Cutting your own hair often sounds like an accident waiting to happen but, with a little bit of practice, it can be easy to create stunning styles at home. Even more, women’s DIY haircuts can save you time and money, as well as give you unlimited access to new hairdos!
Read on for valuable advice that will make your haircut a success. Then watch handpicked video tutorials that will teach you how to cut bangs, layer your hair, buzz cut your own hair, and even get a bob or a pixie cut at home.
1. Get the Tools
If you’re going to cut your own hair at home, you’re going to need the proper tools. Don’t worry, you don’t have to go to any specialist shops, you can find most of these in your local beauty store.
First and foremost, your main tool will be a pair of sharp hair scissors. It is a must for an easy clean cut with no split ends. Be sure to invest in a fine-tooth comb, as it is essential to smooth out disobedient hair before every snip. Then, a hand-held mirror is useful to check the back of your hair. You’ll also need a few sturdy hair clasps, bobbles, and a water spray for keeping your hair damp while trimming.
If you want to take some of the weight out of your hair, you’ll need a pair of texturizing shears (also known as thinning or layering scissors). And, for those going for a pixie cut, get some good clippers and a few different size attachments.
Instagram / @sherry_infinityhairstudio
2. Wet Straight Hair, Dry Curly Hair
Most do-it-yourself haircut tutorials recommend that you should wet your hair before cutting it, but this doesn’t work for all hair types.
If you have very straight hair, you’ll need to keep your hair wet so that you can get each snip perfectly even. However, curly hair can look entirely different when it’s wet than when it’s dry (it is called shrinkage), so it’s often safer to cut hair dry, in its natural state. If you’re not sure whether to cut your hair wet or dry, just copy what your regular hairstylist does at the salon.
3. Separate Your Hair into Sections
At a professional salon, your stylist would often split your hair into a number of Tetris-like sections. It may look like some kind of a secret stylists’ code, but it’s really quite simple.
The point of sectioning your hair is that it is easier to work your way up when cutting hair. It also allows you to see whether your hair is symmetrical. So, my advice is – you can have as many (or as few) sections as you like, as long as the sections are the same on either side of your head. Make sure you part hair evenly to get a precise cut.
Instagram / @modernsalon
4. Aim Longer
Already know what length hair you want to get? Great, go ahead and cut it one inch longer. This is the best tip for any and every DIY haircut technique — aim longer than you want your hair to be!
Trimming your hair a little longer than your desired length is a good idea for two reasons. Firstly, hair cutting can get tricky and if you have made a mistake, you’ve got some leeway to fix it. Second, if you’re cutting your hair while it’s wet, then it will usually look shorter once it has dried.
Let’s note once again that curly hair will get much shorter. Even a quick glimpse at the hair length chart is enough to understand that dry and wet, strengthened curly hair lengths differ drastically. This is why you can have more control over the cut results when styling curly hair before the trim.
5. Chop Vertically
Once you’ve cut your hair straight across, you may find that your hair looks a little heavy or blockish. One of the possible ways to lighten the look is to make a few vertical snips into your hair.
Comb out small sections with a fine-tooth comb, clamp it between two of your fingers, and then snip upwards with your scissors. You don’t need to cut into the hair very much, even a few millimeters will soften the edges.
Instagram / @myozakishears
6. Put a Bobble in It
Watch almost any DIY haircut video on YouTube and you’re bound to see women pulling their hair into bobbles left, right, and center. The days of Mom putting a bowl on your head and cutting around the edge are well and truly over, strategic bobble placement is the way forward.
Instagram / @mmfriseure
If you have long hair and you’ve been wondering how to cut your own hair in layers, bobbles are the answer. To DIY the so-called ponytail haircut, simply scrape your hair into a pony at the front of your head, comb the ponytail, and chop the tips off straight across with scissors or clippers. Some point-cutting added, and voila – you have a haircut with long layers! This works for hair of almost any length, starting from lob cuts and ending with mermaid locks.
