to get the most accuracy on length. (Hair shrinks quite a bit from wet to dry!) Comb everything down and cut as close to your body as possible. Make sure your hair is tangle free.
3. Take neat sections with a comb to keep everything organized instead of just grabbing and cutting randomly.
4. Follow your last haircut as closely as possible.
5. Use your fingers as a guide for your desired length. For instance, if you want to take one inch off, hold each section with your fingers exactly one inch above where you’re cutting to guarantee you won’t go any shorter.
6. Angle the scissors at 11 o’clock, rather than cutting horizontally (or blunt), to hide imperfections.
7. Quit while you’re ahead. Put the scissors down before you look like Fleabag’s sister (aka a pencil!).
