We have all been there, your bangs are getting long and scraggily and your split ends are getting out of control. Or your son keeps bumping into the furniture because his hair is hanging too far into his eyes. Ideally, you would take yourself and your son to a professional hair dresser to fix these problems, but you keep putting it off until the problem can no longer be ignored. It is at this point that you decide to take matters into your own hands and trim up all the heads of hair in your household. To take on such a task, there are a few essential tools you will need.

1. Water bottle: When hair is dry, it is hard to get it all in the same place to snip cleanly. By wetting down the area that needs to be trimmed, the hair will be matted down and easier to see the line you wish to cut or trim.
2. Professional hair scissors: Your grandma may have used the same scissors to cut fabric and your dad’s hair, but that is not the case now. Investing in a quality pair of hair scissors will come in handy when your mane has grown out of control and just needs a few quick snips to bring it back into shape. Make sure your hair scissors are sharp and kept in a safe place away from water and other contaminants. You can find professional hair scissors at a variety of prices and in drug stores as well as professional hair product stores.
3. Fine-toothed comb: To gather the hair into one area, in a smooth formation, a fine-toothed comb will do the trick. Combs with wider gaps between the teeth will not provide as smooth of a surface in which to snip. Fine tooth combs also range in price and can be found at drugstores as well as professional hair product stores.
4. Mirror: This may seem like a no brainer, but always cut hair in front of a large mirror, such as the mirror in your bathroom. Never try to free hand hair without a mirror.
5. Non-carpeted area: A non-carpeted area will be easier to sweep excess hair from, rather than dragging out your vacuum cleaner after you have finished. Even after you have vacuumed, fine pieces of hair will cling to your rug, so it is best to cut hair on linoleum, tiled or hardwood floors.
6. Cape or towel with clip: Like they do at the hair salon, you will want to cover yourself or your subject with a cape or a towel to keep pieces of fine hair from getting down your back an into your clothes.

There are many other products which are helpful to do-it-yourself hair cutting or trimming, but using the essentials of water bottle, hair scissors, a fine-toothed comb, mirror, a non-carpeted area and a cape/towel, your hair cutting experience will be on its way to successful.