Before I discuss what you can do after the haircut actually takes place, there are means to prevent such a disaster in advance.
First, make sure that you understand your hair type. When I impulsively decided to cut my hair in the eighth grade, I found a Youtube video that seemed sufficient; after all, the girl that cut her hair did it so effortlessly and she looked really good! Nevertheless, when I tried to mimic her actions in the video, I underestimated how thick my hair actually is, so I actually looked like Dora. It was god-awful.
Second, ask yourself, have you ever had any experience with cutting your own hair? Of course, some may be more adept at doing so and will pick it up rather quickly after watching a DIY video. On the other hand, it’s a commitment, chopping off your hair. Try cutting a few strands at first here and there, and possibly don’t commit to cutting all of the desired length off until you’re absolutely sure you’re ready.
Okay, now we’re going to get into the nitty-gritty aspect of the situation — when you actually chop your hair off, look in the mirror, and start freaking out.
Step One: Don’t panic. I know it might look terrible, but take a deep breath before you do anything more rash. Slowly inhale, exhale, and keep doing that until you stop hyperventilating.
Step Two: Call your best friend, someone who’s reliable that will offer you some support and guidance in this horrendous situation. I called someone who found the situation funny at first, but they reminded me that it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was. (It really was, though).
Step Three: DO NOT, and I repeat, DO NOT call your mother if she’s not skilled at cutting hair. In my brief moments of panic as my life flashed before my eyes, I summoned my mother to come help me layer my hair so it wouldn’t look quite so Dora-like. What a mistake. She tried to layer it, and for awhile I genuinely thought it looked better. What I realized later was that her idea of layering was leaving all of the chunks of hair in the back of my head untouched from my original snippage, while cutting off the front very evenly, so it was literally one portion of hair at a certain length, and another portion at a very specific other length. Basically, it did not help the situation whatsoever because my hair was now at my collarbones.
What you should do instead is call a professional hair salon. It’s their job to help, and they will treat your hair according to its texture, length, and type unlike your mother who may not be as knowledgeable.
Step Four: Realize that hair grows back. It’s okay, it might take time, but you will learn from your mistakes. Maybe, just maybe, it’s time to put down the scissors and call your local salon. As Mrs. Posey always says, “Make wise decisions.”
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