Thought about cutting your family's hair to save money, but don't know where to start?
Learn how to cut hair properly and give yourself the skills to save both time and money for the rest of your life.

If you are seriously considering cutting your own hair and/or your family's hair, I recommend you read everything you can on basic hair cutting techniques first, so that you understand the principles before you start cutting away at your hair.

Learning the basics will help you to understand how to properly position your hands, use your fingers as guides as well as understanding cutting angles, elevation and creating layers.

The first consideration is to buy a very good pair of hair cutting scissors. Try and get a pair with a pouch for safety and to keep them well hidden from the family. (Not only will they be extremely sharp, you don't want them cutting icy poles, craft paper or little fingers). The most common hair cutting scissors out in the market are made for right handed users, you may have to go to a specialist beauty store if you are left handed. Innumerable advantages can be obtained while using thinning scissors for hair cutting. It doesn't really matter what type of scissors you have as long as they are kept razor sharp. Make sure you keep your scissors well maintained with proper servicing - sharpening and repairing - at regular intervals.

You will also need a few other basic items in your haircutting toolkit. There is no golden rule when buying hair cutting equipment, but I would advise you to hold some of the clippers and scissors in your hands to see if they feel comfortable. Combs, brushes, a mirror and cutting cape are all necessary tools. Plastic capes are best as the hair will fall straight to the floor, making it easier to clean up. You can use an old oversized shirt as a cape, or even a plastic tablecloth with a hole in the middle?). Talc, giant clips and a water spray bottle are also quite handy. Oh...and don't forget a good static broom or dust-buster to help with cleaning up.

A few tips: " Always use extremely sharp scissors. " Prepare the hair first by thoroughly combing or brushing out all the snarls and tangles. " Make sure no hairs are hidden behind the ears or nape of the neck. " Practice your hair cutting with a cutting block or dolls head to start. " When cutting your toddlers hair - keep their hair cutting sessions brief. " And finally, enjoy it - learning to cut hair should be a fun experience, give yourself time to learn.

You can give yourself and your family a very respectable haircut if you take it slow, and practice, practice, practice.