DIY Easy At-Home Haircuts - Best Tips and Tricks

Between your BeautyDel mobile haircut services, you may be tempted to pick up the shears yourself. We’ve all been there: something is just not growing outright, it doesn’t feel fresh, or your next scheduled haircut is simply too far away.

We wanted to give you confidence with the basic elements of haircutting, so your between-appointment haircut attempts don’t glean disastrous results. First, here are some tips and tricks to get you familiar with the basics of haircutting before you take the plunge!

What you’ll need:

1. Good Shears:

This will be the biggest investment in your haircutting kit but it’s well worth it! The better the shears, the easier the execution of your haircut. If you choose professional-grade shears, you have them for a lifetime. Haircutting shears are measured in inches, and for novice stylists, we recommend smaller shears (4.5-5 inches) for more control during your cut. Thinning shears are optional, but really help with creating dimension in your haircut, and lightening thick, heavy locks.

2. Cutting comb:

A cutting comb is made of sturdy plastic, with both wide and finely spaced teeth. For longer haircuts, we recommend the standard 6-inch cutting comb.

3. Cutting Cape or towel:

A cutting cape will ensure your trimmed ends don’t get stuck in your clothes. Hair will always sneak around the cape to itch your neck but a cape or towel can prevent the worst of the itching.

4. Cutting clips:

Whether you choose jaw clips or alligator, these essential tools help you keep clean sections for a more precise, less daunting haircut.

Techniques:

Before you begin to snip, there are a few techniques to get comfortable with to ensure your at-home haircut is safe and accurate!

Holding Shears

Haircutting shears should be held with your thumb (in the thumb ring) and ring finger (in the finger ring). Most haircutting shears have a finger rest, or tang, on the finger ring for your pinkie to comfortably rest and aid in giving you more control snipping. Your palm should be out straight, with your thumb on the bottom and your hand resting on top.

Take a moment to hold and snip with your hand in this position until you grow comfortable. When cutting, your thumb should be moving and the rest of your hand should remain stationary.

Palming Shears

When combing or sectioning your hair, palming your shears prevents opening your scissors and potential harm. Simply remove your thumb from the thumb ring and close your hand over the base of your scissors. For added safety, flip your scissors on your ring finger so the blades are facing your wrist.

Sectioning and Combing out sections

To make your haircut less daunting, sectioning breaks your hair up into different “zones”. For a simple 4 section parting, first, bisect your hair by combing a straight parting down the middle of your hair. Separate and lightly clip. Second, comb a straight parting that should fall directly behind your ear on either side. Clip all 4 sections cleanly.

From these 4 sections, you will be taking small, horizontal or vertical one-inch mini sections when cutting. Use first your wide-tooth end of your cutting comb then the fine end from root to end to ensure all your hair is being held with equal tension.

Tension Tips

How firm your tension should be is determined by hair type. The tighter your wave pattern, the looser your tension should be. Practice by combing a section and allowing your hair to bounce back up naturally. This is where your hair will fall when you cut. For curly hair, less is always more.

Ears can be a tricky obstacle for an even haircut. Straight, wavy, or curly, allow lighter tension and a looser grip on the sides of your cut around your ears. If tension is too firm, your hair will be much shorter on the sides.

Angles

There are five basic angles to consider when cutting. Each angle will create a different effect on your haircut.

Zero elevation: For a blunt haircut, where the ends of your hair are all the same length, simply comb the hair straight down.

45-degree elevation: To build weight in your haircut, and create a ‘stacking’ effect (ex: a graduated bob) trimming at a 45-degree elevation will create a curled in effect.

90 degree elevation: Once our angle hits 90 degrees or above, we are now removing weight from the haircut. Often it is haircuts for men that are held at 90degrees as this creates an equal length throughout the haircut. This elevation is also used to connect layers with the

135- 180 degree elevation: Is used to remove the most weight and create the most dramatic layering effect. This angle, along with 90 degrees is used when creating long layers with lots of dimensions.

Now that you have an understanding of the fundamentals of haircutting and are familiar with basic techniques, you should feel confident with your in-between trim! In our next blog, we will introduce 2 simple haircuts to try when you simply cannot wait for your scheduled BeuatyDel mobile haircut service! Click Here to read our step-by-step guide on how to give yourself a trim from home!