Cutting your own hair can seem like an intimidating challenge, but during COVID times, more and more of us are getting ready to take the plunge. There are lots of tutorials on YouTube (there are always lots of tutorials on YouTube) that can help provide visual examples, instructions, and references that can help you take this step. Luckily, there are lots of different methods for different skill levels. Here are some things to consider before trimming your hair at home.
Trimming your natural hair is a natural part of a regimen to keep it healthy. The idea is to remove any splits or knots along the hair strand. You should also be removing any signs of damage, such as ends that are rough and dry to the touch. If you are on a hair growth journey, you may be reluctant to trim your ends, but trims help prefer splits from moving up the hair strand so that more of your hair stays healthy. How often you trim your hair depends on preference and the health of your ends. But something that should be absolute is using proper hair shears. Hair shears are specially designed to trim hair without causing splits which scissors are known to do.
Should you Detangle Before Trimming?
It is a great idea to have your hair thoroughly detangled before trimming, especially if your hair is highly textured and very tightly coiled. Tight coils and kinks can obscure knots, splits, and tangles. It also removes shed hairs which can distort your actual hair length. Detangle with a wide-tooth comb and then smoothing with a smaller tooth comb will help create a basis for a more accurate trim by helping to identify rough, damaged areas so you will know exactly where you should cut. This video gives a simple and detailed run through of how to trim your own natural hair.
Trimming Your Hair in Twists
Trimming in twists is probably the easiest way to trim your natural hair. It is always a good way of identifying the point at which your ends have begun to thin. It’s easy to keep track of what you’re cutting and can help you keep the amount of hair you take from each section consistent if you are trying to maintain a particular shape. Check out this quick video that talks about trimming your natural hair in twists.
Trimming Stretched, Banded Hair
You may find it easier to trim your hair in its stretched state but would prefer to avoid direct heat. If this interests you, then banding the hair before trimming may be the way to go. You can trim the hair while it’s still banded or remove the bands once the hair has been stretched. Banding the hair will show you the points where your ends become weathered and start to thin significantly. Banding can also help you see where splits exit if you start noticing ends in places they shouldn’t be.
Ensure you use medium sized to small sections for a thorough trim.
Dusting Your Ends
In terms of trimming your hair, “dusting” means removing really small amounts of hair creating an image that looks much like a layer of dust. Dusting is common with persons on hair length journeys to help them attain their goal lengths quicker while removing or preventing split ends. Check out this video to learn more about dusting and trimming your natural hair.
Trimming Heat Straightened Ends
If you wear your natural hair straight a lot then it may be worth it to trim your hair while it’s in this state. The nature of curly hair is that it is forgiving if strands vary in length. Straight hair is a lot less forgiving and more precision is needed in your trims if you wear your natural hair straightened more often. Here’s an easy to follow guide for trimming your natural hair when it’s straightened.
We’ve all had to adjust to doing many things at home that we wouldn’t usually do for reasons related to COVID. If you’ve been holding out on trimming your own hair because you are afraid you could make a mistake, hopefully, this article has helped you to see it can be a very simple and easy experience.
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