How to Cut Your Own Hair at Home and Get Salon-Level Results
Whether you want to go short or add layers, follow these pro tips.
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When it comes to big hair changes, we recommend saving 'em for the pros — but when done right, it's totally possible to freshen up your layers, trim your (already-existing) bangs or nix split ends at home when you're desperate and can't make it to the salon for a cut every six to eight weeks.
The key is to start small with a few careful snips — and to go slow. You can always take more hair off, but you can't add back what you've already chopped! If you're cutting your hair while it's wet, remember it will look even shorter once it dries, so snip with extreme caution. In fact, if your strands are curly or you're wavy-haired, only cut your hair when it's dry so you can get a better idea of what the final look will be. If you have straight hair, you can cut while it's wet or dampen it with a spray bottle first to get the cleanest, sharpest lines possible.
Before you get started, you'll want to invest in a pair of razor-sharp styling shears designed specifically for the task, like Equinox Professional Shears, for the best-looking cut (and the healthiest hair) possible. Dull edges on household scissors could potentially give you even more split ends (plus, ew, cross-contamination). Now that you've got the basics down, we've rounded up the best instructional videos below to help you cut your own hair at home, no matter what kind of cut you're looking for.
Jessica (she/her) is a deputy editor at the Good Housekeeping Institute and a longtime product tester, reviewer, writer and editor of beauty and lifestyle content. She has over a decade of industry experience, previously as beauty editor at USA Today's Reviewed where she launched the Beauty vertical and tested hundreds of products and has covered trends for publications like The Boston Globe and The New York Times. You can usually find her sorting through piles of beauty products — and testing the best ones on camera.
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