How To Cut Your Hair Yourself Female

I am someone who likes to DIY almost everything, whether that's experimenting with at-dwelling house waxing or dyeing my pilus bright cherry with at-home pilus dye or trimming my own hair against all sound logic. And you know what I learned? In that location's a reason we get to professionals for these treatments—especially when it comes to hairstylists. Because as my butchered calm haircut tin adjure, that sh*t is difficult and requires training, skills, and geometric vision that nosotros mortal beings only don't accept. So fifty-fifty though I know y'all're here right now considering you want to trim your own pilus immediately, I (and all the experts I spoke with) strongly recommend seeing a stylist instead , because your DIY trim can go very wrong very quickly.

But if you're already most to scroll past my warnings and disclaimers and just do the dang thing yourself, then fine, I get information technology, and I've been there. But delight don't just take a edgeless pair of kitchen scissors to your hair—pause, take a deep breath, and keep scrolling because I broke downwardly all the info you need from actual stylists, so yous can trim your own hair without accidentally ruining your (hair) life.

Meet the experts

Meri Kate O'Connor is a hairstylist and colorist at Cooper Weho salon in Los Angeles.
Kamara Brown Lewis is a hairstylist at Raw Intuition salon in Los Angeles who specializes in protective hairstyles, imitation locs, and curl cuts. Brown besides has her own wig line that offers wigs, bundles, and prune-ins, from yaki textures to 3b/4c textures.
Stephen Thevenot is a hairstylist at David Mallett salon in New York Urban center.

Is it okay to cut your own pilus?

Okay, this is when you're going to hate me a lilliputian, just I gotta emphasize it once again: There'due south a reason hairstylists are professionals—a lot of skill and technique goes into a haircut, so if you lot can hold off, please consider waiting to see a stylist IRL. "Hair cutting is an art form, but it also requires a lot of geometry," says Stephen Thevenot, senior stylist at David Mallet in NYC. "The most of import matter is knowing what to cut and what to leave, and that comes with training and experience."

And FWIW, I'm not only trying to exist a bummer or crush your impulsive xi p.m. I-want-new-hair-right-at present dreams—I merely desire yous to do what's best for your hair, k? "A trim is definitely better if yous get with a pro," says hairstylist Kamara Brownish Lewis. Plus, "if y'all mess upwardly, y'all'll end up needing a professional—and more than likely, y'all'll accept to get shorter than you initially wanted," Thevenot says. Which, uh, not fun.

Information technology'south worth noting that if split ends are the reason yous're looking to trim your own hair, a less risky pick is a DIY hair dusting, where you trim the split ends from your hair strand by strand without needing to worry near losing length. Chocolate-brown also suggests skipping the scissors until your side by side hair appointment and loading up on hair serums, pilus oils, and deep conditioners to leave your hair looking shiner and healthier and minimize the appearance of divide ends while yous're riding out your haircut betwixt salon visits.

Smooth Your Split Ends With These Treatments

This reparative mask

Olaplex No. 3 Hair Perfector

Kreyòl Essence Travel-Size Haitian Black Castor Oil

Kreyòl Essence Travel-Size Haitian Black Brush Oil

Bread Beauty Supply Hair Oil Everyday Gloss

Bread Beauty Supply Pilus Oil Everyday Gloss

IGK Good Behavior Spirulina Protein Smoothing Spray

This protein spray

IGK Expert Behavior Spirulina Protein Smoothing Spray

Brand certain you take the right pilus-cutting tools

Most chiefly, if you've ignored my advice (rude) and decided to cut your own hair, make sure you lot have proper hair-cutting shears. Non your kitchen scissors, not your craft scissors, sharp pilus shears but. "Pilus shears are much sharper and can give you a precise and accurate cut," says Chocolate-brown. "When people don't use proper shears, they tend to go over the same spot over and over once more because information technology's not a clean cutting—and then they're merely cutting unevenly and losing length." Sound like your worst nightmare? Good. Get some shears. Hither's what else y'all'll need:

Double-edged comb: Look for something with wide and fine teeth, which will help you lot department off your pilus.
No-slip pilus clips: These bbs will arrive super easy to slowly work in sections.
Flat fe: Optional (but encouraged) for getting a smooth finish before you lot cut.
A spray canteen: To continue your hair damp if you choose to cut your hair moisture.

Stock upward before you trim your hair:

Javenproliu Professional Hair Cutting Shears

Nylea Empty Glass Spray Bottle

Glamfields12 pcs Alligator Hair Clips

Grace Eleyae All Purpose Curved Comb

Is it better to trim pilus wet or dry out?

In that location's technically no right respond here, since cutting your hair wet or dry is all about personal preference. Brown says that since moisture hair appears longer than dry hair, she recommends cutting your pilus dry, then you can get a more than accurate idea of how much length you lot're trimming—especially for curly hair types, which will shrink and look shorter when they dry out.

But if you're going for a blunt bob hairstyle, some pros recommend cutting your pilus wet (or clammy) to get the cleanest edge possible. Be cautious about how much you cutting the first time though. "When hair is moisture, it stretches, so you ever desire to take less off than you call back to avert cut too much," says hairstylist Meri Kate O'Connor.