Instagram / @captinamy
7. Twist Hair to Cut Your Own Bangs
It can be easy to think that your hair needs to be perfectly straight every time you cut a piece, but that’s not necessarily the case. For example, if you are looking for ways to cut your own bangs, twisting the stands might be one of the best ways to get a natural feathered look.
Pull your bangs in front of your face, twist them into one taut section, and then cut a blunt line where you want your bangs to end. It sounds (and looks) terrifying at first, but the final result is gorgeous on both short and long bangs.
Instagram / @kamilabravo
For those brave enough to do the twist technique on a larger scale, it can also be used for a DIY stacked bob haircut. Take the back section of your hair, twist it taut and, once again, chop the end off. This will leave the hair at the nape of your neck short with the hair on either side gently fading into longer lengths.
8. Go with the Flow of Your Hair
It goes without saying that different hair types require different techniques. If you have afro-textured or curly hair and like to wear it natural, do not cur your own hair in straight lines – is not going to have the desired effect. Instead of trying to tame your curls into one single length, go with the flow of your hair.
For afro-textured hair, keep your hair dry, with no products, and brush it out to its fullest. Now, trim damages and split ends of your hair without stretching any of it out with your fingers, a little like cutting a hedge. Once you’ve cut it all, brush your hair out again and trim any stragglers that are sticking out over the edges. Repeat these steps until all of your hair is the same length.
If you have very curly hair, try a DIY Deva Cut, another technique that requires dry natural hair. Instead of brushing out your hair, just separate the curls with your fingers. Then, cut each individual curl as it hangs naturally.
9. Master Cutting Your Own Hair Short
If you’ve already got a short pixie cut and it’s beginning to grow out, there is a simple trick to trimming it at home. You’ll just need a good set of clippers and a few different size attachments. Be warned, though, that clipper attachments may need to be bought separately and they usually only go up to 3.6 centimeters. So, if you want your cut to be longer than that, don’t cut your own hair at home and visit a salon instead!
Start by scooping the top-zone of your hair into a horseshoe parting and tie it up with a bobble. This is absolutely essential as you don’t want to cut the top section too short! Then, pin up any other wisps of hair that you don’t want to be as short as the hair around your ears and at the nape of your neck. Next, take a deep breath and go to work on the loose hair with clippers. Use a mirror to keep the back in check.
Once you’ve shaved the bottom section, let some more hair down and shave the next section with a slightly longer clipper attachment. Finally, let the top of your hair out and cut that with the longest clipper attachment, or just trim with scissors, letting hair fall in the preferred direction. Blend sections of different lengths with your thinning scissors or ask a trusted friend to do it.
Instagram / @hairmakesupbee
10. Create an Undercut
An undercut style is by far the easiest haircut to try at home and it can make a huge difference in managing and cutting thick hair. Learning to trim the nape of your head will also be useful if you’re trying to maintain or grow out a pixie cut. The best thing about this style is that it’s really easy to do and if you didn’t get it right the first time, you can simply wear your hair down and no one will notice (if you don’t go too bold, of course).
Basically, you simply need to buzz cut your own hair at a definite area of your head (most often, the nape). Pop the majority of your hair in a bobble, leaving a few centimeters of hair loose at the back of your head. You can also leave some hair loose over your ears if you’d like an undercut that goes all the way around your head.
The most important part of this step is making sure that the line between the section that you’ve tied up and the hair you’ve left down is super straight and symmetrical. Do not rely on your senses and use the mirror to guard that. Once you’re happy with the line, chop the bulk of the loose hair off with scissors and then shave it with clippers.
Instagram / @dahling_its_danae
How to Cut Your Own Hair Videos
Still confused about how to cut your own hair? We have selected the most helpful videos that teach to create every style, from blunt bangs and face-framing layers to lob and buzz cut. Follow these step-by-step tutorials and enjoy your refreshed hairstyle.
As you can see, with a few tips and tricks, cutting your own hair may be quite easy if you do not plan extra big changes in your appearance. Trimming split ends or creating layers if often successful, not every short self-haircut done at home will look fabulous, though. Do not let your free cut turn into an expensive correction and do head to your stylist every time you contemplate something professional-looking.
