Have you ever cut your own hair? - YouLookFab Forum

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Have you ever cut your own hair?

Runcarla

Veteran

There is a woman in our community who's hair I really admire. When I asked who her stylist was, she admitted to cutting her own hair! I read that Sharon Stone often cuts her own hair.

I've cut my bangs a half dozen times (bad results and a scolding from my stylist) but have successfully used an electric shaver to neaten an untidy and long hairline (back of head/neck).

Have you ever taken scissors in hand to do your own do? What was the result?

General

38 replies

Latest reply was from unfrumped

anne

Veteran

No, but for some years when my husband was a student and I had long straight hair he cut it for me. I only had to have it fixed up by the hairdresser once.

Karie

(website)

Veteran

I cut my own bangs once, and they ended up all uneven. I highlighted my hair once and ended up with a big yellow patch in front. When my father was in a nursing home, I cut his hair once and it ended up looking like one layer on top of another with lines, like steps going up his head.

Notice I keep saying "once."

DH won't even let me trim the dog.

always trying

Veteran

I have been cutting mine for about a year now. I have even gotten compliments. But sometimes I take too much off in the wrong places. I am getting better though. this all started when my regular hairdresser decided to be a stay at home mom and didn't return after she had the baby. I tried two other people, and after starting to look like a Golden retriever from the back one day I decided to try to fix my bad haircut .I did make some improvement and am trying to get better

JAileen

Veteran

Sometimes I'll cut a small piece, but only once in awhile. I have cut my husband's hair for 35 years. I just sort of copied what the stylist did. I have clippers and special scissors, and I just go to town. It's much easier cutting someone else's hair than your own!

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I used to cut my daughter's hair quite successfully when she wore it in an angled bob with a spiky fringe. I copied techniques I'd seen my hairdresser use on my own hair and it worked.

I have trimmed my own bangs and thinned them out in the past, and also done the back trim thing you mention. It's not ideal but works okay in a pinch. I've also fixed small imperfections on my own -- that stray lock that for some reason didn't fall the same way on the day it was cut.

Joy

Veteran

In college and for years after I cut my own hair. It was long and I just cut it straight on the bottom. The back was the hardest but it worked out pretty well. I did it because a stylist always cut it too short and often put in layers which did not work out well.

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

My sometimes bus buddy cuts her own hair. I was so surprised, it looks really good. She has curly hair and does a modified angled bob.

Jeanie

Veteran

My neighbor used to cut hers. There are lots of tutorials on YouTube!

Bijou

Veteran

My experiences have been very much like Karie's, although my troubles were with colour. My Mum once streaked my hair and basically pulled all of the hair through the streaking cap. Worried that I would be in trouble at school for having platinum blonde hair, I bought a toner to make it less white. My hair turned pink (at least the local Emo kids thought it was cool). I had to front up at school with pink hair and hope I didn't get expelled from my strict girl's school. Luckily the Principal saw how mortified I was with the state of my hair, it was considered punishment enough. I have never done a home job on my hair since then.

abc

Veteran

No. I am not that brave and the salon is some of my only me time so I'm not about to give that up.

LaPed

Veteran

I cut my own hair. I stopped going to salons about a decade ago, because every time I went I came home and found myself still fiddling with the cut. I never found a stylist who could really nail what I wanted, so I figured out how to do it myself.

I'm still not the most efficient hairdresser in the world, but I have my go-to styles down pretty well (a choppy pixie and a somewhat Sassoon-ish bob). Short hair requires a fair amount of maintenance, so I trim the bangs and the back every 4 - 6 weeks. After DIY'ing for so long, I can't imagine getting maintenance like that done professionally, for both time and money reasons. If I got it into my head that I wanted something really challenging and experimental, then I would go find a stylist to do it for me, but for the most part I just like my hair to stay out of my way.

The key to success is having a good double mirror set-up so you can see the back and sides easily. And going very slowly at first. You can make it shorter, but you can't make it longer! If I get a chance, I'll post some photos tomorrow.

Greyscale

Veteran

I try to buzz the side of my head myself, but it's nerve-wracking and I always need my boyfriend's help. My vision is awful so I need my glasses on, but then they get in the way of cutting.

