fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #3651 ]

[ SECRET POST #3651 ]

⌈ Secret Post #3651 ⌋

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Any advice? I've tried watching youtube videos but some of the comments on the videos have me worried.

How extensive of a job do you need done? I trimmed my own bangs in college and I think I did alright but no way was I going to attempt any major cropping on my own.

I am a cosmetologist and PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS. PLEASE.

But if you are going to do this and I cannot convince you: Have someone else on hand because you cannot see the back of your own head. Remember that hair is shorter when it dries (cutting wet is better) and bangs bounce or you will have teeny tiny fringe. There is no such thing as 'i would like x amount of layers,' layers should blend. Get hair cutting shears. Yes, there is a difference, you will butcher your hair with kitchen scissors.

I need to know more about what your hair looks like and what you are doing before I can tell you more.

Thanks for the heads up.

My hair is straight as a stick and I keep it long with no layers. It's boob length and I'm hoping to get it to shoulder length.

That's it? That should be ridiculously easy to do on yourself.

You could accomplish your hair goal just by gathering it into a ponytail tied off at about the length you're looking for with a hair tie around the bottom to act as a gauge. Then just chop the whole thing off an inch or so below the desired length, and do an all over trim afterward to get any uneven bits or strands you may have missed.

Bam. Not an overly fancy cut, but you will have managed to do exactly what you wanted.

NO PLEASE DON'T DO THIS. I have no personal problem with you, Herpy, but oh my gosh doing this will create more than just a tiny bit of uneven length. Overdirecting the hair causes MASSIVE changes in length from back to front.

I'm going to respectfully suggest that as a cosmetologist, I don't doubt your word, but that maybe to most non-cosmetologists, the less-than-professional result cutting your hair isn't really the huge tragedy that you seem to view it as.

I totally get that, believe me, but trust me when I say that cutting a ponytail to get a straight line actually is that big of a deal. Like 'up to a four inch difference in length from the back to the front' kind of a big deal depending on your hair.

EDIT to clarify: Also, while I actually do see some pretty horrible hair cuts that the people in question don't have a problem with (I have cut a mullet intentionally, worst day ever), particularly with home jobs, I am still being slightly over the top for effect and not 'no if you cut your hair at home I WILL LITERALLY DIE'

Edited 2017-01-01 22:15 (UTC)

Re: Cutting your own hair

(Anonymous) - 2017-01-01 22:18 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Cutting your own hair

nonnymouscawitz - 2017-01-01 22:27 (UTC) - Expand

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(Anonymous) - 2017-01-01 22:34 (UTC) - Expand

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nonnymouscawitz - 2017-01-01 22:37 (UTC) - Expand

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diet_poison - 2017-01-02 00:01 (UTC) - Expand

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(Anonymous) - 2017-01-02 04:44 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Cutting your own hair

(Anonymous) - 2017-01-02 05:15 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Cutting your own hair

nonnymouscawitz - 2017-01-02 11:01 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Cutting your own hair

diet_poison - 2017-01-03 20:31 (UTC) - Expand

And I don't have any personal problem with you, but acting like people are too incompetent to trim their own hair when it's at shoulder length is kind of laughable.

Re: Cutting your own hair

nonnymouscawitz - 2017-01-01 22:21 (UTC) - Expand

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herpymcderp - 2017-01-01 22:29 (UTC) - Expand

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nonnymouscawitz - 2017-01-01 22:32 (UTC) - Expand

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chardmonster - 2017-01-02 05:18 (UTC) - Expand

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nonnymouscawitz - 2017-01-01 22:28 (UTC) - Expand

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(Anonymous) - 2017-01-02 05:20 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Cutting your own hair

nonnymouscawitz - 2017-01-02 11:03 (UTC) - Expand

you are right about the ponytail thing. I cut off my ponytail in a fit of teenage angst once, and my only choice for fixing it was to get an A bob. I remember the hair stylist being exasperated with me for doing it lmao.

Re: Cutting your own hair

nonnymouscawitz - 2017-01-02 02:01 (UTC) - Expand

I cut my hair this way (because I'm cheap) and the other commenter is right: it will be uneven. But uneven with no split ends, which is what I'm going for since I usually braid or pin up my hair when I'm doing 'tidy'.

Okay. So. Really really REALLY suggest you go to a professional, that is always my first thing, but I acknowledge that finances and transportation and mistrust are all valid things so.

IF you are going to do this, you will need: 1) A mirror and/or a friend to help you because again, you CANNOT see the back and you don't want to secretly have jacked up hair. 2) SHARP scissors meant for hair. Kitchen scissors are huge and clunky and if your shears aren't sharp enough the hair will bend and cutting a straight line will be a bitch. 3) a comb, duh. 4) clips!

Section your hair into three sections according to your part line (So for example if you part down the middle, your first two sections will be from the Apex of your head to behind your ear with the middle separating them), and then the back as your third section. It is best if you cut hair layer by layer, so, let down a small section at the bottom, as straight as you can, cut that, and then bring the next down. If you want hair to curve under, cut that ever so slightly longer than the bottom and keep cutting this way. Do the back section first, then the front, layer by layer. If you part to the side, the heavier side with more hair may look longer without actually being longer. This is okay! But cut to your comfort. If you are going for shoulder length, remember your shoulders will push up your hair if it touches them and you may feel it curls or twists awkwardly because of this. If cutting wet (please cut wet), make sure you leave a half an inch to an inch longer so when it dries you don't panic that it's too short. (especially true for bangs which often have cowlicks that make them bounce!) If you are cutting bangs, point cut with the tips of the scissors rather than cutting straight across and getting school girl bangs.

If you do not frequently wear short hair, i recommend cutting longer than shoulders and working your way up because some people panic.

