Doing Hair And Nails At Home
The global pandemic of Coronavirus has changed some many things for so many people all around the world. It’s at times like this that we all begin to realize just how much we all have in common even if there are some significant cultural differences between so many people and countries around the globe. Yes, there are a large variety of customs and norms that separate us even within our own country’s borders. This is true in the way we communicate, the way we greet each other (which is sure to change in a lot of different ways when the day finally comes that this disruption in our lives ends) as well as the foods we eat and the clothes we wear. And, even though there are a wide variety of styles and preferences across different cultures, we are still all human beings with the same basic bodies. This means that we all have hair and fingernails that grow continuously.
Sure, there are some men who have experienced hair loss but, even the ones who choose to shave their heads completely still have some hair that grows and still needs to be cut to keep that clean shaven look. And, there are some women who experience hair loss and deal with it in a number of different ways. However, at the end of the day, we all have head and body hair that we want to prevent from running wild and finger and toe nails that we need to keep under control, at the very least, if not embellish to add a bit of flair to ourselves.
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So, what’s a guy or girl to do if we can’t get to the barber or hair or nail salon during this worldwide crisis? Well, the answer seems to be pretty simple – we’re all either going to deal with it ourselves or just let things go. If you’re not one of those who just wants to throw in the towel when it comes to how you look then it all comes down to the question of how you can cut your own hair and take care of those nails without looking like one of the Three Stooges or worse.
What You’ll Need To Cut Your Hair
In order to have any chance of having a good outcome when trying to cut your own hair you’ll need the right tools. No, you likely don’t have the same high quality equipment that a professional barber or hair stylist would have on hand in their place of business, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t come up with the basic tools necessary to get the job done in a way that will not make you feel like you made a huge mistake just by giving it a shot.
The first thing that you’ll need is a large mirror. Being that the vast majority of us have one that fits the bill in our bathroom this is generally easy to come by for most people. The second thing that you’ll need is a second mirror, preferably, a small on that you can hold in your hand. The real use for this is so that you can let yourself see the back of your head in the larger mirror. The main thing is that you should use these mirrors in a way that will allow you to always see what you are doing.
The next thing on the list is a sharp pair of scissors. Clearly, these should be sharp so that you can get a good, clean cut when the moment comes to make that critical snip. There is another option that a lot of people may have access to and that is an electric razor such as those that come as attachments to electric shavers. Whichever you choose to actually cut your hair it would be advisable to make sure that these tools are clean so that your can avoid an infection of any kind in the event that you manage to cut yourself in the process. Still, anyone trying to cut their own hair should remember that you should keep sharp objects away from their eyes. Also, keep in mind that you can always cut more so there’s no real need to get scissors or a razor right up against your skin.
Finally, in order to get the best results, you’ll want to have a clean comb or brush available, as the best results are far more likely to happen if you have combed or brushed your hair so that it’s free of any snarls or tangles.
Making The Cut
Once you have the necessary equipment and you’ve worked up the nerve to actually go through with it then the first thing you’ll want to do is make sure that your hair is wet. This is important because it will keep the hair that you want to cut manageable and prevent it from falling or flying off in unwanted directions. It’s not important that your whole head be wet at the same time but whatever part you’re cutting should definitely be wetted down before you make the cut.
Once you have the desired part of your hair wet you need to comb out a section on one side of your head between your forefinger and index finger. This will allow you to grab a section of hair and form it into a slim row that you can make the cut along. The key thing to remember at this point is that most people’s hair grows about a half an inch over the course of three to four weeks so you want to be careful not to cut off too much. In short, you should cut off about a half and inch and then let that section of hair fall back and check it to see that it lays down the way that you expected. Assuming that you didn’t cut too much and you’re happy enough with the results you can repeat the procedure moving further back along the side of your head. Generally, this would result in this happening three to four times along each side of your head.
Once you’ve completed the cuts to the two sides of your head you can move along to the top of your head. Here, you can repeat the same basic procedure – first wetting the hair, then by grabbing it between your forefinger and index finger starting at the front. Again, depending on the amount of hair that you have on the top of your head, you should be able to do this three to four times before reaching the back of the top or your head.
When you’re finished with the top you can move to the back of your head. This is where things can get a little tricky for those of us who have to do this task all by ourselves. Clearly, this is where that little mirror can come into play. At this point you can wet and grab a section of hair on the back of your head and then hold the mirror up so that you can see just where and how much you have a hold of. Once you think you have the hair that you want held out and ready for cutting you can go ahead making sure to only cut down to where your fingers have set the bar.
To finish the job you might want to trim the edges along the bottom in the back and around your ears if that’s what the desired style calls for. Of course, those with longer hair that covers the ears you’ll want to make sure that you make your trimming of the ends are even all around. This being the case, make sure to cut just a little bit at a time so that you have some room to work with if you need to do a little work to end up with a nice even cut.
If you have bangs in the front it’s really important to cut just a little bit at a time to keep things even and not cut yourself into a corner by taking off too much at one time.
Dealing With Your Finger And Toenails
Most people in the world tend to cut their own finger and toenails. Unfortunately, this doesn’t seem to be something that a lot of people seem to see as an innate skill. And, given that it’s easy to go too far in this process and cut too deep, it’s really important to be very careful in doing this to prevent taking off too much which could be very painful at the very least, and potentially lead to infections.
One thing that can be very helpful in the process is to soak the nails on your hands and feet in warm, soapy water for a while as they will tend to soften up which makes it easier to cut. This is especially true for those people who have particularly thick toenails. The flip side of this is that people with thinner toenails should be careful because softened toenails could end up with unwanted tears.
In these times, there isn’t much reason to look your best but it’s still nice to look good just to keep your morale up. Just remember that it’s more important to be safe than to worry about looking your best. And, as always, keep in mind the fact that no one needs an unwanted visit to the hospital.
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