By Marianne Mychaskiw, InStyle
[post_ads]Just like shaping your eyebrows, cutting your hair is a beauty task
best left to the professionals, but considering the toll heat styling
and the dry air has taken on your strands, we get the nagging temptation
of wanting to try your hand at a DIY trim—which is why we asked Kenna,
founder and owner of Brooklyn's Kennaland Hair Studio, to outline
exactly how without completely messing up those layers. We're not
talking about the "trim" intended to remove an inch of your hair that
ultimately resulted in a bob, but rather a very, very minimal
amount cut from your ends. "People go to their hairdresser and ask for a
trim, only to end up with two inches off, but that's not a trim," he
tells us. "A trim is half an inch, or even just a centimeter, and I
wouldn't recommend doing more than that if you're trimming your own
hair."
First
things first, you'll need to find the right pair of shears for the job,
as the plastic set you picked up from Ikea won't produce the best
results. Kenna suggests using a pair of steel scissors, which are more
precise, though even kitchen or fabric scissors will do the trick. "I've
actually used a pair of kitchen scissors on the set many times after
mine went missing or got taken at the airport," Kenna says. "As long as
they're sharp, they don't have a gap at the end, and are angled right,
you can use them."
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You'll want to keep your hair dry with your natural parting in place,
and use your ears as a guide to determine exactly how to section off
your layers. "All the hair at the front of your ears is the front of
your hair, and anything behind your ears is the back of your hair," he
explains. "Never trim the back of your hair yourself as there are lines
and corners your hairdresser has put in there to give the cut
structure." The sides, on the other hand, don't have as many corners,
and as long as you're comfortable with a pair of scissors, they should
be easier to work with.
[post_ads]Separate out the front sections of your hair, and with a Drake-esque
mantra in mind, start from the bottom and work your way up using a
point-cutting method. "Angle the end of your scissors as parallel as you
can with your hair, and cut into the ends. It's a more forgiving way of
cutting," says Kenna. "Never ever cut at a blunt angle, because you'll
end up with chunky lines." Work slowly section by section until you
reach the top portion, and resist the urge to try out the DIY ponytail
trimming method you looked up on Pinterest. This has the potential to
create too many uneven angles, and since some areas of hair won't reach
the tip of the ponytail, you'll essentially be chopping at the shorter
layers. "Just be careful, cut small amounts slowly in sections, don't
cut yourself, and be mindful of the mess," Kenna advises. "Cutting your
hair makes a mess, so do it over your sink or somewhere you can clean
easily, and not over your makeup bag."
