I've been cutting my own hair since 2006. It's something that I have gotten better at over the years as I've learned different (and easier) techniques. This may not be the proper way of cutting hair, but it is completely free and fairly fool-proof. What you'll need is: long hair in need of trimming and layering, a sharp scissors, a hair tie, a hair clip, a brush, a comb and a hand mirror (or some sort of way to see the back of your head). Let's Begin...
First of all, you're going to want to leave your hair DRY. Wet hair has a tendency to stretch and you may end up cutting too much or cutting unevenly. You're also going to want to thoroughly brush your hair. If your hair is wavy or curly, you might want to consider straightening it with a flat iron before you start cutting. Any uneven cuts are far more obvious when your hair is stick-straight.
Next, you're going to want to trim your hair. In this demonstration, I took off about 1.5 inches. I do this by combing my hair into two equal sections with the part running down the back of my head (think of low pig tails). I comb each section until there are absolutely no tangles. I do not secure my hair in any way for this and simply leave each section to lay over my shoulders.
While keeping my head as level as possible, I run the comb through a small section of hair on one side of my head. I use my middle and index fingers and follow the comb with them, stopping a little before where I'd like my hair to be cut. I then make sure my fingers are straight and parallel to the ground before trimming. I repeat this process while adding in little more hair each time. As I get towards the back of my head, I turn my body by standing sideways while looking straight into the mirror (when cutting the very back, your body should be a full 90 degrees from the mirror. Remember to keep your head as level as possible). I do this so that my hair can fall straight and not be held at an angle around my shoulders. Once I have trimmed one half of my hair (remember, my hair has been divided into two sections), I repeat the process on the other side. When finished with the other half, I check the back of my hair to make sure everything has come together evenly. If it hasn't, I simply turn my body so that I can work on whatever side was left too long and trim some more.
Freshly trimmed hair! Everything IS straight, I assure you
Now that the hardest part is over, I move onto layering. Yes, believe it or not, layering is the easiest part of this process. I like to cut three layers into my hair. Feel free to do as few or as many layers as you want. Regardless of how many you do, you will start the first layer exactly the same.
Gathering my third and final layer to be cut
After cutting
I begin by sectioning my hair by gathering the top half and securing it with a hair clip. The part should begin at least an inch above the ear and run horizontally around the back of the head. You do not want to gather any more hair than this! By leaving some hair down on the sides of my head, I am allowing the sides to some hair that is full length. I then secure the lower half of my hair with a hair tie and release the top half that's in the hair clip. I brush that hair forward, transfer my hair to my fingers, then decide where I'd like to make the first cut. I suggest cutting around 1 1/2 to 2 inches. I cut the hair straight across and have successfully just created my first layer. I release the hair that's secured with the hair tie, run the brush through, and repeat the process, making a new part. This time, the part is roughly 2-3 inches above where the part was previously. Yours can be higher or lower depending on how many layers you want. I secure top half with the hair clip and tie the lower half of my hair back with a hair tie before releasing the soon-to-be top layer. I brush the hair forward, gather it between my fingers, and make my second cut. Try to cut off about the same amount of hair you did on the previous layer (for example, you cut off 2 inches to create the first layer, cut off another 2 inches for the second). Repeat this process for however many layers you'd like. Once I've finished making all the layers, I step back and enjoy my free hair cut!
Finished haircut!
Layers are a little hair to see thanks to my monotone hair, but they're definitely there.
Pay no attention to the goofy face! My husband was being ridiculous.
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