Go from business-as-usual to cutting edge up-do with hidden DIY designs
Take an undercut to the next level by shearing a design into the shaved area, creating a work of art with your hair. This look’s perfect to DIY, ’cause you can hide a botched attempt under longer hair for the couple of weeks it takes a design to grow out. So grab a friend you trust, hand her an electric hair trimmer, and make your head a canvas with the steps below. – Callie Watts
Start Snippin’
1. (If you already have an undercut, skip to step 4.) If you want your undercut to be completely hidden when your hair is down, make the shaved space a shorter width along the bottom hairline. If not, get as wide as you want across the nape of the neck. Find the ridge where the crown (the upper back of the skull) and nape meet. This will be the top point of your undercut area. Make your part from that point, separating the hair you want to keep long from the hair you want to shave. Pull the hair you want to keep long up tight, part it in the middle, and secure it with bobby pins or clips. Make sure the parts separating the undercut area are straight and the corners are symmetrical—use the bottoms of your ears as reference points.
2. Buzz the area you want shaved using a hair trimmer with a 2′ guard (use a miniature trimmer for maximum design control; we like the Wahl Peanut Clipper and Trimmer, 50, ?sallybeauty.com). Get eye level with the area while you work, and buzz in the direction of the hair growth (which can be wonky—look out for cowlicks). Use a light touch; you do not need to dig in. Pull the pinned section up tight as you go to get clean lines. Use hair scissors and a comb to trim any little hairs you missed.
3. Once you’ve shaved the undercut section, use the clippers without a guard to go around the perimeter to make those lines more defined. Pause and move your head around every once in awhile to see if everything is lining up from all angles.
4. Sketch your desired undercut design on paper until you’re happy with it. (Start simple with straight lines; Instagram’s great for inspiration.) Working in sections, use the scissors to faintly mark a line of the design in your hair. Use your fingers to guide as you go and the edge of the scissors to check that your lines are straight. Start with thin lines, you can always make them wider later. After you cut a section of the design, use the trimmer without the guard and shave along the scissor lines. Switch back to the scissors to mark another section and repeat the process until you complete the design.
Photos: Megan Senior; Model: Callie Watts; Hair: Molly Benko at Fringe Salon
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