How To Trim Your Long Hair At Home

I am someone who likes to DIY almost everything, whether that's experimenting with at-home waxing or dyeing my pilus bright cherry-red with at-home hair dye or trimming my own pilus against all sound logic. And you know what I learned? At that place's a reason we go to professionals for these treatments—especially when it comes to hairstylists. Because as my butchered at-habitation haircut can attest, that sh*t is difficult and requires training, skills, and geometric vision that nosotros mortal beings simply don't have. And then even though I know you're here right now because you want to trim your own hair immediately, I (and all the experts I spoke with) strongly recommend seeing a stylist instead , considering your DIY trim can become very wrong very quickly.

But if you lot're already about to gyre past my warnings and disclaimers and just do the dang affair yourself, then fine, I get it, and I've been there. Only please don't merely take a blunt pair of kitchen scissors to your pilus—pause, have a deep breath, and keep scrolling because I bankrupt downward all the info you need from bodily stylists, so you tin can trim your ain hair without accidentally ruining your (hair) life.

See the experts

Meri Kate O'Connor is a hairstylist and colorist at Cooper Weho salon in Los Angeles.
Kamara Chocolate-brown Lewis is a hairstylist at Raw Intuition salon in Los Angeles who specializes in protective hairstyles, faux locs, and coil cuts. Brown also has her ain wig line that offers wigs, bundles, and clip-ins, from yaki textures to 3b/4c textures.
Stephen Thevenot is a hairstylist at David Mallett salon in New York Urban center.

Is information technology okay to cut your ain hair?

Okay, this is when you're going to detest me a little, but I gotta emphasize it in one case more: There's a reason hairstylists are professionals—a lot of skill and technique goes into a haircut, so if you lot can agree off, delight consider waiting to see a stylist IRL. "Pilus cutting is an art form, but it too requires a lot of geometry," says Stephen Thevenot, senior stylist at David Mallet in NYC. "The most important matter is knowing what to cut and what to exit, and that comes with training and experience."

And FWIW, I'1000 not just trying to be a bummer or crush your impulsive 11 p.yard. I-want-new-hair-right-now dreams—I only desire yous to practise what's best for your hair, k? "A trim is definitely better if you go with a pro," says hairstylist Kamara Brown Lewis. Plus, "if you mess upwardly, you'll end up needing a professional—and more than than likely, yous'll have to get shorter than you initially wanted," Thevenot says. Which, uh, not fun.

It'southward worth noting that if split ends are the reason you're looking to trim your own hair, a less risky option is a DIY hair dusting, where you trim the separate ends from your hair strand by strand without needing to worry about losing length. Brownish also suggests skipping the scissors until your next hair appointment and loading up on pilus serums, hair oils, and deep conditioners to get out your hair looking shiner and healthier and minimize the appearance of divide ends while you're riding out your haircut betwixt salon visits.

Smooth Your Split Ends With These Treatments

This reparative mask

Olaplex No. 3 Pilus Perfector

Kreyòl Essence Travel-Size Haitian Black Castor Oil

Bread Beauty Supply Hair Oil Everyday Gloss

IGK Good Behavior Spirulina Protein Smoothing Spray

This protein spray

IGK Skillful Behavior Spirulina Protein Smoothing Spray

Brand sure you have the correct pilus-cutting tools

Most importantly, if y'all've ignored my advice (rude) and decided to cut your own hair, make sure you have proper hair-cut shears. Not your kitchen pair of scissors, not your arts and crafts scissors, sharp hair shears only. "Hair shears are much sharper and can give you a precise and accurate cut," says Chocolate-brown. "When people don't use proper shears, they tend to go over the same spot over and over again because it's non a make clean cutting—and then they're but cutting unevenly and losing length." Audio like your worst nightmare? Good. Get some shears. Here's what else you'll need:

Double-edged comb: Wait for something with wide and fine teeth, which will aid you section off your hair.
No-skid hair clips: These bbs will go far super easy to slowly piece of work in sections.
Flat fe: Optional (merely encouraged) for getting a polish finish before you cutting.
A spray bottle: To keep your pilus damp if y'all choose to cut your pilus moisture.

Stock upwardly before you trim your hair:

Javenproliu Professional Hair Cutting Shears

Javenproliu Professional person Hair Cutting Shears

Nylea Empty Glass Spray Bottle

Glamfields12 pcs Alligator Hair Clips

Grace Eleyae All Purpose Curved Rummage

Is it amend to trim hair wet or dry?

There'southward technically no correct answer here, since cutting your hair wet or dry is all about personal preference. Brown says that since wet pilus appears longer than dry hair, she recommends cut your hair dry, so you can get a more authentic idea of how much length you're trimming—particularly for curly hair types, which will shrink and wait shorter when they dry.

Just if you're going for a edgeless bob hairstyle, some pros recommend cut your hair moisture (or damp) to get the cleanest edge possible. Be cautious about how much you cut the showtime time though. "When hair is moisture, information technology stretches, and then you lot always desire to take less off than you think to avoid cut too much," says hairstylist Meri Kate O'Connor.

