How to Cut Your Hair at Home Without Regrets

We all have a bad hair story. Maybe it's accidentally giving yourself a set of baby bangs that were supposed to be Bardot-worthy fringe, or perhaps it's going too scissor-happy when picking off stray split ends, ending up with a lopsided bob. That's why it's always best to leave these things to the professionals, at least most of the time.

A DIY haircut is technically an option if you're too busy to make it to the salon this month or want to refresh your strands between appointments. This decision is a proceed-with-caution situation, and we're here to help you avoid any split-decision disasters. Follow along as we take you through how to trim your bangs, get rid of split ends, and cut your hair.

Prepare Like a Professional

1. First, invest in a pair of professional hair scissors. Those blunt craft scissors aren't going to cut it. If you trim your hair a few times a year, just buy a pair approved by your stylist.

2. Second, decide whether or not to dampen your strands. Typically, you'll want to wet your hair before cutting to ensure precision. But for curly or textured hair, it's a bit trickier. A dry cut is more difficult for amateur hairstylists but helps you see how your curls react. Plus, taking off an inch of curly hair when wet is not the same thing as when it is dry. Trust us on that.

3. Lastly, have a few hair ties on hand and a hard-working brush.

How to Trim Bangs

Once that fringe gets into our vision, it's time to trim. There's nothing dangerous about giving your bangs a refresh in between salon visits, but keep a few things in mind. (Hint: No water, please.)

"Always trim your bangs dry and styled as you wear them. If you like to round, brush your bangs so, they have a little lift. Round brush them before you trim them. This will help to prevent them from getting too short," Texas-based stylist Chris Jones told us.

As far as the actual haircut goes, Jones recommends "point cut into the bang rather than cutting a straight line." This direction will help avoid a super blunt finish and give you more control as you trim the ends.

How to Eliminate Split Ends

We can get on board with getting rid of split ends between salon visits. The sooner they're gone, the less time they have to weaken your hair. The trick here is to keep a level head. You're going to want to go scissor-happy. Resist, resist! The goal is to remove just the individual split ends, not hair length.

YouTuber—and hair guru—Kayley Melissa has a foolproof method of kicking those splits ends to the curb without accidentally cutting off too much hair.

How to Cut Your Hair

Things can go very wrong here, so proceed with caution. If you're looking to trim your hair or even cut off a few inches of hair, one method streamlines the process for first-timers: The Ponytail Method.

1. To start, you'll secure your hair into a high ponytail. (Remember, it should be dampened and brushed as straight and smoothly as possible.)

2. Take the ponytail and pull upwards on the hair tie until it's only an inch or two away from the ends. If you have a lot of layering, you can secure extra elastics every few inches until you've reached that point to keep things clean.

3. Now, cut just a half-inch to an inch at the ends, straight across, and then point cut vertically to give texture and eliminate bluntness.

4. Take it down and assess your work.

Tip: If you start with a high ponytail, you'll get a softer U-shape in the back. To frame your face a little more, start with the ponytail as close to your hairline as possible. This technique will give a slightly more V-shaped look in the back. YouTuber Liz Liz calls this the "unicorn ponytail method."

To all of our at-home haircutters: Go forth, and conquer. But also, schedule that salon appointment. You know, just in case.