Self trimming for short hair

[Miss P]

Hi,
Just wondering if anyone can give me some advice about self trimming short hair (currently neck length heading towards shoulders!). I've checked out Feye's tutorials but they're for longer hair. Any advice appreciated :)

[Arctic]

I have written about how I do it several times over the years, so if you are interested you could do some forum searches. It's too time consuming to write about it in detail again and again. I have been considering making a blog post (tutorial) about it, maybe I will, some day. But the information is out there! As a short version: I mimic how hair dresser would do it, but simplify the process a lot.

[lapushka]

First question. Is there damage in your hair? Do you need to trim it? If there's not any damage, you can just let it grow. And if there is some damage S&D will get that out for you just fine.

[Miss P]

Arctic, I found the posts you meant Thanks so much that's exactly what I was looking for XD.
Lapushka, my hair isn't damaged, it's just that I'm growing out layers. So I want to trim it a bit so its more even.
Thanks so much for replying!

[lapushka]

Miss P, is it an idea to grow out the layers first, then trim it even when it's longer and you *can* self-trim?

[diddiedaisy]

I've always self trimmed, but not as short as neck length. What I would do at shoulder length was make a pony tail at the back, I didn't use elastics I just held it, looked at it sideways on in the mirror, held the end where I wanted to cut and just snipped it off. It always came out straight. If it's long enough to make a pony, even a teeny one, it's long enough to self trim.

I still do it this way now, I get better results than dividing it into two and pulling round to the front. In fact I did a dusting the other night this way and didn't even use a mirror, as I had scissors but no mirror and the snipping bug bit!!! You just need a bit of confidence. Good luck :)

[Miss P]

Thanks diddiedaisy :) I think I will wait until its shoulder length (and I can put it in a proper pony XD)

[rhosyn_du]

A ponytail snipped straight across will give you an A-line cut, because the front pieces have farther to go to get to the ponytail than the back. This is how I've been cutting my hair while I grow out my side cut, and it's working really well even at a pretty short length (about chin in front, and all the way up to my hairline in back). I cut by feel, but I have a bit more leeway in terms of evenness due to waves (my hemline will never look perfectly even, no matter how even the cut), and I'm not sure a straighty could get away with doing it that way. If you have a friend who you trust to do a single straight chop, though, that would definitely work.

[MeAndTheMaz]

diddiedaisy, is your avatar picture representative of what you wind up with after trimming with your ponytail method? Do you keep the "tie" at the back of your head, or do you slide down to where you want to cut?

[yvsa]

This is a video that shows how to cut a bob or hair that is neck length. She uses a elastic headband. I've tried this myself a few months ago and it worked.:)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFL19bSDQkQ

[lapushka]

This is a video that shows how to cut a bob or hair that is neck length. She uses a elastic headband. I've tried this myself a few months ago and it worked.:)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFL19bSDQkQ

And you need a 3-way mirror. :)

[rhosyn_du]

Hmm. I bet if you could find a way to hold the headband in place without taking up one of your hands, you could cut at the bottom of the band by feel and guiding the scissors with your free hand.

[Arctic]

Hmm. I bet if you could find a way to hold the headband in place without taking up one of your hands, you could cut at the bottom of the band by feel and guiding the scissors with your free hand.

It could be done with something like this: http://fabricol.fi/tuotekuvat/tuplapienpun_L.JPG
I don't know what it's called, but it's used to tightening for example drawstrings. They come in different designs.


The headband method is really creative! Or should we say, the strangling method :D

[MeAndTheMaz]

It could be done with something like this: http://fabricol.fi/tuotekuvat/tuplapienpun_L.JPG
I don't know what it's called, but it's used to tightening for example drawstrings. They come in different designs.


The headband method is really creative! Or should we say, the strangling method :D

Yeah, that's what I was thinking.

Step 3: Strangle yourself. :)

[Miss P]

Umm...in the interests of safety I think it's best if I just wait (seriously I walk into walls in my house and I have lived there since birth, I'm definitely too accident prone and too uncoordinated). I might wait until my friend gets back from Germany, since I should have grown some by then and she can supervise me. But thanks heaps for the suggestions, I really admire their creativity :)