Award-winning hairdresser Lee Stafford gives his home hair trimming tips
The situation we find ourselves in with COVID-19 is unprecedented. Ordinarily, trimming hair at home is not the best option and I’d definitely not recommend anyone make any big changes in their style themselves – this should be avoided.
You’ll only get the best results in a salon under the trained eye of a professional. Saying that, to avoid bumping into family members due to a fringe now covering your eyes whilst on lockdown, here are some tips on how to avoid any potential hair disasters at home.
Top tips on cutting the perfect fringe
You’ll need sectioning clips, a comb and hairdressing scissors (expect to pay £10-£25 online for an entry-level pair). My number one rule is to never use kitchen scissors, as the blunt edges can damage ends.
Before you start, make sure hair is clean and dried in its natural texture. Curly hair girls need to be careful because if curls are straightened and cut, the length will jump up as soon as it’s curly again, resulting in a micro-fringe. When cutting, do not cut horizontally as this will result in a blunt and uneven look.
Step-by-step guide to a simple fringe trim
1. First, dry and clean hair with its natural texture.
2. Section your hair in a triangle at the forehead by removing all hair that you don’t want to be included in the fringe – pin it back away from your face on both sides.
3. Comb your fringe down towards your brows so it’s sitting flat.
4. The secret to cutting a fringe is getting the length right and the balance to be the same on each side.
5. The best way to get this balance is by holding the middle of the fringe section horizontally between your second and third fingers, and rest them on the bridge of the nose.
6. Fingers must be completely square throughout and make sure both feet are on the floor directly in front of the nose (so no crossed legs).
7. Then, using sharp scissors, gently chip into your existing fringe just below your fingers at a 90 degree angle to the hair. Never cut fringes horizontally as this will result in a blunt and uneven look that is very hard to correct.
8. Always take it nice and slow, cutting only a couple of millimetres off at a time. You can always trim more as you go on, but there’s no way to recover cut hair.
9. Start in the middle, then follow the line of your fingers on each side, always keeping your fingers dead square.
10. Don’t rush! Take your time and be careful not to cut near your fingers. Follow the steps and take it bit by bit.
Step-by-step guide to trimming wispy ends
1. Same first rule applies – dry and clean hair with its natural texture.
2. Tip your head upside down, brush your hair forward with my Smooth & Polish Paddle Brush and gather it into a tight, smooth, secure ponytail that sits on your hairline in the centre of your forehead.
3. The secret is in judging the length of where you want the first layer to start. Take a comb and measure from your hairline where you want your first layer to fall – this could be just below the cheekbones or the bottom of your chin or longer.
4. Hold your ponytail firmly, then take your hairdressing scissors and cut the hair in a straight line at the length you measured with the comb.
5. Now that you have cut any excess length off, you need to tip your head forward slightly.
6. Hold your scissors pointing directly into the end of the ponytail and chip into the blunt ends. This will help give the hair a softer appearance and get rid of that blunt look. When you can’t see any hard edges you know it’s time to stop.
7. Pull off the hair band and shake your hair so it falls into place and style it as usual.
8. Mist your hair in sections with my Lived In Spray to create that ‘day after hairwash day’ hair instantly. It’s a lightweight dry texturiser that banishes frizz, ditches the fluff and gives definition for instant, effortless ‘lived in’ hair.
Top tips on cutting children's hair
Cutting your own hair may be a challenging task, but what about cutting the hair of a child who may have a short attention span? Here are my top tips on how to keep little ones distracted whilst you cut their hair.
1. Start off by chatting to the child about the haircut a few days before, just in case a small child thinks it’s going to hurt. It’s best to run through what you’re going to do.
2. Keep them occupied. If they’re sitting with an iPad, watching TV or even reading a book, they won’t be thinking about what you’re doing. They might even stay quiet while you cut!
3. If that doesn’t work, the last resort is to cut the hair in stages. That way the child has a chance to move around or play before having their hair cut again.
