How To Cut Your Own Hair - A Tutorial

My hair was starting to get really rough looking and the ends were getting fuzzy. My bangs were feeling really long and I knew it was that time again... time to get a hair cut. During the Spending Fast fancy haircuts at a salon were eliminated. My hairdresser was up for a trade at one point so I lucked out with that but mainly I made myself be okay with just doing without. Getting haircuts weren't considered necessities to me and that was that. I grew my hair out long and that helped keep my hair maintenance costs down.

I entertained the idea of cutting my own hair (see this post) and just never got up the nerve to actually do it. Something about cutting my own hair felt really intimidating. No one wants to look too jacked up right? I thought that it could just end REALLY bad. Well, I finally got up the guts to do it yesterday! (all photos are by Aaron Jones)

How To Cut Your Own Hair

I used this guide by Feye that I found online because the instructions were simple. No need to complicate things.

1. Brush all of your hair as straight as possible. I did a dry cut because I thought I would be able to see the results a little better if it was in real-time. (I heard that if you cut hair when it is wet it might be shorter then intended when it drys).

2. Part your hair in the middle and bring both sides forward. Put the hair from one side in a ponytail holder. Tilt your head back and re-brush your hair so the hairs are tidy. Grip the hair with your index and middle finger and don't let your hair move in between your fingers. The scissors will be in your other hand.

3. Start clipping. I went for approx. 2 inches. 

4. Follow step 2 for the other side. 

5. If you don't want a "V" shape in your hair (I didn't) then put your hair into a ponytail at the base of your neck and pull the ponytail holder to the end of your hair. Then, simply clip off the little point that is there. 

Since I have bangs and since I like to have them be little and asymmetrical I didn't feel like I could mess my bangs up too much. I started clipping away and tried to make them look decent.

After you do the above steps go in and see if there are any weirdly long hairs that need to be trimmed. If so, cut away. 

Now, the ends of my hair feel silky again and not ragged and scraggly like before. After doing the cut I think I definitely lucked out by doing a long haircut since it turned out to be pretty easy. I think something like a bob or pixie haircut would be a lot trickier. Maybe next time I'll do a more drastic cut! That would be fun.

If you have kids in your family this would be a great money-saving tip. Give those little ones a homemade haircut too!

Let's look at a side-by-side comparison:

Have you cut your own hair before? Got any tips?

Comments

[Leah]

Hey Anna, great post. One suggestion I do have is to invest in a pair of hair trimming scissors. Craft scissors aren't as sharp and can cause further damage and split ends. They usually range in price from $3.99 to $25. I have natural (not chemically processed) , tightly curled hair that I will have straightened and trim myself. My hairdresser is charging $125..um yeah not happening. Luv your blog!

[Anna Newell Jones]

Good tip Leah! Glad you like my blog too:)

[Rachele]

Great job! I think it looks much better after you trimmed it. I have been cutting my own hair since high school, about 12 years. I have a pixie and sometimes it can be tricky but I can only imagine the amount of money I have saved doing so. Especially since it requires a trim every few weeks.

[Aubrey]

Awesome job! I have a pixie and probably won't get up the nerve to trim it myself. I figure that I compensate by cutting my son's and husband's hair at home. I'm getting purdy good if I may be so bold :-). I realized one day that I had been watching people cut my husband's hair for years, and I knew the process by then! Mimicked what I had observed, and it came out great. Once I figured out to leave the TV on to keep my son still, that is.

[Anna Newell Jones]

pixies unite! such good tips & so much money saved!

[Amy (Metz) Walker]

You have some serious kahunas, girl! We did the whole Dave Ramsey thing and the one thing I was unwilling to give up was my quarterly haircuts. EVERY other luxury went but I'm seriously impressed!

[Bettina]

I've been cutting my own hair for years now. It seems scary, but it's not so bad. I generally wear it very short and have been growing it out recently, so I'm having to learn new techniques. I love not having to pay someone and I love being able to cut it whenever I want without waiting for an appointment. Great job Anna! Way to be brave! Sometimes things that seem scary aren't. Like not spending. :)

[Rich]

The last time I cut my own hair was in kindergarten. The next day, the teacher gave a lecture on the proper use for scissors. I splurge once 4-6 weeks at Great Clips now. My friend once bought a FlowBee, which is a combination electric razor vaccuum system that let people, guys in particular, cut their own hair (http://www.flowbee.com/). It was ok except that people kept calling him "Maam".

[Nessbow]

I always cut my own hair, because I don't trust hairdressers to do it the way I like, and because the amount most hair salons charge for a simple trim is ridiculous. I have very long hair, so a simple trim is pretty simple to do myself.

[Lori]

Great post. I have cut my hair off and on over the years. I have a pixie cut now. Rachael....how do you cut it youself. I have a hard time cutting by the ears and the back is very hard. If you have any tips please let me know. Thanks

[Rachele]

I have a few tricks. I grab sections and hold it where I want to cut and cut above my hand. I do the back that way without looking. Just by feeling. I go at it from a lot of different angles and use the point of the scissors rather than cutting straight. I also now have a pair of thinning scissors and that helps a lot. I try not to think much about it. I told my husband that I just cut off the hair that isn't supposed to be there. Lol!

