Self Trimming - dry or damp?

[maskedrose]

I've been building up my courage to do my first self trim (especially after my nightmare last night that involved a stylist and a bunch of hair on the floor...), and I was wondering whether I should do it on damp or dry hair. Mine is pretty wavy, and whenever I have gotten all set up to trim, I chicken out because I'm afraid that the wave will hinder me from cutting it evenly.

Any suggestions? How many wavies/curlies self trim?

Thanks!

[peacecat3]

I self-trim, and do it on damp hair. It's easier to get an even cut that way for me.

[SurprisingWoman]

I actually like to soak my hair in conditioner and cut it when it is all wet. I comb it and hold it between my fingers and the conditioner "holds" it all together so to speak. Then I rinse it all out. (I lie to myself and tell myself that my hair is like a rose and by cutting it with conditioner on it I am actually helping the condition of my hair by having it "soak" in at the time of the cut. That's absolute bunk but it makes me feel good.... :rolleyes: Is it sadder to lie to yourself or know it's a lie and still believe it anyway... I am a goof)

Good luck with your trim. I would never go back.

[Feisty Redhead]

I trim while my hair is damp, too. Unless I'm just doing a very light dusting, then I don't mind doing it on dry hair. Just take your time, don't feel like you need to rush through the process. Make sure you comb out all the tangles first, and work in very small amounts - you can always trim a little more off to get where you want but once you snip you can't get it back so it's better to err on the cautious side. And remember that if you're trimming damp/wet hair it will "shrink" as it dries so leave it a bit longer than you're actually aiming for. Hope that helps!

[Isilme]

I wait until my hair is some days past wash, a bit oily and stick straight.

[SHADOWSCODE46]

I trim my hair soaking wet with conditioner. I read somewhere in a magazine from a professional hair stylist, that cutting hair when dry only causes it to split again. The friction from dry hair and the scissors causes the ends to fray. I have proven this to be true so cutting dry hair is a no-no, unless I am doing a S&D then I make an exception, but quickly use an ends sealer afterwards.

[madisonclare]

I am a licensed cosmetologist. What I have learned is that Curly/wavy hair shrinks much more after it dries than straight hair. The curlier the hair, the more it will shrink. For every 1/4 inch you cut when the hair is wet it will shrink up to 1 inch when dry. If you are going to self-trim, I would make sure the hair is either completely wet or completely dry.

I have wavy hair and I self-trim my hair dry. It is easier for me because wet hair must be pulled taut before it's snipped, so you don't get as accurate an idea of the shape it will take on when dry. I only go to the stylist every six months.

[Neon Gloss]

I trimmed mine dry MANY times, but as long as I straightened it first.

[madisonclare]

FYI: I've only ever done a light dusting on my hair I have never cut it all over as it is not long enough to do so. Hopefully some day I can do that :)

[hrimfaxi]

I've trimmed mine both wet and dry, but when dry, I give it a few days after washing, so that the curl has fallen out into loose waves. I've most recently trimmed it dry, and it looks fine to me--nothing weird has happened to my hemline because I trimmed it dry instead of wet.

[AmandaPanda]

Mine is fairly straight, and I trim it when it's dry

[Feisty Redhead]

I trim my hair soaking wet with conditioner. I read somewhere in a magazine from a professional hair stylist, that cutting hair when dry only causes it to split again. The friction from dry hair and the scissors causes the ends to fray. I have proven this to be true so cutting dry hair is a no-no, unless I am doing a S&D then I make an exception, but quickly use an ends sealer afterwards.

I think that all depends... if you are using good quality, sharp hair cutting scissors that have never been used to cut anything but hair I think dry trimming/cutting is ok. But if you are using scissors that are not sharp enough or were used to cut something other than hair then yes the trim may do more harm than good.

[MeMyselfandI]

I have always cut my hair when dry.

[maskedrose]

I think I'll try it wet this first time and just take a tiny tiny bit off. Maybe when its a bit longer it will be easier to cut it dry since I will really be able to see what I'm doing.

Thanks for your replies!

[tiny_teesha]

i've done a few self microtrims, i but i could care less if it were uneven i wear it up all the time (my new challenge that ends this october i think)

Anyway. I did it on damp hair i think? And once on dry hair. I think suprisingwoman's tip is really good though, makes sence! Just go over it again and again to make sure, keep combing it and checking. I didn't bother because i'm not fussed.

[carinkla]

when I do an s and d I do it dry. When I cut my bangs..wet ..since dry all cut off pieces jump in the direction of my eyes;)

[FrannyG]

I used Feye's method, which means I'm pulling a scrunchie down the length of my hair. If my hair were wet, some hairs would be stretched and some wouldn't. I find it better to trim my hair dry. I get very even results, surprisingly.

[pookatrina]

Up until hip length I was a 1c/2a & I always trimmed dry so I'd have a better feel for how my hair would look.

[psychosister]

Last time I did a self trim, I did it wet, and ended up cutting my hair off. I am not sure if it would work better dry or not, but I probably shouldnt try :) Apparently, I am horrible at that sort of thing.

[andrea1982]

I trim my hair soaking wet with conditioner. I read somewhere in a magazine from a professional hair stylist, that cutting hair when dry only causes it to split again. The friction from dry hair and the scissors causes the ends to fray. I have proven this to be true so cutting dry hair is a no-no, unless I am doing a S&D then I make an exception, but quickly use an ends sealer afterwards.

I'm curious.. what is an ends sealer?

[jojo]

ive always self trimmed with either nearly dry or dry hair

[Smokie]

Don't think this is worthy of a new thread, but I have a question too.

I'm a curly. Very curly. And with my hair drying just past shoulder length, i need to keep my layers for now. How do I trim them myself? When I had elbow-length hair (wet) in high school, I would often brush all my hair forward over my head and in front of my face to give myself a microtrim and keep my layers intact. I also did this in sections starting at the top. My hair isn't long enough for this yet and given how absurdly split the last six inches of my hair were at the time, I seriously doubt it was very effective.

Any advice on self-trimming 3b/c hair (23ish inches wet)?

[Lillian]

I self-trim on freshly washed and completely dry hair and combed hair. I like to see the exact length and shape of my hemline in it's usual state before I attempt to modify it in any way!

[eccentricquirks]

Dry and Oiled, actually.....

Might be a little backwards, but I'll only cut my hair once its gotten its pat down with oil for the evening, and even then, its only a 1/8 inch dusting, once a month, in the fight to eventually get rid of my layers.....

It might take me 12 years.......but I'll get there, dangit......

[Nevermore]

I oiled my hair heavily and did it wet, I think that's the easiest way to trim non-straight hair or at least my hair, because I can comb it almost straight and it'll stay that way until it dries. If I did it dry, I'd never be able to get an even cut. Just be careful and err on the side of caution, take only the barest little bit off, let it dry and check to see if you want more off.

[lora410]

I self trimed my oiled, layered hair and it came out great!

[Feng-Shui]

I cut drying.

Thus I see the result direct after the cut.

Feng-Shui:flower:

[Amara]

I've done both. Usually, I trim dry. My hair is IC but almost is always very wavy because I always have braid waves. So, I put the scrunchie in my hair (I assume you're doing Feye's method) nice and tight, and pull it down slowly and evenly to the very bottom. Then I trim a teeny bit. Then I take out the scrunchie, comb it all out, and repeat, trim a little bit again, to make sure I didn't miss any bits. I always get it quite straight.

[Chromis]

I trim dry using Feye's method. I think it would be quite damaging to be pulling a hairtie down my hair if it were wet! I never do major trims though, only dusting to keep my hemline tidy for the most part. The most I've ever taken off was one inch.