Hair Cutting Help: A New U!

[LittleQuill]

First, if I have posted this in the wrong forum, please feel free to move it. :) Or, if this has been posted before, please let me know and delete this one.

Okay, so, most of us have been cutting our own hair for many years, and some of us use Feye's Method. I have too for V-cuts. Thing is, I like the deep U shape, but have never been able to do the second step. My arms and shoulders are very bulky from pushing around a wheelchair for many years, and thus, I can't pull the tie down. I can get it some ways, but I can't seem to grab the tie to pull it the rest of the way (I'm not very flexible). Now, I'm well aware that I could ask my partner or someone else to do that part for me, but I'm very independent, and I want to be able to cut my hair myself without help. My question is: Is there an easier way? Or another way that doesn't require reaching behind my back and pulling down a tie? Am I the only one that struggles with this part? If someone out there has an answer, I'd greatly appreciate the advice! :flowers:

[lapushka]

I know you want to be independent and that's commendable, but if you need help... just ask for it; it's not worth it. I'm a wheelchair user myself and when I need help (when things are just *too* difficult), I do ask.

There is no other way. You push the tie down from the top as far as it will go, then twist your arm and lay it flat on your back and pull the tie the rest of the way down. I need help with that too, although I haven't cut according to Feye in a long time. The compact cuts for layers are more my style.

[Simsy]

Would pulling your hair over to front work for you? Maybe half on each side of your neck and tie them together before pulling the tie down. You would probably need to adjust the cutting to accomodate but it should work.

[Cherriezzzzz]

As a hairdresser I've used my hand to hold hair in front of a client, twist it, and cut of the twist at the applicable location. Wherever the client wanted her layers to start. It is an even cut bc you're cutting both sides at the same time. It's all done in front. Take your hair from where a head band would be, brush it all forward and put into your ponytail. Pull it down and cut. Start low to get a feel of the cut and repeat till you're satisfied!

[MusicalSpoons]

My arms and shoulders aren't bulky in the slightest (except maybe some flab nowadays :rolleyes:) but I really struggle with that part too due to being quite stiff and inflexible. I usually end up pulling a muscle or few and I don't know whether I end up with a straight hem anyway ... yeah, maybe I should ask for help next time! But if anyone does come up with an alternative method, I would love to know!

[Kaya]

I rather agree with Lapushka when it comes to asking for help if possible. I totally get wanting to do it yourself, but if someone is around that could spare a few minutes, why make it harder on yourself unnecessarily?! :shrug:

Now, if there is nary a soul in sight to help, I would have sworn I read about a method someone here came up with. It might have been spidermom? While I have the flexibility to pull the tie down, I worry I don't pull evenly or the tie gets so loose towards the thinner ends that it's in danger of falling off...

Anywho, I think the idea was to do the first few steps of the Feye's method: part hair down the middle, comb out till smooth and tangle-free. Instead of combing it all back when required, you form a ponytail underneath your chin and do the same basic step of bringing down the hair tie and then cutting that way. So instead of being behind, you, you're trimming in front.

Hopefully someone who is more familiar with the technique will chime it. If not, try and Google it. That's how I found the alternative method. It came up with results from archived LHC stuff. Or maybe if there is way to do that sort of archive search here on the LHC?

[spidermom]

Now, if there is nary a soul in sight to help, I would have sworn I read about a method someone here came up with. It might have been spidermom? While I have the flexibility to pull the tie down, I worry I don't pull evenly or the tie gets so loose towards the thinner ends that it's in danger of falling off...

Anywho, I think the idea was to do the first few steps of the Feye's method: part hair down the middle, comb out till smooth and tangle-free. Instead of combing it all back when required, you form a ponytail underneath your chin and do the same basic step of bringing down the hair tie and then cutting that way. So instead of being behind, you, you're trimming in front.


Yes, that would be me. I always ended up with one side longer than the other when I did the Feye method.

It's very easy. To put into slightly different words than above, part hair down the middle in the back and bring half in front of each shoulder. If you always part your hair in the same place in the front, you can keep your part the same. I move my part around, so I always just part my hair down the middle from front to back.

Comb hair smoothly and evenly straight down in front of the shoulders to remove all tangles. |||O|||
Then bring the hair from each side into a single ponytail centered right in front of the neck. Just make sure the hair is flowing smoothly forward, not crossing up or bunching up. What I liked to do was leave the ponytail tie at the top in front of my neck, comb the hair through once more, then close a book over it and slide the book down, not the hair-tie. Then I would have a straight edge to guide my cut.

