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| layered hairstyle |
You really can never go wrong with layered hairstyles. They tend to complement any facial shape, and they're ideal for both straight and curly hair. Not to mention, layers can give much needed volume to fine hair, while also smoothing out the bulkiness associated with coarse or thick hair.
Believe it or not, layers are pretty easy to create and maintain. Unlike hair that is all one length or tightly well-defined, no one's going to notice if you have one layer slightly off from the rest of your head. So, if you've wanted to give layers a try but didn't want to spend the extra cash at the salon, get your sheers, a comb and a spray bottle ready and I will explain how you can do it yourself.
How to Create Layers
To achieve a classic layered look, you'll want to start with wet hair (whether you wash or spray it with a spray bottle is up to you). If parts of your hair begin to dry while you're creating your layers, simply re-spray the pieces before cutting.
The first step is to divide the hair on the top of your head into sections. This includes the back, sides and around the crown area. Then comb the hair that has been left down and trim in one inch sections. As you go from one section to another, use the previous piece as a guide to make sure they're all roughly the same length. But please do not obsess. The great thing about layers is that if you are not thrilled with how they turn out, you can always wet your hair again and trim a little more away - so don't cut away too much too fast.
You'll then want to move on to the top of your head. Unclip one of the sections of hair on top of your head, comb through, and spray if needed. Working with one inch sections, comb straight, holding the hair between two fingers so you have a cutting guide. Now, pull the hair either to a 45 or a 90 degree angle and cut to the desired layer length. Continue to do this for all the hair that is in this section.
Remove the clip from the final section, wet if needed, and comb through. You'll cut this section the same way, using the same angle that you used previously. The only difference is going to be the length of the layer.
At this point, you're basically done unless you feel you need to add in a few shorter hair layers. It is advised to dry your hair completely first before rushing into additional snips though, as you may be surprised at just how much your hair shortens up when it's dry.
Creating Layers Using the Ponytail Technique
If you are looking for a super easy way to create layers, simply make use of ponytails to guide your cut. First, pull all your hair into a pony at the back of your head right under the crown, and then slide the holder near the end and use it to guide a straight cut. Then, create a ponytail on the top of your head and do the same thing, trimming it to the desired length of that layer.
Depending on how long your hair is, you may need to leave the bottom half of your hair down or it will just fall down anyway. For extra hair layers, do this several times with different sections of hair, making sure you pull the same amount from each side and the back so your layers will look great from every angle.
And that is all there is to it! If you need more detailed styling ideas for layers, or if you simply need inspiration for your next stunning hairstyle, check out this great resource and have all your burning questions answered.