Written by Agatha Kempf
Whether you forgot to book an appointment at the salon before the lockdown or your hair has already grown too long for your liking, now that the hair salons and barbers are closed you’re now facing only one choice: cutting your own hair.
This phrase can scare many, as you already have flashbacks of last time you tried cutting yourself bangs in your bathroom at 2am.
But fear not!
Our little guide will help you make the right choice of how you should cut your hair, according to its type, and we’ll also tell you what equipment you should be using for best results.
If you want to chop your long hair…
A bob is not only a trend that’s never off, but it is also one of the easiest haircuts to take care of.
On dry hair, part it in the middle and do a low ponytail. Then cut straight at the level of the hair tie. Finally, remove the hair tie and make a final adjustment by either cutting straight edges with scissors or giving a bit of a ‘wilder’ effect giving some upward cut to your ends.
It will give your hair a big boost!
“Make sure you have suitable scissors, a pair that is only used for hair and nothing else,” says Richard Pate, 60, retired hairdresser.
“A stable body position will also be a big help in the completion of a successful haircut. You need to keep your head straight, have relaxed shoulders and be comfortably installed with a good lighting.”
If you only want to trim your damaged ends, here are two ways depending on the curls of your hair:
On straight hair: Make sure you hair is dry and detangled. Part it in the middle and put it in front of your shoulders. Then, make a ponytail on each side and bring the hair tie down to where you will want to cut your ends.
Tip: Hairdressers generally trim half an inch.
On curly hair: Detangle your hair, and twist each curl to separate them. Take a strand and cut it diagonally, mid-curl. Repeat with each strand.
As a general rule, it is better to prevent damaged hair by limiting its exposure to heat tools such as hair dryers, hair curlers and hair straighteners. Also, invest in some nourishing treatments and oils such as Kérastase Genesis Masque Reconstituant Hair Mask or Olapex’s No 7 Bonding Oil.
If you have short hair, the technique will be very different as you will probably need a hair clipper.
We advise you to buy this: Philips Series 5000 hair clipper with titanium blades for £55 on Amazon.co.uk or this colour guided Wahl Color Pro hair clipper for less than £20.
For a successful buzzcut, you will have to work the hair clipper against your hair grain.
Start evening out all of your hair. We recommend you choose a guard that won’t leave your hair too short; first start with more length and work your way shorter if you want to.
Then grab the second shortest guard and go over your sideburns.
Keep the same guard to do the back of your neck: with upwards motions, go from one earlobe to the other.
You can then go over the top of your head with guard number four. This length will allow you to still be able to style and work with your hair while keeping it relatively short.
Despite the tips and advice we’ve given, keep in mind that even if you mess up your haircut, you are meant to be in self-isolation – so only you or your close ones will be able to see the damage you’ve done!
“There was no struggle to be honest,” says Nikos Papanikolaou, 32, student at London Metropolitan University.
“Just hesitation in the beginning. But then again there were no options and it’s just hair, so I did it. Obviously it’s not the best haircut but it’ll do.”
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