Cutting my own hair - is this easy or likely to be a disaster?

ripplyuk

I have long hair, almost waist length, and usually just get it trimmed every couple of months at the hairdressers. It costs £10 and takes them around 10 minutes. It seems expensive for just cutting an inch off the ends.

I've tried asking a friend to do it but she never seems to get round to it so I've given up on her. There's no way I'm letting my partner do it. So, I've been thinking of having a go myself.

Part of me thinks 'How hard could it be?', but perhaps I'm missing something. Not many women seem to cut their own hair so there must be a reason. I'm sure it would be fine to begin with but I'm worried that after a year or so, it'll start to be obvious it's been done DIY, and look a bit untidy.

Does anyone have any tips or words of warning?

OldMotherTucker

ripplyuk wrote: »

I have long hair, almost waist length, and usually just get it trimmed every couple of months at the hairdressers. It costs £10 and takes them around 10 minutes. It seems expensive for just cutting an inch off the ends.

I've tried asking a friend to do it but she never seems to get round to it so I've given up on her. There's no way I'm letting my partner do it. So, I've been thinking of having a go myself.

Part of me thinks 'How hard could it be?', but perhaps I'm missing something. Not many women seem to cut their own hair so there must be a reason. I'm sure it would be fine to begin with but I'm worried that after a year or so, it'll start to be obvious it's been done DIY, and look a bit untidy.

Does anyone have any tips or words of warning?

DON'T!!:rotfl::rotfl:

£10 doesn't sound too much! I can assure you it's worth paying!

fairy_lights

I've cut my own hair in the past, and my advice would be...don't do it!!
I used the 'twist and snip' method, where you make your hair in to a pony tail, twist it round, and cut. Supposedly it makes it fall in to perfect layer but in reality, nope.
It's very difficult to do an even job of your own hair and you can end up taking off a lot more than you want to try and make it even.
I was a student when I experimented with hair-butchery so it didn't matter that I looked a bit like a scarecrow afterwards, but I wouldn't dream of attempting it now.

Money_maker

It's dead easy. Check out youtube videos to give yourself confidence. I would let your partner have a go, there are plastic guide things you can buy on amazon if you're worried about cutting at the wrong angle.

Nicki

I'd make a Horlicks if I tried to do mine so it really depends on how good you are at that kind of thing. If you have waist length hair and are prepared to lose a bit of length you could always try to take an inch off yourself and if you think you've made a mess get the hairdresser to sort it out for you?

Personally having nicely cut hair makes a huge difference to how I look and my self confidence so I'm happy to pay to have someone do it every 6 or 8 weeks. I have quite thick and wavy hair so it needs a good cut. Finer straighter hair might be easier though?

Nomoonatall

ripplyuk wrote: »

I have long hair, almost waist length, and usually just get it trimmed every couple of months at the hairdressers. It costs £10 and takes them around 10 minutes. It seems expensive for just cutting an inch off the ends.

I've tried asking a friend to do it but she never seems to get round to it so I've given up on her. There's no way I'm letting my partner do it. So, I've been thinking of having a go myself.

Part of me thinks 'How hard could it be?', but perhaps I'm missing something. Not many women seem to cut their own hair so there must be a reason. I'm sure it would be fine to begin with but I'm worried that after a year or so, it'll start to be obvious it's been done DIY, and look a bit untidy.

Does anyone have any tips or words of warning?

It's easy! Not paid for a hair cut for 10 years and I still look like Crystal Gayle! Actually, I don't...but then, I never did...but I recommend using pinking shears, to trim ends. x

rach_k

I wouldn't do it. I've tried twice, once when my hair was falling out due to chemo so it didn't matter (I still had to get my sister to tidy it up as, even half bald, it was unacceptably bad!) and once when I had young kids and couldn't be bothered dragging everybody to the hairdresser. That time I had to get my husband to fix the worst of it, then wear it in a ponytail for months until it grew enough that I could go to the hairdresser without them knowing I was such a numpty!

If you have wavy or curly hair it might not show as much if you make a bit of a mess, but if your hair is straight and you want a nice straight cut it could be very difficult. I'd say £10 is a bargain anyway. If you want to save money, try leaving it longer between cuts. I usually go twice a year (bad, I know) but even right before I go it still looks a million times better than when I cut it myself.

ripplyuk

Hmmm, the YouTube videos aren't filling me with confidence :rotfl:.

Perhaps I should try some different search words. There seems to be a lot about home haircut disasters. One suggested tying your hair up in a ponytail at the top of your head, and chopping some off the end. But when it was cut, the hair on top of her head was way shorter than the sides!

I'd still like to have a go. Maybe I need to learn the hard way. I think I'll do as Nicki suggested, cutting a small amount and booking the hairdresser to fix it if it's awful.

I had to google what 'pinking shears' are. I was planning to just use the kitchen scissors.

ripplyuk

Thanks for the link Quizzical Squirrel. That's really helpful and it looks like a much better method . And you're right. It won't really matter if I do go wrong. I'll only cut an inch off and I'd be happy to let the hairdresser chop another few inches if needs be, to fix it.

Also, I didn't realise that using the wrong scissors could damage the hair and cause split ends.

Nomoonatall

Look up cutting own hair and layering on youtube.

Pinking shears help stop split ends, by the way!

OldMotherTucker

Instead of thinking of ways to save on haircuts, why not think of ways to earn extra money! £60 is just one day's extra work (if you can find it) but that would pay for a whole years haircut!!

My daughter and her fiance have their hair done at home by a friend who is a hairdresser - sometimes we all go round there and have a trim or some colour - works out really cheap!