Keep Calm and Cut Your Own Hair

May 01, 2020

With salons across the country remaining closed, desperate times call for desperate measures.

You might need to take hair matters into your own hands!

Before you attack your mop with a pair of scissors or liberally apply boxed color to your hair, follow these tips to ensure that you don’t mess up your tresses.

Even though you won’t be making a debut at a black-tie gala this weekend, just because you’re social distancing doesn’t mean you shouldn’t look cute.

Tips for Gals

1. Invest in the Right Equipment

If you are going to give yourself a trim, do not, under any circumstances, use your basic kitchen scissors. They’re not meant for hair and could make your split end problem worse. Instead, get a pair of professional shears. They’re not as expensive as you think. You can get a decent pair from Equinox International for around $25.

2. Trim Less than You Think You Need To

You can always cut your hair shorter, but once it’s cut, there’s no going back. Waiting for a bad haircut to grow out can be a long process.

The moral of the story here is to leave some room for error. It’s better to be conservative and cut more later than to take a big chunk out of your hair and immediately regret it.

If you’re working with wet hair, remember that it’ll get even shorter when it dries.

3. Don’t Get Drastic

Unless you’re a salon professional (and if you’re reading this, you probably aren’t!), now is not the time to decide that you want bangs or intricate layers.

We know you might be going stir crazy, but your hair is an innocent bystander. Don’t do anything rash.

4. Follow These Simple Step by Step Instructions

There’s a really helpful video that’s less than 4 minutes long that outlines the entire process. If you’re not in a video-watching mood, here’s what it says:

• Start with damp hair for more control. You can either spray it with a bottle or wash and towel dry it.
  
  
• Comb through all the tangles.
  
  
• Tie your hair into a low ponytail at the base of your neck using an elastic band. Every few inches, wrap another elastic band around your ponytail. If you have short hair, you might need only one band in total. If you have longer hair, then you may need two or three total.
  
  
• Put the ends of your hair between two straight fingers. Run your fingers down toward the end and cut in a straight line. Again, start with a very small amount.

The video outlines a couple of other simple methods, depending on the look you’re going for. It also shows you how to cut someone else’s hair, so if you have a quarantine partner that you trust, you can get some help!

5. Be Smart with Color

There are a lot of horror stories about at-home hair color, but it’s not as hard as you think if you know some tricks of the trade.

• The color on the box is rarely representative of what your hair color will look like. Salon experts recommend going a shade lighter than the desired result on the box. If you rely on the box, you could end up having much darker hair than you anticipated.
  
  
• If you’re touching up roots, put a coconut oil barrier where you want the root color to stop. Otherwise, it could leak down your hair. Put Vaseline on your scalp to avoid having it discolored.
  
  
• But two boxes just in case one isn’t enough to fully cover your hair.
  
  
• Leave your hair down while it’s processing. If you tie it up in a bun, it could result in uneven color.

Tips for Guys

Being a guy during quarantine is blissfully easy compared to life as a female.

You could, after all, just shave your head. And if you’re bald, you’ve got absolutely nothing to worry about!

If your hair is starting to look unruly, shaggy, or it’s sticking out in odd places, follow these tips to make you look fresh from the barbershop.

1. Invest in the Right Equipment

Just like we told the ladies, guys need the right clippers for a good cut. Wahl clippers are the gold standard, and they have models starting at under $40.

2. Use Two Mirrors

Since we don’t have eyes in the back of our heads, we need to be able to see what we’re doing. Use a front mirror, and also position a mirror that captures what’s happening behind you.

3. Find the Right Tutorial

Depending on the length of your hair and the style you want, there’s going to be a ton of variation in how you actually go about cutting your hair.

Our advice: Visit YouTube and search for Men’s DIY haircuts. In the thumbnail image that appears in your search, find a guy that resonates with your style and follow along with his step-by-step instructions. If your hair is on the longer side, check out this tutorial.

For shorter styles and fades, this video from an actual barbershop is helpful.

4. Let it Grow

If you’ve always wanted to grow your hair long, there’s never been a better time. The Long Hairs are a group of guys that embrace this lifestyle. If you want to be a part of a club that celebrates high balls (their more “masculine” term for a man bun), head on over to their website.

Have you attempted a DIY haircut? We’d love to hear about it!

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