How to Cut Your Own Hair at Home

Give yourself a DIY haircut while you're under lockdown.

So you've been at home a month and you're tired of hair falling into your face. Spring has come and you feel like it's time for a new 'do. You're not alone! In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, lots of people are conquering their fears and learning to cut their own hair at home.

If you're considering doing the same, here are instructions on how to give yourself a DIY haircut. Be sure to read all the instructions before you start! And before you commit, ask yourself: is a haircut really necessary right now? Perhaps you can handle a 1970s-style mop for a few more weeks. If not, time to jump in!

How to cut your own hair at home

Choose your tools

First off, you'll need some tools. Scissors made specially for hair are your best bet, as they're sharp enough not to leave you with split ends. Try to avoid using whatever scissors you've got in the junk drawer! Still, if that's your only option, go for the sharpest pair you can find.

You may also want a comb, hair clasps, bobbles, and even texturizing shears, depending on how fancy you want to get. For a simple, straightforward trim, though, a pair of sharp scissors should be enough — and if this is your first attempt, best not to be too ambitious.

Prepare your hair

If you have straight hair, you're probably used to your barber or stylist wetting it before they start cutting. This gives more precise control over the cut. If you're just starting out, though, leave your hair dry and styled, more or less as you'd wear it on any ordinary day. This way you can avoid nasty surprises after you've cut it!

Make sure your hair is clean first, too. Shampoo and condition thoroughly before you get started. Dirty, oily hair can cling together and leave your final cut uneven, and that'll be tough to fix.

Start small

Don't get overzealous and go for big cuts right off the bat. In fact, keep your DIY haircut to a simple trim. Now's not the time to attempt a dynamic new style! Start small and steady. You can always trim more and more hair as you go, so don't go for the length you want right off the bat.

Take off a few centimetres at most, starting at the very front. You'll get a sense of where your hair will land when it's cut, and you can use that as a gauge for further cuts. You can use clips to secure excess hair while you're cutting.

Keep an eye on your hair's direction — and your scissors

When you get going, pull the hair straight up away from your head, which will give you the best sense of its length and evenness. Keep your scissors parallel, and snip vertically, not across. You can point your scissors up slightly, and cut softly at your hair's ends. This is called "point-cutting" and gives a lighter finish to the ends, keeping them from looking too harsh.

If you have bangs as part of your normal style, be extra careful! It's easier to trim existing bangs than to create new ones, so stick close to what you're already working with. This video on Instagram from stylist Justine Marjan may help with this tricky technique.

Ask for (virtual) help

YouTube is bursting with tutorials on home haircuts, so if you need a hand, find someone with a similar style and hair type to you, and see what they do. The upside of cutting your own hair during the lockdown is if you screw it up, not many people will see it!

Share your results on Insta

If you're feeling brave, share your results on Instagram! We'd love to see what you come up with, good or bad. You could serve as an inspiration to others — or a dire warning! Either way, let us know how you do.

To learn how to make your own homemade, WHO-approved hand sanitizer, click here. To learn how to disinfect your phone, mouse and keyboard, click here. To learn how to make your own homemade fabric face mask, click here.