Image credit: Bella Hadid

Hello, and welcome to Do It Yourself (At A Distance): a mini series helping you solve beauty issues from the safety of home. Of course, a DIY manicure or blonde hair refresh isn’t going to change the world, but if it makes you feel even just a little bit better better, it’s worth doing. Basically, we’ll be borrowing tips from our editors as well as experts to see you through quarantine without tears, tantrums or over-tweezed brows. Today, we’re looking at an at-home hair cut. This is a touchy subject. To clarify, we (and most stylists we know) don’t really recommend cutting hair at home unless you feel you really have to. But our job is not to judge but to educate, so we tapped the hair styling expertise of renowned hair dresser Anthony Nader (of Raw Salon) to enlighten us. We’ve also got Edwards And Co stylist Jesse Furlan to help you navigate bangs at home, plus a few IGTV tutorials for reference. God’s speed.

GRAZIA: At-home haircut tips for the men in our lives?

Anthony: In my perfect world, a men’s haircut would be a Harry Styles-esque dishevelled British coif. Or international poster model Parker Van Noord’s choppy textured bed head. Even hippy Jared Leto’s Gucci mane is a dream. If you happen to be any of these three cool guys – or similar – you won’t need to be too precise with cutting technique.

But for everyone else, the easiest way to even out weight and length distribution is a technical thing I call twisting and slicing.

Take approx. one-inch sections of dry hair (never wet) starting around the hairline and twist each. Then point and snip the tips of your scissors into the twisted sections before you unravel to see how it’s sitting.

Use this sectioning and trimming method all around the head with a focus on the problem (longest, thickest) area. I love this technique because it leaves a soft edge compared to cutting a blunt horizontal line (this will give you chop marks if you’re not careful).

If you have shorter hair (traditional short back and sides) your isolation haircut might get a little tricky. I mean do you really want to get a pair of clippers with a number three attachment on and zoom up your noggin? Good luck with that… and by all means send me your CV as I might just have a job for you in my hair salon when this is over.

In all seriousness though, if you feel like you do want to clipper the sides and back just attach a much larger attachment on your clipper first and ease into it, dusting off the edges only.

As for the top, if you want to take the length a little shorter, this is a temporary fix:

On damp hair, take half sections of hair from the face to the crown area from the centre of your brows to the outer edges. Hold the section between your index and middle fingers and point cut the ends. Never cut a horizontal line, and remember you can always cut more off later. Give your hair a dry off and now you’re ready for tomorrow’s Zoom conference.

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GRAZIA: Bangs at home: Yes or no?

Anthony: I think what’s happening in the world right now is painful so if I can help someone to trim their bangs in their bathroom I’m with you 100 per cent. Kitchen scissors versus professional hairdressing scissors are black and white but who’s really judging at this point. If you must use kitchen scissors, please just ensure they’re super sharp.

Jesse: Nail scissors will work as an alternative for fringe trims too. Wash hair and let it dry naturally. Shrinkage is real – you don’t want to be left with Joe Exotic micro bangs. Using the end of a comb, create a triangle from the outside of your eyebrows to the centre part of your hair. The further you extend the triangle back, the more full your fringe will be. Use clips to hold back the sides and top of your hair, ensuring you’re only left your fringe exposed. Separate your fringe into thinner sections. Hold the ends between two fingers and point cut the ends of your hair in a chipping motion using just the tips of your scissors. Do this slowly so that you don’t cut too much length off of your hair.

GRAZIA: Any advice for giving your hair a little trim at home? 

Anthony:

  • Always take to dry hair when trimming.
  • When your strands are dry you’ll see your natural movement much better. The hair stretches more when wet which can give a false reading on length and texture.
  • Always have the mind set that less is more. You know once you’ve cut it off, it’s not coming back for at least a month!