DIY haircut

[ysette9]

At the end of January I got a haircut, a pixie cut. This is the kind of cut that looks cute for two months, looks off for a month, and then slides into pure unkempt chaos. At this point it looks like crap but is still too short to put in a braid or poney tail.

I did a quick search online for DIY haircut but they all seem to be for longer hair. Is there any hope for me? I don’t actually mean DIY but providing my husband with heavy guidance on how to cut. He can mostly cut in a straight line and that is about it. What smart ideas do you have?

[TrMama]

Short cuts are very difficult to DIY, unless it's short enough to just use clippers all over. I learned this in April when I DIY'd my short round bob. Luckily it's curly enough to hide the unevenness.

Have your DH watch a bunch of YouTube videos on how to do the cut you want.  Make sure he's got sharp scissors that are the right length. Take your time. You can spread it over several days if necessary.

On a related note, I'm starting to see young women with buzz cuts. I think it looks fabulous and I bet they've all been DIY'd.

Have

[ysette9]

Half the battle is that I never know what I want. There is a reason I go to fancy salons and that is because I need someone to look at my head and tell me what will look good on me.

One option is just to cut the very bottom at a straight line and slowly wait for it to get long enough to do a sort of bob.

[RetiredAt63]

Half the battle is that I never know what I want. There is a reason I go to fancy salons and that is because I need someone to look at my head and tell me what will look good on me.

One option is just to cut the very bottom at a straight line and slowly wait for it to get long enough to do a sort of bob.

I'm in the same boat.  I have fine straight hair that looks fine in a pixie cut or long.   Right now it's just overgrown.     :-(    At least bangs can be DIY trimmed.

[BookLoverL]

Try searching specifically for the type of haircut you want, rather than a general haircut, and you should get a few results coming up.

[Pigeon]

Search for a bunch of short haircut videos for women until you find some you like. Find the ones that remind you of how your regular stylist cuts your hair and watch them with your partner. Talk him through what your stylist does until he's somewhat comfortable.

I've got a short cut. My college aged daughter who has never had anything but long straight hair has given me a couple of very good cuts doing it this way.

[Metalcat]

This may be possible, or may be virtually impossible. It will depend on your hair texture and expectations.

With my hair, and the manual skills of my spouse, there is absolutely no way I could maintain a pixie cut, it's just not an option. That's why I now have a shaved head, which if it's ever been something you've considered, then go for it. Typically, if you look good in a pixie, then you will probably look good with a buzzed head. However, when I say pixie, I mean 1ish inch hair, not a lovely short cut with bangs that swoop elegantly across your forehead. That's a very different look.

[Pigeon]

This may be possible, or may be virtually impossible. It will depend on your hair texture and expectations.

With my hair, and the manual skills of my spouse, there is absolutely no way I could maintain a pixie cut, it's just not an option. That's why I now have a shaved head, which if it's ever been something you've considered, then go for it. Typically, if you look good in a pixie, then you will probably look good with a buzzed head. However, when I say pixie, I mean 1ish inch hair, not a lovely short cut with bangs that swoop elegantly across your forehead. That's a very different look.

I don't know about that. I have short hair.  When I went through chemo, I discovered that I am the prototypical blockhead. You could put a place setting of china up there and be ready for dinner.  I was hoping I was going to be one of those women who look elegant and graceful with a shaved head, but it was absolutely dreadful.

[Lady SA]

When I cut my DH's hair, I use clippers (literally his beard trimmer, so it takes a while lol) with a guide. I'm imagining your pixie cut is similar to his haircut, with short sides and longer on top?

Anyway, you could have your DH use clippers for the sides and back of your head and scissors for the top/bangs. The only tricky part is blending where the clipped sides and scissored top meet. One trick I use is shave the sides straight up, and not follow the curve of his skull towards the top otherwise to blend it the top has to be way shorter than he likes. I shave directly vertical and kind of lift off his head when it begins to curve, leaving me with a bit more hair to work with later.

If your DH can only cut in straight lines, the clippers will take the guesswork out of the equation. If you are ok with a shorter pixie, then he could also use the clippers on top by increase the guide length. But that only works up to a point, the clippers don't really do well with longer guides.

[ysette9]

When I cut my DH's hair, I use clippers (literally his beard trimmer, so it takes a while lol) with a guide. I'm imagining your pixie cut is similar to his haircut, with short sides and longer on top?

Anyway, you could have your DH use clippers for the sides and back of your head and scissors for the top/bangs. The only tricky part is blending where the clipped sides and scissored top meet. One trick I use is shave the sides straight up, and not follow the curve of his skull towards the top otherwise to blend it the top has to be way shorter than he likes. I shave directly vertical and kind of lift off his head when it begins to curve, leaving me with a bit more hair to work with later.

If your DH can only cut in straight lines, the clippers will take the guesswork out of the equation. If you are ok with a shorter pixie, then he could also use the clippers on top by increase the guide length. But that only works up to a point, the clippers don't really do well with longer guides.

That sounds similar to how I cut my husband’s hair actually. :)

I’d actually like to let my hair grow a bit, so as easy as it would be to do a buzz or another pixie, I’d rather suffer this awkward period and eventually end up at a bob than to go short-short. I’m thinking I may have him just chop a straight line at the base of my neck and keep doing that until the other parts catch up.

[Tass]

I have a pixie, and my roommate cut it with kitchen shears during lockdown after watching a few youtube videos. It was a bit time-intensive, but it turned out fine. The bangs are maybe a little blunter than I get at the salon. She was nervous about it but agreed to do it because I said I had no qualms about shaving my head if it went badly - I never left the apartment anyway!

In normal times I get a $25 haircut every 2-3 months, which is a pretty annoying use of money. I've been thinking of experimenting with clippers and a very long guard for a while.