Common Mistakes To Avoid When Thinning And Trimming Your Own Hair

Last Updated on February 14, 2022 by Janie Wilson

There are a few different things to keep in mind so that your hair will turn out looking good instead of a complete mess. For starters, always use a comb with teeth spaced far enough apart to comb through knots and tangles. Make sure you have a long enough length to work with before you start thinning because cutting too close might result in unpleasant surprises like bald patches. Let’s see what the 6 most common mistakes are and how to avoid them.

Trimming Your Own Hair

1. The Wrong Pair of Scissors

Even though it might not be as expensive as some other types of professional equipment that hairdressers use, a pair of thinning scissors can still cost you a pretty penny. So why risk using those from your kitchen drawer instead? Hairdressers use thinning shears about which you can learn more here to cut through layers of hair without leaving any blunt or sharp edges on the ends. Just cutting all the way through without going over each strand twice will leave your hair looking messy and uneven. 

This is because it’s difficult to predict the exact direction in which every single strand of hair is going to fall, so having two separate blades passing through your hair won’t guarantee that both sides will look identical.

2. Too Much Thinning

Our modern culture places great emphasis on the value of thick hair. This is certainly not always an accurate representation of attractive hair, since having thin hair on top of your head does have its benefits. But if you have naturally thick locks and you think that cutting them in half would make them look even better (and thicker) than before, you couldn’t be more wrong. 

Thinning out too much is another common mistake among beginners who don’t know how to go about it. Once you get rid of half of your hair volume, the remaining strands will stick up like little bristles instead of lying flat against each other (which they usually do). The overall effect might be worse than simply having thick strands because now the individual hairs are way too noticeable due to their lack of density.

3. Not Going Low Enough

If you want to thin out your hair without getting rid of all the volume, you need to do it in layers. The only problem is that if you don’t go low enough, this can result in very odd-looking triangular clumps of hair on top of your head. Even though the overall effect may seem attractive at first glance, it definitely won’t look natural after some time elapses and the weight of the new strands pulls them down into an unnatural-looking position.

4. Leaving Splits Behind

Once you’re done cutting through each layer one by one, take another good look at what’s left behind because there might be splits that were hidden under all those other layers. It’s actually really easy to miss them just because they’re so tiny, but if you don’t go over every strand once more with your thinning scissors, those splits will continue growing and cause a lot of tangles afterward. 

The only reason why the splits are still there is that they didn’t have enough length to show up before you cut out all those other layers.

5. Stopping Too Soon

Most beginners make the mistake of stopping too soon after they’ve thinned out their first layer. It’s not like your hair will magically fall into place right on top of your head as soon as you cut it – it will take some time for all those strands to finally settle down and rearrange themselves. So if you plan on keeping that first layer, don’t hesitate too long, or else the weight of the other layers below might pull them back up again once you’re done with your desired length.

6. Bleaching Freshly Cut Ends

This means that you should never, ever bleach your freshly cut ends. You need to wait for about three weeks (or more if you’re impatient) before doing anything like this because they will be extremely sensitive and very prone to damage and oxidation. 

If you notice some split ends right after your hair is thinned out, consider using a product with cocoa butter or shea butter instead of re-cutting them off. According to some sources, retaining as much length as possible can help prevent excessive splitting in the first place as well as give the tips time to recover from all those previous cuts. 

Freshly Cut Ends

The bottom line is that it is very important to know exactly what you’re doing before going anywhere near a pair of thinning scissors, otherwise, you risk giving yourself a bad haircut. So, keep in mind the mistakes mentioned above and you’ll do a much better job next time!

Janie Wilson
Janie Wilson

Janie Wilson, a former fashion model and photographer, dedicated beauty expert and prolific writer on all topics related to fashion, beauty, hair and skin care. I started this website a few years ago when I felt that I have had enough of a hectic lifestyle and need to settle down. Presently, I live with my loving-and-caring husband in New York, but I travel around the world pretty often to derive inspiration for my fashion blog. Yes, let me admit that I am fairly obsessed with anything related to fashion and style. All things from fashion to grooming are things I study all the time whenever I get an opportunity, and my biggest joy in life is to help men and women look their best!