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Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Ask a Mustachian => Topic started by: SavingMon(k)ey on October 21, 2015, 09:07:47 PM

Title: Self-haircutting, need some guidance
Post by: SavingMon(k)ey on October 21, 2015, 09:07:47 PM
Well. I'm ready to try cutting my own hair. Unfortunately, I will really have to do this mostly myself. I will have some help for trimming the back if I need it, but the rest, it has been made clear, is up to me. So, I'm female, but I wear my hair short. Not super short, though I'm willing to go a bit shorter than now.

I tried to find good resources on YouTube, but mostly it's guys doing it all with clippers. I'm thinking clippers on longish for the sides and back and scissors for the top. Anybody have a good video or other resource? The scissors part worries me as I have really fine and straight hair, and it will show mistakes very easily.
Title: Re: Self-haircutting, need some guidance
Post by: sonjak on October 22, 2015, 08:35:43 AM
I have somewhat similar hair (fine/straight and also wear it fairly short - although I'm growing it out some) and it also shows every "mistake."  I have a couple of suggestions:

Buy one of these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001DYM62C?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00
One side cuts more, one side cuts less.  Start with the less side and just run it over your hair.  It's a good way to cut a little at a time without any specific impact and build up your confidence.  If you take too much off, you can use this to make that transition area look less severe.

Add a lot of texture to your hair (think choppy pixie cut).  If you cut lots of texture in, when you "make a mistake" it looks more purposeful.

Do a search on youtube for specific hair parts.  Example - "cutting highly textured bangs" or "cutting the back of your hair."  Watch a video and then click on similar suggestions on the side panel.  Even if it's not a perfect video for your situation, you will learn more from watching it.

Start with a little bit at a time and then cut a little more.  Don't try to go straight to the length you think you want.  Ex. on my bangs, I cut in the texture first and then start to shorten up the length a bit at a time to get to the final length I want.  Then if it's a little crooked, it doesn't matter because you still have some space to work with.

Keep checking out the cut and modify it as you see stuff that you want to change.  The nice thing about cutting your own hair is that you can change it a bit every day if you want.  You don't have to wait until your appt next month.

Finally, remember it's hair and will keep growing.  So if you mess up, it will grow out again pretty quickly.  It's not permanent!

Good luck!
Title: Re: Self-haircutting, need some guidance
Post by: Verdandi on October 22, 2015, 09:02:44 AM
This is the video I used to start cutting my own hair, she explains it very well:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQrgRn_dsw4
Title: Re: Self-haircutting, need some guidance
Post by: SavingMon(k)ey on October 22, 2015, 09:03:49 AM
Thank you, sonjak, for your tips. I thought of that tool, too, and it's good to know it works for you. I'll let you know here how it turns out.
Title: Re: Self-haircutting, need some guidance
Post by: HappyHoya on October 22, 2015, 11:47:31 AM
I also have very fine hair and cut it myself exclusively for a long time (now I have a great stylist who is awesome about be going there once in a while for major changes but keeping up with it myself). Instead of using scissors to cut horizontally across, always cut at an angle, closer to vertical (parallel to the way the hair falls). This will result in softer, more natural looking ends and help make any variations less drastic. This is the technique most professional stylists use on most women's haircuts, unless it's explicitly a "blunt" style. When I first learned this technique I watched a few good YouTube videos, but I am not finding them now. I got lots of compliments on my hair, even when I cut it myself, and it was one of the easiest ways I ever saved money. Good luck!
Title: Re: Self-haircutting, need some guidance
Post by: SavingMon(k)ey on November 08, 2015, 02:18:49 PM
So, here is an update. My wife actually got excited when the clippers and the "Tinkle Cutter" (Lol! Something was lost in translation!) arrived from Amazon, and decided she did want to give it a try cutting my hair (maybe she just didn't trust me to do it myself?! Lol!). So today she did. It actually looks good! Better than some haircuts I've paid for. Honestly. She didn't cut the top short enough, so I asked her to redo that sometime this week, and the sideburns got a little too short (oops, oh, well). Used the clippers in the back and sides and scissors on top. The Tinkle comb/razor cutter thing came in handy for some blending. $33 for clippers and Tinkle (gotta say it one more time!), saved $23 by not paying for haircut, so one more cut and I more than break even. Niiiiiiiice.

Also, now I actually feel a little more confident to do it all by myself some day.
Title: Re: Self-haircutting, need some guidance
Post by: Cornbread OMalley on November 08, 2015, 07:28:34 PM
FWIW, self-hair cutting just takes practice.  It took me four years to get good at it.  I also lost half an eyebrow trying to cut my hair while drunk.  FYI it takes forever for eyebrow hair to grow back.  But the savings realized when cutting one's own hair is immense!
Title: Re: Self-haircutting, need some guidance
Post by: sonjak on November 09, 2015, 08:34:39 AM
Thanks for the update.  So glad it worked for you!!  :)

Here's to saving more money!  Agree with Cornbread.  It's amazing how quickly those haircut savings pay off!
Title: Re: Self-haircutting, need some guidance
Post by: CheapskateWife on November 09, 2015, 08:45:46 AM
Kudos to you for trying it with the short hair!  Mine is long, and so the layers are very easy to blend in; and super forgiving if I mess up and need to trim out the mistake.  I've been cutting my husband's hair for the last 10 years, and now that Cheapskate Teen is doing ROTC; he is getting the free mom-cuts too.  Cha-ching!
Title: Re: Self-haircutting, need some guidance
Post by: The Wire on November 09, 2015, 11:41:46 AM
Youtube is the greatest resource for this stuff. I've been doing mine for 7 years.