How do I cut the hair on my head?
Short hair:
If you want a really short haircut, or what’s known as a 'buzzcut', the easiest way to achieve this is with hair clippers. These aren't the cheapest of items if you want a good quality pair, but you can buy them from £10 upwards on Amazon. If you're going to buy your own pair, cordless is easier to use than corded, but it’s a bit more expensive. However, lots of students cut their own hair, so if you don't have a pair and don’t want to buy one, there will probably be someone who can lend you theirs or cut your hair for you if you're feeling brave. If you'd rather do it yourself, it's not too difficult, and the great thing about clippers is that they cut your hair evenly.
Clippers come with different sets of 'teeth' which cut your hair to different lengths, so make sure to check carefully which teeth you're using before you start shaving your head! The lower the number, the shorter the setting. For example, no.1 is 3mm, which is very short, and no.8 is 25mm, so think about just how short you want your hair to be when you pick your teeth. You might want to use shorter settings near your neck for a gradient effect (what’s known as a ‘taper’ or ‘fade’), or you can use the same length all over. If you’re not sure how short you want to go, you could start with the longest setting, see how it looks, and then go shorter if you desire it.
Try to cut your hair in front of a mirror, and, if you have two, hold or prop a second one up behind you so you can see the back of your head, or use the camera on your phone. The back of the head is hardest to do, so it really helps if you can see it. If you’re not shaving your whole head, use any hair bands or hair clips you might have (clippers tend to come with a few hair clips) to keep the rest of your hair away from the clippers.
Start from the bottom of your head, near your neck, and shave upwards, in vertical lines. Always start with the longest setting and shave all the way up to however high you want to cut your hair. Then, if you want to use shorter settings closer towards your neck, go over what you’ve done, stopping a bit further down than you did with the longer setting. Keep going until you’re happy with the length. You might want to go over the fine hairs on your neck with a set of no.1 teeth, or 0 (no teeth).
Medium length hair:
If your hair is between 2-5 inches, you’ll probably have to use a pair of scissors. Using scissors can be a bit more challenging than clippers, and will probably take more practice. If you can find someone to help you, it’s probably a good idea to ask for their help, even if they’re just there to watch and tell you if you’re cutting your hair evenly. Use a pair of hairdressing scissors if you can, as any other scissors will be more difficult to work with. If you don’t have any hairdressing scissors, use the sharpest scissors you can find. You’ll probably want to dampen your hair slightly before you start, so that it doesn’t fly away while you’re trying to cut it.
With hair of this length, you might not want it to be all exactly the same length, especially if your hair is quite thick, so the best way to tackle this is by eye. Start wherever is easiest for you, whether this is working front to back or back to front, from the middle outwards or from the sides to the middle - it’ll depend on what kind of hairstyle you have before you cut it. If you want to cut a sizeable chunk of your hair off, it might help to use a comb: drag it through your hair and stop a few centimetres or inches before the end. Use your scissors to cut off the ends in small, diagonal cuts. If you prefer a messier look, you can hold your hair between your fingers instead of using a comb. If you just want to trim your hair, use the tips of the scissors to chip away at the ends of your hair, again at an angle, to avoid making your hair too blunt-edged. Work your way through your hair until it’s relatively even, and then go over it again if you want to make it shorter.
Longer hair:
If you want your hair to be all the same length, such as for a bob or for shoulder-length or longer hair, the easiest way to do this is by using a comb and a pair of scissors. Drag the comb through your hair and stop when you reach the point where you’d like to cut your hair off. Holding the comb in your hair, place the scissors between the comb and the ends of your hair and cut. Use short, slightly diagonal cuts. Cut off a little at a time - you can always go back and cut more off if you want it to be shorter. Work around your head in this way, and then go over any uneven parts. If your hair is long enough, split it in half at the back of your head and bring each half round to the front of your shoulders, so you can see what you’re doing. This way, you can measure both sides against each other to make sure they’re even. If you find that your hair falls too bluntly after you’ve cut it, you can go over it holding the scissors at an upwards angle, snipping tiny bits off to create a softer look.