I was talking to a friend with curly hair in an angled bob (and an undercut like mine). She does it herself (no money for a salon) and it looks great. We agreed that curls are pretty forgiving - there's the risk that you'll cut something too short and it'll stick out to the side, but otherwise everything seems to blend together.

Astrid

Veteran

When I had long hair I regularly cut it using this method:
http://feyeselftrim.livejournal.com
But this is basically just a standard trimming of long hair without any variations. I have never cut my own hair when it was shorter.

Summer

Veteran

I've cut my own hair for decades, everything from pixie to bob. To be honest, at the moment it's a question of buying new clothes or going for a professional cut, and I prefer to be clothed!
The secret is to have a multi-angle mirror, professional scissors and a clear idea of what you want to achieve - oh, yes, and plenty of time.
Anyone with really fine, silky straight hair would probably be best going to a salon - the smallest mistake will show up like a beacon on that kind of hair.

Anonymous

Never ever! I am still getting over the trauma of my mother cutting my hair when I was small (crooked short bangs - yuck!) and that was over 50 years ago.

shedev

Veteran

I've cut mine too many times to count. I've cut others too.

Marilyn

Veteran

After watching a Youtube video by a stylist I now know how to properly trim my side swept fringe. I do it occasionally if it starts to bug me between cuts. I wouldn't attempt the rest of my hair though.

I do my son's hair with a Wahl trimmer. He said he was tired of paying a stylist to just run a #4 over his head. So, he bought the trimmer and I do it for him. I must say that thing has paid for itself.

deb

Veteran

I have cut my hair many times. When I was about 13 my hair was down to the middle of my back. Mom could not figure out why I was in the bathroom so long. By the time I came out, I had a pixie. I got many compliments on it, too.

Eliza

Veteran

No, I haven't. It's only because I like to go out in public and have thick, active hair and no bangs, as well as a complete lack of ability to visualize where I am going with those scissors.

Alassë

Veteran

Thanks for sharing that link, Astrid.

retailgirl

Veteran

I never had and never would...I have thick wavy / curly hair and my hairdresser of thirty plus years understands its quirks perfectly.

Meredith

Veteran

No way! But I have recently taken eye brow shaping into my own hands. I used to think that was best left to the professionals as well, but in the year that we've lived in this new town I've yet to find someone who doesn't overdo it. I know it's not really the same thing, but a brow shape and haircut can both pretty dramatically change ones appearance!

Anonymous

Lara, I lived through the trauma of my mom screwing up bangs (and worse, those Tony perms) when I was growing up. Ugh!

Anonymous

I had way too many bad home haircuts growing up, so the hair salon is one of my adult-life indulgences. I would never trust my hair to myself, I'm way too klutzy with scissors.

Anonymous

I've never cut my own hair apart from trimming my fringe (bangs) but I've been cutting my husbands hair since we met, and it's not bad at all, though I say so myself

Lyn D.

Veteran

Only my fringe (bangs) and my DD's when they were small.

Gigi

Veteran

I have a hard enough time getting my hair to do what I want that I would not also subject it to a self-trim. So no, I don't do anything to my hair. Since my stylist will correct things for free within a week (like a layer that's not lying down well), I figure I might as well have her do it than risk ruining it myself.

I once cut my hair when I was in college. It was only about a month before the summer break, and haircuts at school were extremely expensive, about three times as much as I would pay back home. I just needed a trim to get through the last month. I cut most of it myself but asked a friend to trim the back. Boy, was she nervous! Ha ha. I didn't take a lot off--maybe an inch--but when I saw a friend the next day, he said, "Something's different." When I said it was my hair, he said, "Oh yes," but didn't say that it looked good. I took the hint.

Style Fan

Veteran

I have started cutting my own hair. About 4 years ago we moved 3 hours away from my hairstylist of 30 years. I tried a few stylist in the area but my hair looked awful. I go back to my regular stylist a few times a year and in between trim my own hair. I know exactly what I want and I found that the new stylists all had their own ideas. I watched Youtube videos on how to cut hair and figured it out.
When I was in high school I had hair to my waist. My sister would trim the ends for me. I would trim her hair for her. Looked pretty good.

Aquamarine

Veteran

I have on occasion trimmed a piece of hair that doesn't seem to behave when I get home from a haircut and style it myself. But no, I would never cut my own hair.

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