Lady Esquire
New Member
How To Trim Your Own Hair
We have read countless horror stories about stylists who butcher our hair. I am learning to be the ultimate DIYer. So many of you ladies here have successfully grown out your hair and have managed to keep clean trimmed ends, on your own, and this has inspired me. I have compiled some helpful tips on how to trim (Split Ends, U-shaped, Blunt, V-shaped, Layers), how often to trim, what type of scissors to purchase, etc. Hope it helps.
Learn how to trim your split ends to save money on haircuts and grow your hair long faster. A good pair of haircutting scissors and a little snipping is all it takes
http://hair-care.suite101.com/print_article.cfm/how_to_cut_your_own_hair
Growing long hair takes time. Nothing is more frustrating than going to a stylist who cuts off the two inches you've been painstakingly nurturing. So if you're trying to grow your hair long, skip the salon trims and cut your own split ends. It's easier than you think, and you'll save money to boot. Here's how.http://hair-care.suite101.com/print_article.cfm/how_to_cut_your_own_hair
- Use sharp scissors. Don't even think about using the same ones you use to wrap gifts or tear into boxes. Go to a beauty supply store and buy real hair cutting scissors. They are small and sharp, just what you want for the job.
- Be diligent. Don't think of this as an every two-month trim. By then, it's too late. You want to stay on top of the small split ends before they spread up into the lower two inches you're trying to keep. Make split-end scanning your new hobby. Time it with a regular habit, like removing nighttime makeup or your morning shower
- Make the cut. Examine your ends by pulling hair forward or looking in a mirror. Use the small scissors you bought and snip off just the tiny ends you see that are split in two. Once you get used to looking at your ends, the split ones will stand out. Snip all of them relentlessly. The first time will take longer than the rest, but you don’t have to get them all at once.
- Get regular shaping. Remember, you're cutting your ends for healthy growth, but eventually, you're going to need a professional to keep things shapely. That doesn't mean she needs to cut off a lot of length, but you can keep the growth going and periodically, maybe twice a year, go in to have things shaped up. Just be sure to tell your stylist you're growing your hair and don't want more than an inch cut off.
- If you like a simple blunt cut, you may not even need the salon service visits. As long as your hair is growing and the split ends are kept at bay, your style is completely your choice.
This info was cut and paste from the following site: http://www.angelfire.com/mi/bbubba/LHC/Trim.html
How Often To Trim
Trimming hair is a personal choice. In my opinion here are only 3 real reasons for trimming hair.
1. To remove damaged ends or split ends.
2. For giving hair shape if it has grown uneven. (See link near bottom)
3. To change the style of the hair because you desire a shorter length or shorter pieces such as bangs or layers.
So unless you have one of those reasons there is no need to trim. They say trim every 6 weeks but from what I've read in posts in the past 2 years there is no one size / time fits all with trims. Some people may have more damage than others due to chemicals or if they live in a climate that causes more damage or other factors.
Also a person could go 6 months without a trim get a trim and then maybe within 2 months they have splits and need a trim. Again weather, chemicals, heat damage, and lots of other things could cause that.
If you don't like getting trims in a salon my advice to you would be to read the rest of this page. If you cut your own splits then you will only have to get salon trims when you want to shape your hair. Be sure to get proper Scissors (Click here for article on choosing) because bad scissors can make things worse. You don't have to follow my directions exactly. Just simply snipping a few splits during a TV commercial once in awhile would be better than nothing
Scissors
The main reason Stylist's Scissors are expensive is because they need scissors which will last longer and stay sharp.
Haircutting scissors dull very easily because even though the blades are long you only use the first inch or so when cutting. If you have to do 10 cuts a day 5 days a week for a year your scissors you need to either have backup pairs of cheap scissors or you need to have an expensive pair because you don't want to be in the middle of doing a client and find out your scissors are dull.
Now as far as cheap scissors go they work fine. They just aren't meant to last as long. The best way to ensure that the pair you buy is a decent pair is to look at them. If they have an actual screw that you can use a screw driver on then they are a better pair than one that just has a rivet. The other thing to look at is do the blades come together tightly or is there a big gap between them? Hold them up so you can see if you see light between them. The less gap you see the better they are and the better cut you can get. If it has a screw you might be able to tighten it and that gap could be less.
Now as far as brands. I bought a pair of Arius Eckert scissors from a beauty supply for about $8 and they lasted me through at least 10 full haircuts so far and could probably do more.
I have also seen on here that people like the Tweezerman brand so they might be worth trying. I've also heard some people say they like to use sewing scissors.
Never cut anything but hair with any type of scissors you use for hair unless you're not going to use them on your hair anymore. You don't want to dull your scissors
A few more notes:
Good Hair shears have those lines on their blades that are like ||||||| and those are done by the grinding process. There are many store brands that do have those lines. Granted they may not be as well ground. Those Lines are for keeping the hair from slipping as you cut. If you go to cut hair and the hair looks like it is being pushed forward then chances are you either have dull blades or you bought a bad pair. Do not use the scissors from Haircutting Kits.
Clean your scissors with rubbing alcohol using a cotton ball. Do the same with any other metal beauty instruments you use such as nail clippers or files or cuticle pushers.
Also get some oil for the scissors.
GymFreak started this thread about different brand of shears: http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?p=4447413&posted=1#post4447413
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