[Lori]

Wow Rachael that is awesome. I have a razor that I got with at a beauty supply store to cut my hair. Kind of like the thinning shears. Ok a few more questions. Your method is kind of how I do the front of my hair. HOW in the world do you do the back that way. I recently really screwed up the back of mine but was able to get it fixed. I am determined to do this and would love more input from you. how do you get the ears even and the part behind the ears? So you just pull sections in the back out and cut with the point like point cutting? How do you know if it is all even. I have very fine hair but a lot of it. Any other help would be great. If it would be easier for you to email me let me know and I will put that on here. Thank a bunch.

[Anna Newell Jones]

Hi Lori, The instructions cover the back of the hair too. Step 5 talks specifically about the point that will after you follow steps 1-4.

Here's step 5: "If you don't want a 'V' shape in your hair (I didn't) then put your hair into a ponytail at the base of your neck and pull the ponytail holder to the end of your hair. Then, simply clip off the little point that is there."

[Lori]

Thanks for answering Anna. I appreciate it. I actually have a short pixie cut and was amazed on the way Rachael. I actually have the top down pretty good but the back is hard to see. so many layers and since it is so short if I mess up it is hard to fix.

Short hair is so hard to cut and there aren't many videos or easy instructions to cut it but I am bound do get it down. Thanks for this great post

[Stitchybritt]

I'd love to have a go at this. Although I appreciate the skill that goes into (good) hairdressing, I'd love to try this myself. My hair is short and thick and regularly requires thinning. I have thinning scissors but I will have to get my courage up to try a whole cut. Hmmm...

P.S. the above link to the tutorial is broken, but I would love to read it!

[Elizabeth Hayes]

In all the years I had my naturally curly hair cut, I found maybe, maybe three
hairdressers who I liked. One was famous and one was at a world famous salon
and the price was $124 in the eighties. I just couldn't do that again. Then for more
years I kept asking people with curly hair who had a cut I admired who cut their hair
and they always said, I do. Finally, a good friend cut my hair and I watched her
carefully. Now I have cut my own hair for about six years and I am so happy with it
and everyone compliments me....even strangers. If I can do it, anyone can.

[Anna Newell Jones]

Hi Lori, Didn't realize you were talking about cutting the back of short hair:)

[Anna Newell Jones]

I'll get that link fixed StitchyBritt thanks for telling me about that.

[Anna Newell Jones]

that's so cool Elizabeth!

[Deirdre]

Love this, great hair! I've been contemplating this style for the last year! You've solidified it once I saw you on the NB show today. Very great show! Congrats!

[Connie]

Loved your story on Nate today, inspiring to me. I have trimmed my own hair for years with a visit to a hairdresser once in awhile. I use a three way mirror to do the sides and it helps some with the back, good tip on the v part at the very back, will try that.

[Cameron]

To those ladies with short hair: I cut my own hair short (realllllly short) for years and then went through the whole growing out process without a single professional cut and, in doing so, discovered a trick to giving yourself a great looking haircut at home: make sure your style *can* be done at home. Super sleek pixy cuts? Not gonna happen. Totally smooth blunt-edged bobs? Nope. By browsing photos and finding a style that was about some thoughtful asymmetry and quirky lines, I always had a style that I could replicate at home *because* it was defined by tasteful imprecision. (:

[Anna Newell Jones]

Thanks for the great input!

[Anna Newell Jones]

(and great point)

[Ales Eisner]

Someone had already mentioned it, but I have been using a Flowbee for over 20 years (I think I've only had two Flobees during that time), and haven't paid for a haircut since the early 90s. I think it's still around $80 if you use your own vacuum, so you get your money back within a year. It generally works on men only, though, and you have to have a trimmer to do around your ears and your neck, but it has been a great machine for me. And, I don't have to go to a barber, with appointments and waiting in line, so it saves time too.

[Anna Newell Jones]

I would like to give a Flobee a try! And now it's officially on my bucket list!;)

[Bridget]

ahhh I'm doing this!! I just need to get scissors! I found a video on youtube about cutting long hair, and I think I can manage..

[Kate]

Thank you so much for these tips! I have been going to a professional for about.. forever! I gave this a try, and look who's the pro now!

Thanks again!

[Marie]

Thank you so much for posting this tutorial. I just cut my hair and I'm so pleased with the results!

[Anna Newell Jones]

So glad to hear that Marie! Would love to see the before and afters if you have them!

[barry j]

hi anna,i am a traditional barber( 40yrs exp) and since these really tough times i have started to trim ladies hair at the same price as men . at first women were a bit cautious of a barber but after a short time word got around. i only do dry cuts and at £5.00 a go trade is good. so ladies try your local barber he may be the answer to that tidy up at a reasonable price. thanks

[Anna Newell Jones]

That's a good point Barry. Especially for those that try cutting their own hair and have um, unsavory results;)

[Valerie]

I tried cutting my own hair but for me it didn't work out well. I have very straight, extremely thick hair and so it was 1) very difficult to cut through all of the hair when it was divided in half and 2) obvious when I made even a small mistake. One time I had to go around with an uneven haircut for a few days before I could make it to a professional place. Definitely worth the $10 to go to one of those cheap places for a better result.

[shalandas kindred]

i cut my own bangs this morning and they came out so cute but what i did was i put them in a ponytail in front of my face and then i cut what was hanging down from the ponytail and it made them straight across but the sides are ajust a little longer so so very cute...

[snipsalott]

As a licensed cosmetologist that has worked the last 11 years(have been cutting 24 years now) in a barber shop if your looking to save $$$ and don't care if you get the FULL treatment check out the old school shops,where i work if women come in with clean hair and don't want to be styled it only cost $15 for a cut. Please keep us in a job let us help you look great and save some money.