Do-It-Yourself Haircutting

Last summer I took scissors in hand and hacked 6″ of my long hair into a bob cut. It was just about the shortest I’ve ever had it, barring the Dorothy Hamill wedge cut I had in 1976. It felt rather liberating to cut all that hair off – even more so that I did it myself. There is just something satisfying, almost primal, about hacking off a huge length of hair.

My hair is thick and grows fast, so in no time it seemed like it was draping across my shoulders once again. I made it through Christmas and the holidays with the longer length, but after the New Year it was starting to bug me. So last night I took scissors in hand and cut my hair about 3″ shorter. It felt good to have “swingable” hair once more. I like to do a blunt cut, with no layering.  Hairstylists that I’ve had never want to do a blunt cut, I think they want to practice all their fancy techniques.  But a blunt cut is what I like and what works best for my hair type. Sometimes you just have to take matters into your own hand!

Of course, since I’m not a professional hair stylist, it is not always perfect. I think one side is shorter than the other but I am not going to risk trying to even it out. I know my limitations and I’d probably end up looking like Miley Cyrus in trying to balance it. And then today I was shopping and caught a side view of myself in the fluorescent-lighted store mirror. I saw where I had missed a longer piece towards the back of my head. I couldn’t wait to get home and trim that piece off. Sometimes, well a lot of times, cutting the back of your hair is tricky.

Overall I really love cutting my own hair – it’s rather empowering. Okay, I am cheap, er, frugal, and am too lazy to book a session with a stylist, but it just is another thing that you can do for yourself. And I’m all for learning to do things for yourself. Plus, hair grows.

~Marilyn