I used to do this several years ago, and got pretty good at it (this is on short, kinda spikey hair).  I haven’t had to do it for many years, but as I am currently unemployed (grrr) I find myself thinking about doing this again...but I’m kind of nervous about it, plus it’s a long process (not to mention messy!).

Does anyone else lop their own locks to save a few dollars?  How did it turn out?

I have cut other family members hair, but am too afraid to try it on myself—I don’t think my eye, or my hand, are quite that good. However, I do always trim my bangs—which probably drives my hairstylist crazy when she has to fix them up the next time I come in . . .

When I was in high school, I cut my own hair a few times. At that time, I was hating my hair because it wasn’t doing what I wanted it to do. Then, at 16, I let my hair go curly, and I loved it. But I still cut it myself a lot. When I was in college, I started going to a local hair place that was cheap, but that did a good job. After college, I began going to Supercuts, which was OK. But then I found out about my friend’s salon across town from my parents’ house. My stylist, Thelma, always did an amazing job, so I kept going until I got married and moved to Queens. Problem: While I’ve found cheap hair places here, none of them really know how to handle my curls, and while the cuts were OK, my hair was always parched for days afterward.

Finally, I got the book Haircutting for Dummies and I learned about cutting hair, so I took a chance and used some of the ideas to cut my own. I actually like the results. Even if it turns out bad, I’m an Orthodox Jew and a married woman, so I keep my hair covered as per Jewish law, and no one sees it except my husband and my kids. Besides, hair grows, so even a bad haircut doesn’t last forever. Plus, I started cutting my children’s hair, and they both look great. Best of all, it saves money, and every little bit helps.

I am known for my self-cuts!  Read haircutting books, pay super close attention when getting your hair cut, ask lots of questions while getting hair done, and most importantly-don’t be afraid.  The worst that could happen?  You have to wear a headband/scarf/hat for a couple of weeks then get it fixed by a professional.  Angled mirrors are a self-cutters best friend!  I even managed a super chic bowl cut last autumn--check it out:
http://www.myspace.com/jenn_theglamourgirl
Have fun with your hair!

I did it for years, and it’s one of the things I’d do again if I had to save money in a big way. I consider my 20$ haircutter a splurge but she does a good job.

I have curly hair, so that helped a lot. Curls hide a multitude of cutting sins.

One of the things I liked was to start with pulling my hair up on top, then slicing it. It would then fall into layers which released the curls, and then I’d trim it up how I liked it.

With the bangs in front, I did the same only pulling my hair forward on my forehead, slicing it at just below my eyebrows in the middle, then as I let go, the curls would spring back up, and the cut would fall in a soft curve around my face.

Next I’d take the vacuum, yes it’s a cliche and never fails to give my hairdresser a laugh when I tell her, but take the vacuum and turn it on and suck the nozzle all over the head checking for long strays, cut and suck and you are done.

I learnt to feel my back hair for excess length, or stray long bits and cut that by feel.

It takes practice, but what you have to remember is that hair grows and the old saying, the difference between a good cut and a bad one, is 2 weeks, well it’s true.

If you make a boo boo, don’t give up, just chalk it up to practice, let it regrow, fix it as best as possible, and keep at it.

Not even the best haircutter around was perfect their first 10 cuts or more. Keep at it, and unlike a pro, you only have to learn YOUR head of hair.

Get a few good cuts from a pro in between your jobs, and watch carefully how it’s done. Try to keep it trimmed up the same at home.

Keep at it.

I do kind of the same thing. I divide my hair into four sections- top, right, left, and back. Then, I pull each section straight out from my head and cut the ends. Finally, I release all the hair and just trim strays around the bottom. I wind up with a shortish, piecey look of soft curls.

I haven’t worn bangs since high school because they’ll just bounce up and leave me with a poof on my forehead.

That’s really the key- know your own hair.

And if you’re careful and don’t cut too much, you’ll rarely, if ever, have a problem, but you’ll save a lot of money.

I used to trim my bangs in college. Now I go to the local cosmetology school, they have a good reputation. I ask for one of the Senior students and have had very good results. The instructors give the final approval of the students work so they are pretty diligent of their work. I pay $9 for a haircut, $19 for color both before any tip.

There is a custom observed by ultra-Orthodox Jews, which is that a boy does not get a haircut until age 3, and then the first haircut is celebrated, with everyone getting a snip. The party is actually quite fun. My husband and I and our families are mostly Modern Orthodox, and we don’t follow that custom, so our son was 2 at his first haircut. We did try to have a mini celebration with my in-laws and everyone getting a snip. Only problem was that my poor boy was frightened and wouldn’t sit still, so the haircut, while decent, was way less-than-perfect. My mom (who couldn’t be there) said that we should’ve gone to a barber who would’ve done a better job. I said that my son was too frightened for anyone to do the job right, and a barber would’ve just given up too fast.

Two weeks before preschool started, I decided to give my son another haircut and prove that we didn’t need the barber. This time, we did it right. We did it at 10:30 a.m., which is when my son is usually happy and calm. Since my daughter needed a trim, I cut her hair first so that he could see that it’s not so terrible (my daughter loves when I cut her hair, so it’s easy). I also promised cookies for both children if they cooperated. My son sat in my husband’s lap and let me do a much better haircut than the first one. He was still too restless to sit still for a really precise job, but this haircut was much better. Both children earned their cookies.

Now for two funny stories… My daughter was constantly pushing her hair out of her eyes, so I always had to use ponytails, pigtails, and/or barrettes to pull it back. I was still under the idea that curly hair shouldn’t wear bangs, so I wasn’t sure about it, but finally, I decided to try. The funny part came when I suggested cutting bangs. Normally, my daughter likes haircuts, but she didn’t want this “because it’s gonna hurt.” Luckily, I realized what she meant, and I explained that I wouldn’t actually bang her head. I told her exactly what I wanted to do, and she let me do it. The bangs came out beautifully, and now, the ponytails, pigtails, and barrettes are options, not necessities. I liked her bangs so much that I decided to cut some for myself. Strangely enough, they look really good, and I’m not pushing my own hair out of my face all the time.

Second funny story… Despite my success in cutting my children’s hair, my husband didn’t want me to cut his hair. But then I discovered that our financial situation is really bad, and I had a couple of sobfests over it. My husband saw the second one, and he was wonderful about it, trying to calm me down and assuring me that we’d get through it. Then he told me that he was going to the barber, and I played my trump card- “I’m panicking here and you want to spend that money and not let me try for free?” I assured him that I wouldn’t take off too much and that the worst that would happen was that he’d have to go to the barber anyway. He finally agreed.

That afternoon, I cut his hair. Since he sat still for me, I first cut all the hair, then I tapered the ears. Then, he asked me to cut the nape area a bit shorter, so I did. It didn’t take very long, and I brushed him off. Then he stood, and I took a good look at his face, and (liking what I saw) I told him that “as of now, I’m your barber.” Then I told him to go to the bathroom and look in the mirror. He did, and he smiled with real pleasure and told me that I did a good job and that he would trust me to do it again.

I understand why stylists don’t recommend cutting your own hair, but cutting your family’s hair is wonderful, and I’m hooked.

I can’t cut hair to save my life haha, I tend to get my best friend to do mine because she is a trained hair dresser too and she doesn’t charge me :D

Yep,

I trim my ends every other month, and I cut my DH’s hair once a week