Australian creatives share how they cut and colour their hair at home
IMAGE VIA @BETHSWEENEY/INSTAGRAM
WORDS BY IZZY WIGHT
“It’s all about practice, going slowly and remembering that at the end of the day, it’s just hair.”
The pandemic lockdowns saw a lot of bored people taking to their hair with scissors and bleach (blonde front bits, anyone?). For some, it was a slightly traumatic experience that resulted in months of necessary growing-out time. Others flourished in DIY haircutting, running mini living-room salons for a rotating door of housemates and family.
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Whether you’re a regular fringe trimmer or someone who changes hair colours like clothing, doing your hair at home can refresh your look between professional appointments. Below, we asked four Melbourne creatives to share how they cut and/or colour their locks at home.
Caroline Rigby, freelance hairstylist
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In terms of cutting, which is where most of my experience lies, I have found sectioning off my own hair difficult. So, I generally like cutting in a sculptural sort of way. My tactic is to clearly envision the style I want to emulate (thank you, Instagram saved tabs), dampen my hair down with a spray bottle of water, grab the sharpest scissors I can find (definitely worth purchasing to have on-hand for quick fringe adjustments), then slowly compare back and forth from reference photos to my own hair.
I then make small cuts in a downward motion and feel my way into a style. This is mostly effective for shaggy/mullet-y hairstyles, as being slightly uneven is kind of the point. But I’ve done more symmetrical/even hair this way as well – it’s then just about lightly pulling hair from the same section on either side of your hair to feel and level out the sides. Cutting your own hair is super daunting initially but it’s all about practice, going slowly and remembering that at the end of the day, it’s just hair.
Emma Currie, artist
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My journey to cutting my own hair began with boredom-induced bangs during one of the longer lockdowns in 2021. When those turned out semi-decent, I figured why not just take the plunge and cut it all? I went down a rabbit hole of haircutting tutorials on YouTube, found one that looked easy enough and just went for it.
Titled a ‘wolf cut’, the method basically entails sectioning dry hair into two ponytails – one at your temple and one high pony at the back. Then you just cut the ends off and hope for the best. In my experience, depending on how much I take off, I usually end up with some fairly well-placed, subtle layers. Then I go in and cut some face-framing layers by angling my scissors and sliding downwards from the bottom of my cheekbones, taking off a little hair as I go.
These days I have it down pat, and I do this every two to three months to keep my hair at my optimum length. My biggest tip… [is] don’t even think about it if you’re in any way attached to your hair. If you’re willing to risk it, you can find lots of easy-to-follow videos on YouTube, but never cut off as much as they do in the tutorial. Less is more and if it goes terribly wrong, there will still be enough hair left for a professional to make something decent out of your errors.
Beth Sweeney, digital creator
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Here’s a little breakdown of my DIY home job. I’m not going to lie and say my hair is super healthy! I spent a year re-bleaching my whole head every second week just because I was bored with the colour. I try to bleach it as minimal as possible since it’s now just my fringe and undercut that’s coloured.
I also don’t leave the bleach in my hair for more than 20 minutes – I like to get a fairly dark-toned red colour and this is easier when my hair isn’t so light. I re-dye it every few weeks with Manic Panic in the Vampire Red shade.
I also used Lime Crime… shampoo and conditioner which kept the colour in very nicely, but it would stain my hands for days – I’ve been told the contents are equivalent to carpet dye. I used to cut my shag myself (badly). Now I stick to just trimming my fringe and let my hairdresser do anything more drastic.
Elly Paynter, hairdresser
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When I cut my fringe I usually take a triangle section about three to four fingers deep, depending on how thick I want my fringe, and drag it straight forward. For me, I like my fringe really whispy, so I cut the line of my fringe quite jagged by point cutting up into my hair. I also keep it a little shorter in the middle and longer to the outer edge – this gives a softer look to the fringe that frames the face a little more!
For more tips on cutting your hair at home, head here.
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