How To Cut Your Hair At Home—Without Regrets

Many of us have at least one bad hair story, especially those who have been brave enough to pick up the scissors in front of the bathroom mirror. It can be easy to attempt long curtain bangs, only to end up with accidental baby bangs; or for a home trim to become a few lopsided inches. That's why it is typically best to leave these things to the professionals when possible. However, a DIY haircut is still technically always an option if you're too busy to make it to the salon that month or want to refresh your strands between appointments. In those cases, it's important to proceed with caution.

Luckily, we're here to help you avoid any split-decision disasters. Follow along below for how to trim your bangs, get rid of split ends, and cut your hair at home—in a way that you won't regret.

Prepare Like A Professional

1. First, invest in a pair of professional hair scissors. Blunt craft scissors aren't going to give great results. If you trim your hair a few times a year on your own, it's worth it to buy a pair approved by your stylist.

2. Second, dampen your strands. Typically, you'll want to wet your hair before cutting to ensure precision. However, for curly or textured hair, it's a bit trickier, since the curl pattern and length is easier to discern when dry. Make sure to ease into a trim. (Taking off an inch of curly hair when wet is not the same thing as when it is dry!)

3. Lastly, have a few hair ties or clips on hand to separate out sections, as well as a brush.

How To Trim Bangs

If you're wanting to trim your bangs whenever they start getting long enough to be in your peripheral vision, it's important to be very careful with how much you're taking off, especially if the hair is damp, which is why it can be better to trim bangs when they are dry instead.

"Always trim your bangs dry and styled as you wear them. If you like to round the ends, brush your bangs so, they have a little lift. Round brush them before you trim them. This will help to prevent them from getting too short," Texas-based stylist Chris Jones told us.

As far as the actual haircut goes, Jones recommends "point-cut into the bang rather than cutting a straight line." This direction will help avoid a super blunt finish and give you more control as you trim the ends.

How To Get Rid Of Split Ends

Getting rid of split ends can help hair grow healthier and longer in the future, so for those who are on a healthy hair journey, consider keeping split ends at bay, whether at home or at the salon. The sooner they're gone, the less time they have to weaken your hair up the hair shaft.

The trick to trimming split ends is to keep a level head, and resist going too scissor-happy. The goal is to remove just the individual split ends, not a huge amount of hair length (unless that's what you want). YouTuber—and hair guru—Kayley Melissa offers a simple at-home method of getting rid of splits ends without accidentally cutting off too much hair.

How To Cut Your Hair

If you're looking to trim your hair or even cut off a few inches of hair, one method streamlines the process for first-timers. It's called "The Ponytail Method."

1. To start, you'll secure your hair into a high ponytail. (Remember: It should be dampened and brushed as straight and smoothly as possible.)

2. Take the ponytail and pull upwards on the hair tie until it's only an inch or two away from the ends. If you have a lot of layering, you can secure extra elastics every few inches until the ends are easy to hold taut.

3. Cut off just a half-inch to an inch at the ends, straight across. Then, point-cut vertically to give texture and eliminate bluntness.

4. Take hair down, and assess your work before cutting any more.

At-home styling is not for everyone, but if you do grab the scissors, make sure to use these tips.