It gave a subtle U shape to my ends.

(P.S.: I grew as long as classic length using this method, but I wear my hair shorter now, so a stylist cuts it.)

[pailin]

I use Spidermom's method (more or less) too, although I've only done 2 small trims so far. I think it's much easier than trying to make the right and left match. I make a ponytail under my chin, pull it down a few inches, then ponytail again further down. Then I slide the second one down, and when I get near my thinner ends, I stop and wrap the tie around another time or two. But you could just add another tie. I'm not cutting very much yet, as I'm just starting to cut out layers so the bottom inch that I'm trimming isn't that thick.

[Anje]

I agree with the others. Part hair in the middle, pull over shoulders, gather it all together and cut it in front with the blunt cut instructions. Makes a gentle U. Putting it higher up your face instead of under your chin will layer the sides a bit more around your face, I believe, but I haven't done any direct comparisons to see if this is the case.

ETA: Oh, if you do want to do the Feye-style trim but can't lean forward and reach up to grab the hairtie from below, I suggest you lift your hair up with one hand and slide the tie further down your back with the other. That could get it quite a lot lower, to the point where you should easily be able to reach it when you reach under.

[littlestarface]

I use spidermoms method works great no lopsided hair and it grows very nicely. With feyes method I always got lop sided hair which always embarrassed me to no end and I'd always cut more off then I wanted cuz I was so determined to get it even, ugh no more of that mess for me.

I haven't trimmed my hair since this pic but this is how it looks when I first did it
https://i.imgur.com/mBScOoA.jpg

[queenbee1]

I just part my hair in the middle and bring both halves in front of my shoulders. Then I'd snip about an inch (or two) from both sides. Works well for hair longer then CBL and shorter than TBL. Didn't use no ponytails or anything. But my hair grows pretty evenly. This method might be problematic if it grows unevenly. Best of luck :)

[Jo Ann]

When you tie your hair in the front, don't you have to look up at the ceiling to get the U-shape? Or is the hair naturally cut in the U-shape because the hair in the back is pulled forward, thus making the back hair slightly longer than the front?

[spidermom]

When you tie your hair in the front, don't you have to look up at the ceiling to get the U-shape? Or is the hair naturally cut in the U-shape because the hair in the back is pulled forward, thus making the back hair slightly longer than the front?

You don't have to look up. You can look straight ahead. And yes, I think your assessment of how the U shape happens is exactly right.

[Jo Ann]

Thank you, Spidermom! I've wondered about bringing everything forward, especially when one gets fairy tale ends and the scrunchie gets loose when one pulls it down.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

As far as I know, Spidermom's method only produces a shallow U shape, not a deep U. In my case, anyway. So how would you use it to get s deeper U shape?

[divinedobbie]

I use Spidermom's method as well, I use it more as a final step in my cut to make sure everything is nice and even. I usually start by parting my hair in half from front to back and then gather each half right below my ear, put a scrunchie there and pull down evenly on each side. Then cut the right and left half separately. For a lot of people it might be hard to cut off exactly the same amount off each side and might get lopsided hemlines but it always seems to work for me! It also tends to get more of a blunter cut (which I want) since you're not pulling the hair so much forward as if you were tying the scrunchie together under the chin.

[Anje]

As far as I know, Spidermom's method only produces a shallow U shape, not a deep U. In my case, anyway. So how would you use it to get s deeper U shape?

I think if you look down, or gather the hair at your nose or forehead, the U should be deeper.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

I think if you look down, or gather the hair at your nose or forehead, the U should be deeper.

Hmmm. Maybe I should try it looking down.

[lapushka]

I think you would have to look down for a deep U. That is how the front bits get chopped shorter. Not while looking up, then the front bits will end up longer instead. :hmm:

[school of fish]

I think if you look down, or gather the hair at your nose or forehead, the U should be deeper.

Yes, looking down produces a deeper U :)

I'm a monthly trimmer - when I was trimming in a U-shape I would middle part, comb each side smoothly to the front, ponytail under the chin, rest the length along my belly and trim the pony straight across. Got consistent results every time until I got pregnant... it took me a few months to realize that my growing belly was shifting my pony placement and deepening my U month by month, hahaha!! The way the pony was sitting, it was effectively the equivalent of tipping my head down a little more each month :p

[spidermom]

Thank you, Spidermom! I've wondered about bringing everything forward, especially when one gets fairy tale ends and the scrunchie gets loose when one pulls it down.

I closed a book over mine so never had to fight with a scrunchie.