If you want to create layers, divide your hair up into sections. Leave the hair you want to be longest loose around your shoulders, and tie the rest up in a ponytail/bun on top of your head, out of the way. Bring the loose hair before your shoulders and cut off as much as you want, bit by bit, until you’re happy with the length. Once you’ve done this, take the rest of the hair that you’ve tied up and make a ponytail at the front of your head, by your forehead. Take the end of the ponytail and cut off the ends. The more you cut off, the more dramatic your layers will be. Repeat this process until you’re happy with the amount of layers you have.
If your hair is already long and you want to create a bob, pull your hair into a tight ponytail at the back of your head, at the bottom of your hairline. Cut straight across your ponytail, underneath the hair tie. Your hair should drop to just the top of your shoulders. It will be longer at the front than at the back by your neck, and quite choppy. You can check in the mirror before you cut it to see exactly how long it will be when you cut it. To soften it up, snip away at the ends of your hair with the tips of your scissors, at a slight angle.
Fringes:
To create a fringe, separate as much hair as you want to form your fringe with from the rest of your hair, and tie or clip back what you don’t want to cut, out of the way. It’s best to cut your fringe while your hair is dry, as this will show you how your hair will actually fall; if you cut it while it’s wet, it will probably end up shorter than you expected. Comb the hair you do want to cut evenly over your face. Check that if falls in the thickness you want your fringe to be. It’s best to initially cut your fringe longer than you want it to be, and then go over it until you’re happy with the length. Cut your hair holding your scissors upwards, in small snips, so that it doesn’t form a blunt, straight line - you can neaten it up afterwards if it’s too choppy.
To trim your fringe, first, section off all your other hair that you don’t want to be part of your fringe, by tying or clipping it back. Hold your scissors at a 90 degree angle and gently snip at your fringe. Avoid cutting straight across your forehead, as this will create a very blunt affect. Cut a little at a time to avoid cutting too much off, especially if your hair is curly, as it will spring back and look shorter than you actually cut it. If you find that it’s too blunt, go over it using small, upward snips.
Short hair:
If you want a really short haircut, or what’s known as a 'buzzcut', the easiest way to achieve this is with hair clippers. These aren't the cheapest of items if you want a good quality pair, but you can buy them from £10 upwards on Amazon. If you're going to buy your own pair, cordless is easier to use than corded, but it’s a bit more expensive. However, lots of students cut their own hair, so if you don't have a pair and don’t want to buy one, there will probably be someone who can lend you theirs or cut your hair for you if you're feeling brave. If you'd rather do it yourself, it's not too difficult, and the great thing about clippers is that they cut your hair evenly.
Clippers come with different sets of 'teeth' which cut your hair to different lengths, so make sure to check carefully which teeth you're using before you start shaving your head! The lower the number, the shorter the setting. For example, no.1 is 3mm, which is very short, and no.8 is 25mm, so think about just how short you want your hair to be when you pick your teeth. You might want to use shorter settings near your neck for a gradient effect (what’s known as a ‘taper’ or ‘fade’), or you can use the same length all over. If you’re not sure how short you want to go, you could start with the longest setting, see how it looks, and then go shorter if you desire it.
Try to cut your hair in front of a mirror, and, if you have two, hold or prop a second one up behind you so you can see the back of your head, or use the camera on your phone. The back of the head is hardest to do, so it really helps if you can see it. If you’re not shaving your whole head, use any hair bands or hair clips you might have (clippers tend to come with a few hair clips) to keep the rest of your hair away from the clippers.
Start from the bottom of your head, near your neck, and shave upwards, in vertical lines. Always start with the longest setting and shave all the way up to however high you want to cut your hair. Then, if you want to use shorter settings closer towards your neck, go over what you’ve done, stopping a bit further down than you did with the longer setting. Keep going until you’re happy with the length. You might want to go over the fine hairs on your neck with a set of no.1 teeth, or 0 (no teeth).
