3 Ways to Cut Long Layers

Table Of Content

• Start cutting slowly.
• Is it okay to cut your own hair?
• Step 1. COMB: Smooth all your hair forward
• How to Cut Your Own Hair: 10 Expert Tips and Video Tutorials
• How to Cut your own Hair in Layers, using the Ponytail Method:
• Allure Daily Beauty Blast
• Style As Usual
• Get more helpful tips and answers to frequently-asked questions

I like my curly hair to have lots of layers, but I also like it to look very cohesive between the layers and the length. I know I need a haircut when the ends start looking really stringy, my curls are stretched out, and I see more frizz. As far as length is concerned, Brooklyn-based hairstylist Teddi Cranford says it can be helpful to use your own face as a guide. "When cutting your own hair, always go a little longer and use your facial features as reference points," she says.

Start cutting slowly.

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So make sure your hair has been recently washed and is free of all products. If you’d like to learn more about hair care, check out our in-depth interview with Ambia Elms. Ruby was the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan, where she covered beauty across print and digital.

Is it okay to cut your own hair?

Just make sure you have sharp hair shears, a thorough tutorial featuring your own hair type, and expert advice (like…everything above), and when in doubt, cut less, not more. If you have long hair and you’ve been wondering how to cut your own hair in layers, bobbles are the answer. To DIY the so-called ponytail haircut, simply scrape your hair into a pony at the front of your head, comb the ponytail, and chop the tips off straight across with scissors or clippers.

Step 1. COMB: Smooth all your hair forward

So, if you still want to take matters in your own hands, here are five haircuts to try yourself, with notes on what hair types each cut works best for. After you know the front is looking good, it's time to bring the back forward and see how it all blends. Remove your clips and use your comb to split the hair down the middle, bringing each side forward. Using point cutting to blend our lengths, we'll be able to soften any "shelf" looking areas in curly or wavy hair and any disconnected areas for smoothed-out strands. Blending your front layers into your overall length is important to avoid disconnection between your longest front layer and the ends of your overall hair length.

The pony at the top of the head would give you longer layers, and not as many. Pull your bangs in front of your face, twist them into one taut section, and then cut a blunt line where you want your bangs to end. It sounds (and looks) terrifying at first, but the final result is gorgeous on both short and long bangs. All products featured on Allure are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

How to Cut your own Hair in Layers, using the Ponytail Method:

To finish, I’m going to brush my hair out again and part it in the middle. Then I'm going to kind of create a little triangle in the front, pull it all forward to the center by my nose, and then I'm going to twist it. It looks like the one side is a little bit longer, which is no problem. The good thing about curly hair is that it's really hard to mess it up.

This cut eliminates most of your hair and puts your face center stage. A sharp contrast to the peek-a-boo curtain cut, the pixie boldly declares you have nothing to hide. Face framing layers open things up and highlight one's facial features.

Style As Usual

Some point-cutting added, and voila – you have a haircut with long layers! This works for hair of almost any length, starting from lob cuts and ending with mermaid locks. The lob is a flattering look on a variety of faces and at a variety of lengths, and though it’s been around for a few years, it’s stuck around because it’s so versatile. This is a hairstyle best executed if you have someone helping you. Keep it simple by sectioning the hair into just two parts, and don’t expect perfection. Your stylist can always touch this up later, but it’s a less drastic cut that will keep you from "Tank Girling" yourself.

You can also leave some hair loose over your ears if you’d like an undercut that goes all the way around your head. Comb out small sections with a fine-tooth comb, clamp it between two of your fingers, and then snip upwards with your scissors. You don’t need to cut into the hair very much, even a few millimeters will soften the edges. Don’t cut the lower half of your hair that you tied below your ears.

The point of sectioning your hair is that it is easier to work your way up when cutting hair. So, my advice is – you can have as many (or as few) sections as you like, as long as the sections are the same on either side of your head. "Don’t be too alarmed if you don’t like your pixie [at first] because hair grows about a quarter-inch to half an inch a month," Dickey says. "In a week or two, no one’s going to see your skin fade that you went too short on." If you're transitioning from a relaxer, you can best see the line of demarcation between your relaxed and natural textures after you shower. Use scissors to get rid of the relaxed part, and then fully blow out the rest of your hair, so you have an accurate line and can do a precision cut.

With the lob, getting a little messy is okay, as you can fix minor mistakes later. Styling is key, as your most perfect lob is actually blow-dried straight and then waved. Grab a hair from the same place on each side and meet in the middle, making sure it’s the same length. Benson advises center-parting the hair and tilting your head down, with your chin tucked. Pin the top section, which should be like a half-ponytail, up. Then, cut the lower section straight across or point-cut into it.

Then, I blended my newly trimmed ends into my new face-framing layers, using point cutting to soften the point between those two lengths. Use your comb to direct the hair across your face at a low 45-degree angle. If any longer pieces are on the top or uneven areas that stick out from a clean-ish line, you'll want to point cut into those spaces to even things out, as shown above.

Learning to trim the nape of your head will also be useful if you’re trying to maintain or grow out a pixie cut. The best thing about this style is that it’s really easy to do and if you didn’t get it right the first time, you can simply wear your hair down and no one will notice (if you don’t go too bold, of course). It goes without saying that different hair types require different techniques. If you have afro-textured or curly hair and like to wear it natural, do not cur your own hair in straight lines – is not going to have the desired effect. Instead of trying to tame your curls into one single length, go with the flow of your hair. First, check out the basics on cutting your hair at home before you do anything else.

Her work has appeared on The Zoe Report, Fashionista, and StyleCaster. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we love. Now I'm just going to kind of pull at it and make sure I didn't miss any random little curls.

There’s technically no right answer here, since cutting your hair wet or dry is all about personal preference. If you have very straight hair, you’ll need to keep your hair wet so that you can get each snip perfectly even. However, curly hair can look entirely different when it’s wet than when it’s dry (it is called shrinkage), so it’s often safer to cut hair dry, in its natural state. If you’re not sure whether to cut your hair wet or dry, just copy what your regular hairstylist does at the salon. According to PopSugar, "choppy layers" are back in style for 2021, so it makes sense that you would want to hop on this trend for a new 'do in the new year.

To start, section off your hair above your ear into a half-ponytail. Comb and pull one- to two-inch sections of your hair directly over and in front of you. Pull the hair straight upward and then down to a 90-degree angle with your face. Then, flip the ends of your hair over and begin cutting nearly parallel with the ends, but in a zigzag fashion, which will break up some of the length. The deep cut means you can go a couple of inches in, instead of just snipping at the ends. As you can see, with a few tips and tricks, cutting your own hair may be quite easy if you do not plan extra big changes in your appearance.