How To Cut Hair - Bangs and End Trim

Guest Author - Lynne Chapman

It seems so simple – just cut a straight line on straight hair. Right?

No. Cutting your little girl’s hair can be quite a challenge.

Looking closely, you may notice that child’s head is not made up of straight lines. All of the areas are curved. Cutting straight lines in her hair will look un-natural and usually appear uneven.

This model has straight, fine hair.

Trimming bangs: You may call this section the fringe.

Comb all of the long hair – the hair that you do not want to cut – back and clip it out of the way. We do this to avoid cutting hair that is not meant to be part of the bangs. Cutting a few long hairs, by accident, each time you trim bangs, can eventually result in more bangs than you want.

    Divide the bang area into two or three sections. You will cut each section separately. Judge the amount of hair in each section on whether you can see through it. It must be that thin.

    I trimmed this model’s bangs at her eyebrows and angled down slightly from the end of the eyebrow to the hairline so that the effect is curved. Bring down the next section and trim it even with the first. Don’t lift the hair and the shears away from her head. Keep your fingers and the shears close to her forehead.

    When all the sections are trimmed, I like to comb all of the bang section straight up and together at the center, allowing shorter hairs to fall. You will see that there are longer hairs in the center. I trim the longer area straight off, thus creating a very slight layering, taking away the blunt effect. Start with a very small amount, not more than ¼ inch.

The result is natural looking bangs with a soft, not blunt, edge.

The end trim.

    Divide the entire back of her hair into sections. Try to keep your partings even as they go around the curve of the head. If you have a wavy line - as in the picture - straighten it out. Each section should be thin enough to see through. Trying to cut through a section that is too thick will result in uneven ends or a very blunt effect.

    Comb each section smooth and trim the hair, keeping your hands and shears very close to her back, making sure not to lift the hair up to trim it.

    Bring down each section and trim it to match the previous section.

     

    If you want her hair to cup under slightly, have her tip her chin down to her chest. Comb her hair down smoothly and trim. Again, holding the shears very close to her back. This will cause the hair underneath to be slightly shorter than the hair on top.

Nervous? Start your haircutting career by trimming a small amount at first. It is safer than attempting a major style change. Save that until you are an experienced “pro.”