How can I trim my pilus at home?

Find a tutorial

Before you starting time trimming your hair at home, observe a tutorial that virtually closely matches your own hair length and pilus type , so you tin get the most accurate guide. And to make certain you're getting expert information, Brown says to choose one created by an actual hair expert or stylist. Then if you want to skip these steps (since they're going to be different for every hair type), go on scrolling for the best tutorials on trimming your own hair. Simply if you want expert communication (and you do!), keep reading first.

Section your pilus

To trim your hair at home, outset by sectioning your pilus into at least four sections. Carve up your hair in half from ear to ear, tie or pin the top half up, and then department the pinnacle half and the lesser half into their own sections with a pilus necktie, scrunchie, or prune. "It helps yous focus and volition assistance y'all trim to the same length in each section," says Brown. And if you take actually long or thick hair, Brown says yous can take it a stride forward and divide each of those four sections in half as well.

Trim one department at a time

Untie 1 department and comb or brush information technology thoroughly to make sure it's fully detangled and at its full length. Hold the section tightly between two fingers toward the bottom of the section, leaving just the hair you want to cutting sticking out between your fingers. Hold your shears up against your fingers to make certain your fingers are directly, Brown says, then trim the section in a straight line. "I always suggest to simply start very, very small—the shorter the meliorate," Brown says. "If you think you want to have off more than you should, you can't go dorsum."

If yous're working with curly pilus (think: types 3a to 4c), make sure to release some of the tension one time you've got the section between your fingers at your desired length, so your curls take their natural shape. "Information technology helps to see the natural length a niggling more," says Brownish, and it volition aid you get an thought of how your hair will look once it'due south trimmed. Leave the freshly trimmed section down so you can use it as a guide for the adjacent section.

Now that yous know what tools you lot demand and the basics of trimming, here are a few tutorials that will requite you a visual and step-by-step breakdown of exactly how to trim every hair type.

How to trim your natural pilus without oestrus

This DIY haircut tutorial is perfect for trimming natural hair and curls without hair (like flat-ironing or accident-drying information technology directly). In addition to shears and separating clips, y'all'll demand three tools to detangle and smooth your hair before you cut: a wide-tooth comb, a detangling brush, and a fine-molar comb.

How to trim your pilus wet

If yous think trimming your hair wet will be easier for you, this tutorial by Justin Hickox, a hairstylist at Hickox Studio, will walk you lot through the whole process, including how to trim for the shape of the pilus you want (whether information technology's a edgeless trim or layered at the dorsum).

How to trim long layers

For the record, pros recommend seeing a stylist for a layered haircut. But if y'all simply cannot exist stopped, this easy-to-follow tutorial will aid you add long layers at abode. Pay special attention to YouTuber Selection Up Limes's technique for signal-cutting (aka cutting into the hair with the tips of your shears parallel to your hair in order to give your layers more texture).

How to trim your curls

Want to touch up your hair betwixt salon appointments? Follow the pb of dazzler vlogger Joy Before Her for a super-piece of cake approach to trimming curly hair. Keep your hair completely dry and snip your ends coil by curl to avoid whatsoever f*ckups. Know that property your shears at an bending will requite your ends a pointier edge, which is super ideal for volume.

How to trim your carve up ends on dry hair

Every bit your hair gets longer, it'southward pretty common for your ends to become skinnier from breakage and damage. Even it all out past giving yourself a quick trim to get rid of any split ends or stragglers. YouTuber Jasmine Brown prefers dry, straightened pilus to become the cleanest edge possible. BTW: A split-end serum is a great style to continue your hair looking fresh between trims.

How to trim straight bangs

It'south no undercover that bangs are kiiinda high maintenance—fifty-fifty though they might skim your brows perfectly postal service-haircut, at that place'due south a skilful risk they'll be hitting your eyelids in a calendar month or two. The solution? Committing to DIY bang trims—and this tutorial for straight hair is a neat identify to beginning.

How to trim curly bangs

Got curly bangs? This haircut tutorial was pretty much made for you. Follow along equally YouTuber Vivi König very carefully gives her bangs some TLC. She recommends styling your hair prior to your trim—that way you have a improve idea of the true length yous're working with.

Last notes

While a salon date with a trained hairstylist is the safest way to go for whatsoever kind of haircut, sometimes you gotta do it yourself—and that'south okay. Simply brand sure you have precipitous hair shears, a thorough tutorial featuring your ain pilus type, and skillful advice (like…everything above), and when in doubt, cut less, non more.

And if yous think you can get by with some alternatives to a DIY trim (yay!), encounter: a tutorial on hair dusting, a deep conditioner for moisture, a hair serum for smoothen, and a pilus oil to lock in wet and reduce the appearance of split ends.

Sami Roberts Sami Roberts is the beauty assistant at Cosmopolitan, covering beauty trends, news, and deep dives into all the beauty products you honey in order to decide which ones are actually worth your coin (she knows more than than any ane person should know about deodorant!).

Scarlet Buddemeyer Ruby was the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan, where she covered beauty across impress and digital.