This is really hard to explain without visuals so please do not be afraid to come to me with any questions! I paid 17,000 dollars to learn this I am thrilled to get to talk about it.

Not OP - this is really useful. Thanks!

You're welcome! I really enjoy talking about my career, and I was worried I'd gotten a bit rambly, so I'm glad someone got something out of it!

I actually have a question about haircutting!
See, I have curly hair, and I am kind of tired of incompetent stylists who say they know how to cut curls, but really don't. I'm in America, where it seems curly hair is just less common, and I really don't want a lousy haircut again :(
How can I find the people who *do* know what to do and will make my hair look good? This is especially crucial because I wear it short, so the haircut can make a huge difference...

This is a problem I see frequently, and as a woman with straight hair in an area without a whole lot of curly haired clientele, I try to make it my business to research curl. Not everyone does that, unfortunately, and it can be difficult to find someone. I've absolutely had curly haired people in my chair who are super nervous.

It can be hard to tell with stylists because we are trained not to let on if we are struggling, bevause it makes clients uneasy. A good stylist will be upfront and honest with you (I try to be) but a lot of us will try to fix the damage ourselves first. There is a reason there's still a pretty big racial divide in styling, and it's not entirely unwarranted.

My suggestion is to find someone who sounds like they know what they're talking about. I work in a relatively cheap salon that still has great stylists, but the saying in our industry is "you get what you pay for" so avoid chop shops like great clips where the goal is to have you out in fifteen minutes and move on. If you can find a stylist who HAS curly hair, great! In bigger areas there are salons that cater almost exclusively to black clients, (thanks to that unfortunately often true stereotype that white people don't know how to cut curly hair) and I don't know your ethnicity but if you have a tighter curl you might want to check that out. If that's not an option, find a stylist who will consult with you thoroughly first (we should all do this but unfortunately we don't ) and who listens to your concerns. They should be able to tell you exactly what they're going to do to your hair and why. I've cut curly hair wet before, and you can do it with some kinds of curl, but if you've had had experiences I'd recommend finding someone who will cut your hair dry. (Some types of curl should ONLY be cut dry)

Ugh I'm mobile and it's six am (why doed anyone need hair done at 8 in the morning on a monday GO TO BED) So please ask if any of that was confusing or if you feel I didn't really answer your question.

Re: Cutting your own hair

(Anonymous) - 2017-01-02 15:15 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Cutting your own hair

ketita - 2017-01-02 15:16 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Cutting your own hair

nonnymouscawitz - 2017-01-02 15:42 (UTC) - Expand

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ketita - 2017-01-02 18:04 (UTC) - Expand

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nonnymouscawitz - 2017-01-02 19:29 (UTC) - Expand

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ketita - 2017-01-02 21:57 (UTC) - Expand

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nonnymouscawitz - 2017-01-02 22:07 (UTC) - Expand

No advice, but I bookmarked this page for my own future reference to try sometime:

http://www.howtohairgirl.com/2013/01/5-diy-haircuts-to-try-today/

I usually do this. You tend to get a feel for it after a while but it's a lot easier if you own a clipper to do the back of your neck and you have a mirror set up that lets you see the back of your head. When you're just learning to cut hair on yourself you should always practice on dry hair, so that way the final cut won't turn out differently than what you're looking at when you're cutting wet hair.

Also don't try to get too crazy with it the first few times you give yourself haircuts. Just stick to trimming and simple styles.

At this point I've gotten so good at it that people ask where I got it done, so I think it's safe to say that I've more or less mastered the self cut, but when all is said and done it's usually helpful to have someone check your work afterward, like a friend or partner, just to see if you've missed any spots.

Just go to a salon, it'll be so much easier in the long run. If you mess this up, you're going to want to anyway.

Yeahhh, I always hate saying this because people say 'well you're a stylist, you just want to make money', but cutting hair really is not as easy as people think it is, especially the first time. I am a licensed stylist. I see dozens of people every week. My manager cuts my hair because I won't do it to myself. It's completely different to doing it to someone else, and you can't really see or get your arms in the right position, and everything is reversed since you're usually looking in the mirror. I have been the victim of many bad hair cuts I gave myself.

No, I totally hear you.

I have a pixie cut and I wouldn't dream of cutting my own hair. The nearest I got was trimming my own bangs between cuts and even then, I did so with vertical scissors, great trepidation and tiny snips at a time because I had no idea what I was doing and I knew I could so easily screw up.

Yup! I used to cut my own bangs but now I wear a side bang and bangs are notoriously difficult even for stylists, so I stopped doing that. Technically I'm sure I could cut my own hair with no problem, but I just have no desire to be responsible for that disaster, especially since I've finally grown out my own pixie after two years of work.

There are definitely people who do their own hair at home and do a fine job! And anon will probably get a result they are happy with if they are careful! (I've found that as stylists, I can spot box dye a mile away, for example, but when we accidentally fried my hair and made it a weird peachy blonde, several clients complimented me on my 'beautiful' color and asked if it was natural, so just because I care about somethnig doesn't mean everyone else does) But it's not something I suggest just hacking away at. ANd it's just so much easier to let someone I trust do it, but I totally get not everyone has money, transportation, time, or trusts stylists, which is why I gave anon the best instructions I could without visuals.

Depending on your pixie cut, you might like a flowbee?

Do those still exist??? Every once in a while one of my coworkers will ask if anyone remembers those. I didn't know if anyone ever seriously used them, though. There's a question for next time.

I used electric clippers and gave myself a buzz cut last night. Leaned over the tub so that my shoulder-length hair fell in there. Have a few spots that need spot-trimming (they look like crazy weeds on a putting green), but I've been rubbing my velvety fuzz all day long.

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