Friday, June 01, 2018

...How to Cut YOUR OWN HAIR...a short bob...

...If y'all have been following the blog for a while...you will have seen me donate my long hair a few times...

...it usually happens right around May-June sometime...every other year...as that's how long it takes me to grow 12 inches of hair...

...if I've counted correctly...this will make 14 times that I've donated over a foot of hair...and it's probably been more than 14 feet because a few times I let it grow for 3 years instead of just the 2 required to get 12 inches of donate-able hair...and it's so meaningful and life changing to the recipients...and it's really nothing to me...

...I donate my hair to Children with Hairloss...

2007
2009
2011
2013
2016

...and...it's always fun to head into summer with a new short 'do'...
...I gathered my implements...as I'm not going to a salon this time...I thought...why bother...cutting hair is not rocket science after all...and I thought I could to a passable job as I don't bother with my hair much at all anyway...and as soon as it's long enough again it will probably just get pulled back and pinned up...

...I thought I might need a variety of scissors...and the ones in the middle are brand new...so super sharp as they've never cut anything before...

...my hair is rather thick and silky/slippery if that makes sense...it tries to run away (slip away) from scissors...so I thought I'd better have some options...

...a comb and a brush...and a bunch of clips...the rubber bands are just for the ponies that I'll cut off and braid...
...a before photo of the long locks...
...pulled up and pinned to reveal all that fuzzy little hair at the nape of my neck...
...and when I've been to salons before...the first thing they do is shave that off...
...so I got out the Man's clippers and razor...and just ran it over my neck to get rid of that...
...a slightly red neck...sans little fuzzy hairs...
...then I washed my hair...if washed is the correct word...I've been No Poo since I first heard of that option in 2005 or so...(not sure why I've never posted about it...but I don't find a No Poo post on the blog)...
...combed it out and parted it down the middle...I always part it on the side with a bob...but at the salon they always cut it with the part down the middle and then part it on the side...so I'm going with that method...
...divided into three ponies...
...I just took my biggest scissors and chopped those off close to the rubber band...
...three severed ponies...I'll braid them together for the donation envelope...
...and this is the rather jagged cut that was left after I lopped off the ponies...I seriously just thought about leaving it at this point...and calling it a 'style'...haha...
...but I sectioned the hair off and twisted each section and pinned it up the way they do at the salon...to be able to cut a small section at a time...
...and then...my GENIUS idea for getting a straight line...I ran a piece of masking tape from one side of my chin to the other...and I'll use that as a guide to get a straight line across the back...
...I just let one section down at a time...and then using the top of the masking tape as a guide cut it off...
...now I'm working with two mirrors here...and the most difficult part of the entire process was adjusting the angle of the scissors in the mirror...I really had to think about which way things were going/pointing...

...so to start each sectional cut...I'd close my eyes and line my scissors up by feel first...and then I opened my eyes and looked in the mirror to actually make the cuts...it worked!...
...all finished...there are some little sprigs I know I'll have to cut after I No Poo wash/rinse it...but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out...
...after another jump in the shower...I trimmed a few little bits...and it's all done...
...so I braided my three ponies...and waited for my hair to dry...
...now for the after photos...
...the finished cut...I'm really pleased with the blunt straight line I got using the masking tape as a guide...
...and...the finished cut from the front...
...I'll almost always have it tucked behind my ears like this though...

...and I know I'm the worst selfie-taker in the world...haha...I just can't seem to get over how silly it seems...

...have you ever cut your own hair?...

~Have a lovely day!

6 comments:

  1. Your bob looks terrific. You did a fantastic job. I only donated my hair once and I went to the salon for the cut. I didn't cut nearly as short as yours is now. I don't think that length would suit me at all. When I was young I always trimmed my own hair. I always ended up with a shorter cut than I wanted because it is difficult to cut in a straight line.

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a brilliant job - and for such a good cause also popular here in the UK.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Just looked at NoPoo and I am keen to try it. What do you use on your wet hair, there are several options si I am very interested

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Maureen,

      I've been using the baking soda-wash and vinegar-rinse method with very good results for over 10 years now...I use apple cider vinegar and actually I remember our Mom used to do a vinegar rinse after a regular shampoo when we were little...it doesn't make you smell like vinegar as you rinse with water after...

      ...I'll have to do a post about my NoPoo experience...

      ~Affectioknit-ly,

      Teresa

      Delete
  4. that's adorable! makes you look so young! love, k

    ReplyDelete
  5. I cut my own hair for the first time this February. It was a little daunting, but turned out good. I actually am missing my long, long hair though and am impatient for it to grow again. It was a good experiment, but....

    Good job on your own hair-do! And on all the donations! Win-win.

    ReplyDelete