3 Apr 2020

Tips for the DIY haircut

From Nine To Noon, 11:43 am on 3 April 2020

Wondering how to look after your own hair in lockdown? Proceed with caution, say the professionals.

We get tips from Mt Maunganui barbering tutor Todd Madden and Wellington hairstylist Melissa Gillan.

man cutting his own hair

Photo: YouTube screenshot

Personal trainer Seb Guilhaus - a contestant in Married at First Sight Australia

Personal trainer Seb Guilhaus - a contestant in Married at First Sight Australia Photo: Seb Guilhaus / Instagram

If you must cut your hair at home, less is more, Todd tells Kathryn Ryan.

He recommends going with a dishevelled look at the moment – just add a bit of product to your hair in the morning to give it lift and direction.

(Along the lines of Seb from the TV show Married At First sight Australia)

If you must cut it, do the bare minimum and just trim your neck hairs and tidy up your sides.

First, lift the hair up off your skin. If you comb it down before cutting, you will end up with a line that's too blunt and severe, he says.

Cut it with the pointy tips of the scissors.

If using clippers, do it slowly and take your time – focusing mostly on the edges.

Kids hair doesn't need to be cut while in lockdown, he says.

'Let them have a weird wacky hairstyle for a few weeks.'

Wellington hairstylist Melissa Gillan

Wellington hairstylist Melissa Gillan Photo: Jean Jacques

If you have fading colour or regrowth woes and usually get salon colour, don't make the mistake of picking up a box dye in the supermarket, says Melissa Gillan.

By preserving the work your stylist has done, you'll save yourself time and money on colour correction that will need to be done later.

If your regrowth line is starting to bother you, she suggests zig-zag your parting.

To mask regrowth, Melissa recommends the supermarket product L'Oreal Paris Magic Retouch Temporary Root Concealer Spray or an eyeshadow that's close to your hair colour.

Lockdown is a good time to give your hair some extra love, she says.

First shampoo it twice with a blob about the size of a 20-cent coin, leaving the second shampoo on for 2 minutes.

Then squeeze excess moisture out of your hair with your hands or a towel before applying a 50-cent-piece-size blob of conditioner or mask.

Leave the conditioner on for 2 minutes and a mask on for at least 10 minutes, Melissa says.

If you're desperate for a fringe trim, she suggests pinning it back with hair-sprayed bobby pins (which give extra grip).

Watch Todd in action: