I need to cut dd's hair at home

[bibbitybobbityhat]

She is 9 and has very thick straight hair. We are fighting a losing battle with nits and I couldn't possibly take her to the hairdressers atm, but I do think a shorter hairstyle would help us with the endless combing.

Has anyone used a really good home hairdressing site that explains exactly what you need to do (re. sectioning etc) to achieve a reasonable cut on very straight hair? I am thinking of doing a slightly longer than chin-lenth bob.

I am terrified of making a pigs ear of it and sending her to school looking like she has had a home hair cut!

Thanks.

Ooooo...wouldn't reccommend anything more than a fringe at home. Unless you were razoring it off like I do for my balding DH. What about a hairdressing school. They would do for a couple of quid on a child. Or do you not want to bring her at all because of the nits??

Then how about a mobile hairdresser, I know some will do a child's hair FOC if you get your hair done. Then you don't have to worry about the taking out to salon bit.

I would phone a hairdresser who does home cuts, explain the situation and see what they say.

If they use your brush, scissors etc, I don't see why they wouldn't come and cut it at your home.

My dd also has very thick hair and as soon as it was nit free I got it cut very short, it's so much easier to comb.

Bibbity

I did the mumsnet cut on DD.
It really looked nice. She has quite a lot of hair too and the layers made it cooler for summer...

Just a thought..

(she is at the bottom of my profile photos if you want to see it on a 7 year old girl)

sorry ..meant to add - would never attempt a bob at home as precision cutting is really hard to get right..

Sorry
HTH

What's the mumsnet cut?

I just chop along the bottom until it's straight, first on wet hair and then again when it's dry to make sure its even.

DD's hair looks fine and she has never been to a hairdresser.
I cut my own hair too.

I do use hairdressing scissors though, I don't just hack at it with the garden sheers/kitchen scissors!

There are lots of videos on youtube for cutting a bob.

I used to cut dd's (and friends) all the time - as your dd is older it should be much easier as she'll sit still. And she has straight hair.

If you do it yourself remember that wet hair will bounce up when it's dried so probably best to make the first cut about 1 1/2" below the chin which will make it chin length.

You just need a pair of sharp scissors and work at it slowly. Seperate the hair so you can cut it in layers iyswim. I always started at the back and then worked my way around to each of the sides.

Just cut it, it'll grow!

A bob although very simple is actually very hard to get right. I wouldn't attempt it. Can you get a mobile hairdresser to the house>

Is it the nits that are stopping you getting to the hairdresser? because if so they do sterilise the brushes and combs, and I'm sure if you warned them they'd do it extra carefully. I've occasionally had to warn hairdressers when DD's had a recalcitrant infestation (not a really bad one though).

I'd go for the home cut though - she's old enough not to wriggle, you can do it in stages (maybe do a light trim to get your eye in and then grit your teeth for the big cut the next week). Obviously only if you have the right scissors though.

Agree, a bob on thick straight hair is very difficult - my dd1 has got hair like this and I've had two hairdressers mess it up.

Pagwatch -- can you explain how the MN cut works?

Looks lovely on your dd, btw.

ooh - let me look for a link...

You comb all hair into a ponytail at the FRONT of the head , at the point where a parting would naturally fall. Then cut across - pull out hairtie et voila

soooooo easy !

I do dimly remember filing it away in a corner of my brain for future reference.

But would you do it on yourself, that's the question? My dc also have unforgivingly straight hair, so every duff cut of the scissors shows up very obviously. [wibble]

found it

YY, do the MN haircut, I will add pics of dd to profile. She has very ight hair and I can't cut it straight at the back, looks shit!

There is a current thread with advice and more pics as well

Thanks all.

I might try the MN haircut ...

Will probably end up cutting the back shorter though, because that is where we have all the problems. The lice lay their eggs in that groove at the top of the back of your neck, and behind your ears. Dd's hair is amazingly thick and no amount of combing ever seems to get all those critters out .

Ds is gloriously nit free, but then he has a short boys' haircut.

A wee bit late, but, I have very straight hair and the MN cut worked fine on mine.

The mn does take off weight, yucky ends but will leave the back just below shoulder length, so if you need it much shorter then it might not work. Worth trying as i have found by adding thelayers round it reduces bulk so makes combing easier (dd1 is 4 and in nursery so i have to comb every week)

Oh, but a possibly more helpful answer to the OP would be; yes, it is perfectly possible to do a good bob at home.

DD has straight hair that I cut into a just-above-chin-length bob. It is a bit of a faf but she's 2 1/2 so that goes with the territory, if I can manage it on her then you should be just fine with a 9 tear old. More chance of her sitting still for one!

The most important thing is to buy proper hair scissors. They really are vital and well worth the dosh, if you only use them on hair they'll last an age.

Sectioning and cutting instructions here. I've found that you can get the hair to curl under nicely by cutting each layer of sections slightly longer than layer of sections before it. I do mean slightly though, say, 3mm. Does that make sense?

Um, yes, meaning slightly more helpful than my original post on the thread rather than as a reaction to QT

Hi, I cut my 9 year old DDs hair at home - went from fairly long, all one length to bob in 2 goes (tried shoulder length for a a month or so first). I just bought hairdressing scissors and cut it wet then tidied it up when dry. I only do straight across though, all one length, and no fringes - have gone very wrong on them before!! She loves it and is happy to avoid going to the hairdressers! Also it is much easier to nit comb now .
I say go for - it will grow back. It is strangely satisfying to do .

Did the same to my DD a few years ago when she had nits. A lot of my family are hairdressers so may have picked up some ability without realising but it was easy really. Just make sure you keep checking the length is even on both sides. Once you have the basic style just chip into it a bit to soften it. Oh and use good sharp scissors.