Women cutting hair

How to cut your own hair for any length

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Want to save money on a trip to the salon? Why not cut your own hair? We turned to YouTube to teach us how.

Poor uni students, at-home mums with toddlers, and the corporate woman who just wants to spend her Saturday at home – there’s a stack of us out there who simply do not have the money or time to go to a hairdresser. I’ve cut my own hair and other’s hair many times now, with better and better results each time. Practise really does make perfect, writes TJ Ryan.

So I thought I’d share with you the YouTube videos I’ve found most valuable when cutting my own hair and other people’s hair into different styles:

Layered hair (long or medium hair)

You will need a pair of scissors, some hair bands or hair clips, and a fine comb. Here’s the 5-minute fix for medium to long length hair:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-GAilMmCqQ

Those who want to maintain more length – we’re talking seriously long hair here – will probably prefer Carli Bybel’s video for long hair with layers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lLqLk-pwfM

The bob (long or short hair)

You will need a pair of scissors, a hair band to make a low ponytail, a second hair band to mark out where you want to cut the length to, and a big, flat hair clip.

I prefer to follow Patry Jordan’s video for cutting a long bob:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kF3Dh-ImZs

The big challenge in a bob is creating a straight line around the back of your head, since most of us can’t see behind our own head. The solution is any flat clip like the CreaClip, which lets you bring the hair around in front of you for cutting without letting go of the line you need to cut along. The video below creates a layered bob effect:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Na0SURKnn60

Fringe / bangs

You will need a pair of scissors, a hair band, and a fine comb. Separate out a front section that reaches to the end of each eyebrow – not too much hair from the sides of your head. There are two options – a straight-across fringe or a side fringe.

We love the video below for a straight-across fringe, because it demonstrates you can cut your own hair even if you have young kids and you only have 5 minutes spare:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fNzQgNwoxE

Remember, it’s a different approach when you’re cutting a side fringe:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CM53ysqXhkE

Men’s buzz cut

You will need a pair of clippers with blades of different lengths, and a razor blade if you want to make the neck look really clean.

When I used to buzz cut my brother’s hair, we would use a 6 blade all over, then follow up with a 3 blade on the back and sides. Then we’d just use the razor to shave off any leftover fuzzy hair off the back of his neck to keep it looking neat and tidy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nD20dXzSc5c

Men’s trim (short and medium hair)

You will need a pair of scissors and a fine comb. This is by far the scariest haircut of all to do, so don’t feel bad if your man asks you for a trim and you shriek with terror like I do. Why is it so scary, you ask? It doesn’t have any guiding equipment like a hair band or clippers, so it’s an easy haircut to make look bad, with “chopped bits” sticking all over the place. On top of that, when we ladies cut our own hair, we’re not usually cutting bits around our ears, which are very snippable.

But as the video below shows, cutting your man’s short to medium length hair in a trim with scissors this is not impossible.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7t6ZzNVTDA

If you really need a salon…

Look at our customer satisfaction ratings for hairdressing salons before you book an appointment. In 2015, Just Cuts received a five-star rating on value for money and overall customer satisfaction.

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