Medium length hair:
If your hair is between 2-5 inches, you’ll probably have to use a pair of scissors. Using scissors can be a bit more challenging than clippers, and will probably take more practice. If you can find someone to help you, it’s probably a good idea to ask for their help, even if they’re just there to watch and tell you if you’re cutting your hair evenly. Use a pair of hairdressing scissors if you can, as any other scissors will be more difficult to work with. If you don’t have any hairdressing scissors, use the sharpest scissors you can find. You’ll probably want to dampen your hair slightly before you start, so that it doesn’t fly away while you’re trying to cut it.
With hair of this length, you might not want it to be all exactly the same length, especially if your hair is quite thick, so the best way to tackle this is by eye. Start wherever is easiest for you, whether this is working front to back or back to front, from the middle outwards or from the sides to the middle - it’ll depend on what kind of hairstyle you have before you cut it. If you want to cut a sizeable chunk of your hair off, it might help to use a comb: drag it through your hair and stop a few centimetres or inches before the end. Use your scissors to cut off the ends in small, diagonal cuts. If you prefer a messier look, you can hold your hair between your fingers instead of using a comb. If you just want to trim your hair, use the tips of the scissors to chip away at the ends of your hair, again at an angle, to avoid making your hair too blunt-edged. Work your way through your hair until it’s relatively even, and then go over it again if you want to make it shorter.
Longer hair:
If you want your hair to be all the same length, such as for a bob or for shoulder-length or longer hair, the easiest way to do this is by using a comb and a pair of scissors. Drag the comb through your hair and stop when you reach the point where you’d like to cut your hair off. Holding the comb in your hair, place the scissors between the comb and the ends of your hair and cut. Use short, slightly diagonal cuts. Cut off a little at a time - you can always go back and cut more off if you want it to be shorter. Work around your head in this way, and then go over any uneven parts. If your hair is long enough, split it in half at the back of your head and bring each half round to the front of your shoulders, so you can see what you’re doing. This way, you can measure both sides against each other to make sure they’re even. If you find that your hair falls too bluntly after you’ve cut it, you can go over it holding the scissors at an upwards angle, snipping tiny bits off to create a softer look.
If you want to create layers, divide your hair up into sections. Leave the hair you want to be longest loose around your shoulders, and tie the rest up in a ponytail/bun on top of your head, out of the way. Bring the loose hair before your shoulders and cut off as much as you want, bit by bit, until you’re happy with the length. Once you’ve done this, take the rest of the hair that you’ve tied up and make a ponytail at the front of your head, by your forehead. Take the end of the ponytail and cut off the ends. The more you cut off, the more dramatic your layers will be. Repeat this process until you’re happy with the amount of layers you have.
If your hair is already long and you want to create a bob, pull your hair into a tight ponytail at the back of your head, at the bottom of your hairline. Cut straight across your ponytail, underneath the hair tie. Your hair should drop to just the top of your shoulders. It will be longer at the front than at the back by your neck, and quite choppy. You can check in the mirror before you cut it to see exactly how long it will be when you cut it. To soften it up, snip away at the ends of your hair with the tips of your scissors, at a slight angle.
Fringes:
To create a fringe, separate as much hair as you want to form your fringe with from the rest of your hair, and tie or clip back what you don’t want to cut, out of the way. It’s best to cut your fringe while your hair is dry, as this will show you how your hair will actually fall; if you cut it while it’s wet, it will probably end up shorter than you expected. Comb the hair you do want to cut evenly over your face. Check that if falls in the thickness you want your fringe to be. It’s best to initially cut your fringe longer than you want it to be, and then go over it until you’re happy with the length. Cut your hair holding your scissors upwards, in small snips, so that it doesn’t form a blunt, straight line - you can neaten it up afterwards if it’s too choppy.
To trim your fringe, first, section off all your other hair that you don’t want to be part of your fringe, by tying or clipping it back. Hold your scissors at a 90 degree angle and gently snip at your fringe. Avoid cutting straight across your forehead, as this will create a very blunt affect. Cut a little at a time to avoid cutting too much off, especially if your hair is curly, as it will spring back and look shorter than you actually cut it. If you find that it’s too blunt, go over it using small, upward snips.
