How to Cut Clip-In Hair Extensions at Home

Doing your own hair extensions maintenance is not a bad thing and will save you from having to buy a new pair! You can make your hair extensions look good as new again with a little trim with the correct cutting technique.

• You need
• Cutting dry
• Two essential cutting techniques
• Let's get cutting

Cutting your precious human hair extensions may sound daunting at first but you don't have to be a professional stylist to do so here we are going to take you through the steps how to cut your extensions at home. It can be a necessary thing to do to get rid of any hair damage or split ends that have occurred. Hair extensions can be expensive to replace so keeping the hair healthy with trims will keep you at the top of your hair game. Your extensions don't have to be damaged to have a cut though, you can simply customise them to however you want to achieve your perfect hair extensions vision. 

Doing your own hair extensions maintenance is not a bad thing and will save you from having to buy a new pair! You can make your hair extensions look good as new again with a little trim with the correct cutting technique.

Remember: Evaluate the type of hair extensions you have. If they are synthetic you can cut them however the following techniques are best suited for human hair extensions.

You need

Firstly you will need some professional hair shears. You don’t want to use standard scissors from around your house. Professional hair-cutting scissors are a lot sharper than normal household scissors and this therefore cuts the hair properly. The danger you may have cutting hair with household scissors is that because they are more blunt, they are more likely to snag your hair at the ends rather than giving your hair a nice blunt cut. Using the correct tools also prevents split ends from occurring quickly at the ends of your hair.

You will also need a front and back mirror so you can keep checking on your cut at the front and back of your head. This will make sure you can constantly check if your hair is how you want it and so that it is even. Use a fine tooth rat tail comb so you can make sure you’re cutting the end of your hair evenly.

Cutting dry

You should cut your hair extensions dry. Dry hair extensions will give you a better idea of what the finished result is going to look like. Since you will probably only be trimming your extensions cutting them wet won’t be necessary. You can cut your hair extensions while they are in your head or you can hang them up and cut them this way. Just make sure not to cut your natural hair if they are installed in your head. Cutting them while wearing them will give you a good idea of the length but may be hard to achieve an even cut.

Two essential cutting techniques:

Point cut:

Point cutting. The point-cutting technique will not give a blunt cut. To point cut you cut directly into the hair, this doesn't take off much length. Point cutting is usually performed when wanting to diffuse a blunt line into a softer more natural appearance. If the hair is naturally thick then this is the best technique to perform.

Blunt cut:

A blunt finish cut is usually performed when wanting to create a blunt end which gives the illusion of thickness. If you have of the extensions have finer hair this technique is the best to opt for to add thickness. Scissors need to be cutting while horizontal. 

Let's get cutting

When you have decided the desired amount of hair you want to cut off take your comb and comb through the hair and stop at the point where you want the hair to be cut. Take your hair styling scissors and cut below the comb, not above the comb! This is because the hair will be shorter than desired if you cut above the comb. 

Once you have made the first cut you can repeat this process along the hair. Using the comb will ensure you cut the hair in an even line across the hair.

Top Tip: If you are cutting the extensions while they are not on your head, clip in the extension after the first cut so you can see if you are happy with the new length.

Point cut the ends

Once you have cut the desired length off, point-cut the ends. This will break up the blunt cut and give the hair a more natural-looking finish a softer yet even cut. This would be best if you have thicker ends of your extensions however if you have extra long hair extensions that will generally have thinner ends you can keep the ends with a blunt cut. 

Multiple wefts

Stranded 5 -piece extension seamless set human hair

If you are cutting multiple wefts of hair, you want to cut the longest section first because this will determine the overall length of the hair extensions. When cutting all of the other wefts you want to point cut these wefts. Point-cutting the other wefts will make sure you don't have obvious steps in the hair. Point cutting will diffuse the blunt appearance and leave a feathery finish making sure that the extensions have a seamless blend and a natural finish.

Styling

Once you have cut all of your extension wefts they are ready to be applied and styled. If you want to use heat based styling tools, such as a hair straightener, use a heat protection spray on the hair extensions and your real hair to prevent heat damage and maintain healthy hair. 

Remember:

-Use one of the cutting techniques provided

-Use a fine tooth rat-tail comb

-Cut dry 

-Use professional hair scissors 

It is your personal preference how you want the cut to look, this is only guidance but you can customise your hair to whatever you like. If you use these hair-cutting techniques you will have a flawless hair extensions haircut. Maintaining your normal hair routine along with these cutting tips your luscious locks will be everyone's hair goals.

If you would like to explore some more articles from us hair extension experts we have many more articles piled with useful information you can check out!