How tin I trim my hair at habitation?

Find a tutorial

Earlier you starting time trimming your pilus at home, find a tutorial that almost closely matches your own hair length and hair type , so yous can get the most accurate guide. And to make sure you're getting expert information, Brown says to choose one created by an actual pilus skilful or stylist. And so if yous want to skip these steps (since they're going to be different for every pilus type), keep scrolling for the best tutorials on trimming your ain pilus. Just if you want practiced advice (and you practise!), keep reading first.

Section your hair

To trim your pilus at home, start past sectioning your hair into at least iv sections. Dissever your hair in half from ear to ear, tie or pivot the top half upwards, and then section the superlative half and the bottom one-half into their own sections with a pilus tie, scrunchie, or clip. "It helps you focus and will help y'all trim to the same length in each department," says Brown. And if you have really long or thick hair, Brown says you can take information technology a step forrard and split up each of those four sections in half besides.

Trim i section at a fourth dimension

Untie one section and comb or brush it thoroughly to make sure it'due south fully detangled and at its full length. Agree the department tightly betwixt ii fingers toward the lesser of the section, leaving only the hair you lot want to cut sticking out between your fingers. Hold your shears up against your fingers to make sure your fingers are directly, Dark-brown says, then trim the section in a direct line. "I always propose to simply get-go very, very minor—the shorter the meliorate," Brown says. "If you think you want to take off more than you should, you tin can't get back."

If you're working with curly hair (call back: types 3a to 4c), make sure to release some of the tension one time y'all've got the section betwixt your fingers at your desired length, so your curls take their natural shape. "It helps to see the natural length a piddling more than," says Brown, and it will help you get an idea of how your hair volition look in one case it's trimmed. Go out the freshly trimmed section down so you can use it as a guide for the next section.

At present that you know what tools you need and the basics of trimming, here are a few tutorials that will give you lot a visual and step-by-step breakdown of exactly how to trim every hair blazon.

How to trim your natural hair without heat

This DIY haircut tutorial is perfect for trimming natural hair and curls without hair (like apartment-ironing or accident-drying it direct). In improver to shears and separating clips, you'll need three tools to detangle and smooth your hair before y'all cutting: a wide-molar comb, a detangling brush, and a fine-tooth comb.

How to trim your pilus wet

If yous think trimming your pilus moisture will be easier for yous, this tutorial past Justin Hickox, a hairstylist at Hickox Studio, will walk yous through the whole process, including how to trim for the shape of the hair y'all desire (whether it's a edgeless trim or layered at the back).

How to trim long layers

For the record, pros recommend seeing a stylist for a layered haircut. But if you merely cannot be stopped, this like shooting fish in a barrel-to-follow tutorial will aid you add long layers at home. Pay special attending to YouTuber Selection Up Limes'southward technique for point-cutting (aka cut into the hair with the tips of your shears parallel to your hair in guild to give your layers more texture).

How to trim your curls

Desire to touch on up your hair betwixt salon appointments? Follow the lead of beauty vlogger Joy Before Her for a super-easy approach to trimming curly pilus. Keep your hair completely dry and snip your ends curl by curl to avoid whatever f*ckups. Know that holding your shears at an bending will give your ends a pointier edge, which is super ideal for volume.

How to trim your split ends on dry pilus

As your hair gets longer, information technology'south pretty common for your ends to get skinnier from breakage and damage. Fifty-fifty it all out by giving yourself a quick trim to get rid of whatever carve up ends or stragglers. YouTuber Jasmine Brown prefers dry, straightened pilus to get the cleanest edge possible. BTW: A dissever-terminate serum is a not bad way to go along your hair looking fresh betwixt trims.

How to trim straight bangs

It's no hush-hush that bangs are kiiinda high maintenance—even though they might skim your brows perfectly postal service-haircut, there's a good chance they'll exist hitting your eyelids in a month or two. The solution? Committing to DIY blindside trims—and this tutorial for directly hair is a groovy place to start.

How to trim curly bangs

Got curly bangs? This haircut tutorial was pretty much made for you. Follow along every bit YouTuber Vivi König very advisedly gives her bangs some TLC. She recommends styling your hair prior to your trim—that manner you take a better idea of the true length you're working with.

Last notes

While a salon date with a trained hairstylist is the safest way to get for whatever kind of haircut, sometimes yous gotta do it yourself—and that'due south okay. Just make certain you have sharp hair shears, a thorough tutorial featuring your own hair type, and expert communication (similar…everything in a higher place), and when in doubt, cut less, non more.

And if you call up you can become by with some alternatives to a DIY trim (yay!), see: a tutorial on hair dusting, a deep conditioner for moisture, a hair serum for smooth, and a hair oil to lock in moisture and reduce the appearance of split up ends.

Sami Roberts Sami Roberts is the beauty banana at Cosmopolitan, covering beauty trends, news, and deep dives into all the dazzler products you lot beloved in order to determine which ones are really worth your money (she knows more whatsoever ane person should know nearly deodorant!).

Reddish Buddemeyer Cerise was the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan, where she covered dazzler across print and digital.