AUSTIN, Texas — The COVID-19 situation has stopped so many things in our lives, but one thing that hasn't stopped is the growth of our hair.
Here's some advice from Rae Joy Sadowsky, a hairstylist with almost 20 years of experience.
Sadowsky recently posted a video tutorial for how to do a men's cut because she wanted to help people learn how to do their loved one's hair, and make them feel good.
If you're cutting hair, here's what you need.
- Something to wrap around the person getting their hair cut (a towel with clips works)
- The sharpest scissors in the house – children's scissors just won't "cut it"
- Clippers with guards (for short hair)
- A can-do attitude – Rae didn't say this one, but I'm sure she wouldn't disagree.
Let's start with the short hair.
First, take a No. 2 clipper guard. Start at the bottom and work your way up to the crown of the head. Switch to a No. 4 guard around just the crown of the head to blend. You can stop there if you want to leave it longer on top, or you can take a No. 8 guard over the top. In her video, Sadowsky explains how to cut the top with scissors.
If you're cutting longer hair, Sadowsky says to bring the hair down and cut with your sharpest scissors straight across.
Let's talk about cutting your own hair.
"I would say you could pull it in the front and maybe do a little bit of trimming around, or updating trim, but I wouldn't try, unless you're pretty advanced, to do the back of your hair," Sadowsy says.
If you're thinking of giving yourself bangs or layers, maybe think again.
"Never try anything new during a stressful time, which I would probably categorize this as a stressful time, so don't do a new look," she said.
She said if you really want to try something new, a different makeup look or hairstyle might fill that void.
As for coloring your hair, she said not to bleach it.
"I would stay away from that, because what a professional can use is very different than what you can buy over the counter, and you're going to get very different results," she said.
If you're trying to color gray hair, there are over-the-counter, semi-permanent hair dyes that don't do a lot of damage. You could also use a root touch-up on your part line. Just don't go too extreme with it.
Sadowsky added, "Just know it's not going to be perfect, but it may help in the time being."
In the end, remember it's just hair. It will grow back, and soon enough we will be treating ourselves to professional stylists. Hopefully, we'll appreciate them more than ever.
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