Ever thought about cutting your own hair? Have you tried it? It is really fun and liberating but it can also be intimidating and a flat out mess. Enter, the Ponytail Cut. The beauty of the ponytail cut is that it brings all the hair to one place for you to cut, keeping it neat and straight forward. And, depending on where the ponytail is on the head, you can created many different shapes and effects with the cut.
For a beginner hair DIY-er, definitely start with a ponytail cut. For more on Ponytail Cutting and Coloring for the beginner DIY-er, check out this category.…..
On that note, Lovely people, I present to you 5 DIY haircuts to try today.
A practical yet creative hair solution for the brave and bold. 5 strategically placed ponytails cut off to create 5 different awesome haircuts.
I started with my fantastically brave and excited model, Meleah. Her hair was unbelievably long, and she had been cutting it herself using HTHG’s perfect layers DIY haircut. Her hair is thick and straight, but these haircuts can be used on any hair type.
*The amount of hair cut off the ends of the ponytail determines the length that the cut will be. We removed about 3 inches with each ponytail cut. If you want the same effect but with shorter length, remove more from the ponytail.
Cutting off a ponytail is not as easy as just a snip! you will need sharp scissors, and you will want to use the point cutting technique to remove the hair a little bit at a time. You can also use a razor, as seen in this video…..
Need a pair of sharp shears
? Click that link for your perfect started pair.
if you are going for a longer layered look, you can easily DIY it. For the shorter ponytails in the back, have a friend help you do the snipping.
Here is a map of the head to guide you.
Are you ready? I’ll break em down for you.
DIY haircut #1. Long Layers!
For this one, you will put the hair in a ponytail, centered at the middle of the top of the head. Make sure it is smooth and tight.
Looking in a mirror, hold the ponytail straight up! Cut across the ends. Let hair down and check out your blended, even, pretty long layers.
DIY haircut #2. Long layers with a little boost in the back.
Perfect for those who have a flat back of the head and want a little boost. This haircut is great for adding a little extra shape and body to long hair.
Put the hair in a ponytail in the middle of the crown of the head, and cut across the ends to whatever length you want. Let the hair down and shake it out!
DIY haircut #3. Long layers with pretty face framing.
This one is great for girls who like having a little something around the face. It creates perfectly uniform layers throughout the hair, but softens the face with shorter blended face framing layers.
Brush the hair straight forwards and put it in a ponytail right at the front of the top of the head, almost at the hairline.
Cut the ends off the ponytail. Let it down and marvel at your swinging layered haircut that accentuates your best features!
DIY haircut #4. Perfectly impractical asymmetrical layers.
This is the haircut for the hipster fashionista who wants to keep her length but still make a bold statement. May I suggest this haircut with some color faded dip dye and a deep side part?
Make a ponytail at the front of the top of the head, off center. Like 3 inches above the ear (Parietal ridge) on the side that you part on. Cut the ends off. Let your hair down and check out your awesome layer-y asymmetrical part, with heavy face framing, and a shy side. It almost looks undercut but it’s not.
Killer hair cut. My personal favorite from this series.
DIY haircut #5. Mid-length layered bob.
The Shlob, if you will. But a longer version of it. This haircut involves 2 ponytail cuts.
Make a ponytail right at the nape.
Cut it off to the length that the ends will barely rest on your neck.
Let it down, and cut the dropout off the bottom to straignten up the line.
Now put all the hair in a ponytail at the center of the crown. Cut the ends off. This will add layers and tons of texture an movement to the bob.
This haircut happens to look amazing with bangs too. If you are feeling inspired, try Zooey bangs or asymmetrical choppys.
I double doggy dare you to try one of these. You really can’t mess em up if you follow the directions, and they look totally salon-quality.
I use DIY haircut #3 regularly.
Try em today! XO, HTHG
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Love love LOVE this! Thanks for sharing!
I did #1 this morning to get rid of some dead ends … had to flip my head over to be able to reach the end of my ponytail! Ends are so much happier now
YAY! I love happy ends.
You have helped my hair! I feel so proud and practical when I successfully snip away my locks. I am not all the way no-poo yet, but I love, love, love coconut oil. Thank you!
That puts a grin on my face!
Wow this is so amazing, thank youu!! I’ve been searching online for a while for an easy and nice-looking way to cut my own hair (first time), and this is definitely the best! Thanks so much [:
so glad you found HTHG!
I have wavy/mildly curly hair, but am longing to try this. Should I straighten or leave it natural before trying a ponytail cut?
leave it natural and point cut across the ponytail to cut a softer line:)
Sorry it took me so long. I just saw this!
I’m going to do number 4 right now! That looks so good!
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Oh. My. Goodness. Thank you so much!
I graduated from college last year and moved 900 miles away from home. The same hairdresser has cut my hair since I was 10, so I’ve just avoided getting my hair cut because I have no idea where to go and the thought of someone else doing it is a little scary. After not having it cut in over a year (I know…), I found your webpage and decided to try it on my own! Not gonna lie…I was a little afraid that I was going to have to crawl into a hair salon tomorrow morning…any hair salon…and beg them to fix my mistake. Ha! Not so. I shall never pay for a haircut again!
I am so glod!!!!yay. I would love to see a photo of your DIY haircut…
I absolutely love these and would definitely try one, except that I have curly hair and have run into the problem of getting a haircut that looks great on straight hair but ends not really working as well with curly hair.
Try doing one of these cuts on your hair while it is curly, and DON’T use any tension when you hold out the pony. Keep the curls intact as you cut. Does that make sense?
I have always had a love hate realationship with my hair – mostly it hates me while I try to make it love me. My mid-twenties saw my pin straight hippie hair develop wavy curly weirdness and that relationship got worse, way worse. Added to that was the fact that I always felt at the mercy of a stylist hoping they would have a clue what to do with it. So I have to thank you for this site because after reading a lot here last night. I was empowered to accept my hair in all its weirdness and to try the number 4 cut myself – and it WORKED! I also converted to ShamPHree last night and couldn’t believe how easy it was and how much better it feels. So thanks for a truly awesome and inspiring site!
you are SO WELCOME:) I am so glad that I could help.
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Thank you so much for these! I did #3 and added some side swept bangs to disguise my post-partum wispies! My hair feels so much lighter and the whole thing took like 15 minutes! Exactly what this busy mama needed! Now I just have to be patient for a month or two while I work up the courage to do #4!
Do you recommend doing the ponytail cut with wet or dry hair? Also, you mentioned the point cutting technique at the top of the post, but then in one of the pony variations you say to snip it straight across. I have medium length thick slightly wavy hair (with little curly fly-aways/break-aways by my face, that I love). I have never cut my own hair and am interested in trying the #3 above. Also, will these techniques work for easy kiddo haircuts? THANKSSSSS!!!!
To answer your question….you should use the pointcutting technique to cut a SOFT straight line across your DRY ends. And yes, these are great for kids!! Good luck, and I’d love to see a photo of the results:)
I did it! Would love to send you the pics, but not sure where to send them. Take care!
This was sooo helpful! My hair looks great! I was able to get rid of all my dead ends all by myself! Thx so much!
Awesome! so glad it worked for you:)