manual SELF STYLER By Stephanie Lovett, Jayplay writer How to trim your own hair
Fingering her medium-length curly, brown hair one day, Caroline Wright decided it was time for a haircut. And this haircut couldn't wait. "I just wanted a change. Right at that moment. There was no time to go to a salon," the Kansas City, Mo., senior says. So Wright took matters into her own hands — literally — and cut her hair herself. "I'm a little bit of a thrill-seeker. And it was kind of exciting."
a little bit of a thrill-seeker. And it was kind of Wright has been trimmed her hair another four or five times in the past several years and finds the experience liberating. Aaron Caldwell, Dallas sophomore, often trims his hair in lieu of dealing with thinking ahead
enough to schedule appointments. And Carlie Wagner, Springfield, Mo., senior, just got tired of paying for haircuts she didn't like.
Skipping the salon or barber is especially common among college students on a budget, says Laurie Punches, stylist and author of How to Simply Cut Hair. Cutting your own hair saves money and gives you more control of your look. Better yet, Punches says everyone can learn to do it. "Hair cutting is practical, it's not theoretical," she says. "And there's nothing you can't do yourself."
Get the tools
Get the tools
If you plan to do a decent job, using your desk scissors on your hair isn't the best idea. You need sharp scissors.
best idea. You need sharp scissors, preferably a pair you use only on hair. Women should also purchase a comb marked in inches, and four to five clips or clamps to section the hair. Men should get an electric
shaving razor with a trimming edge. These supplies cost money, but remember the long-term savings and suck it up.
Photo illustration by Joshua Kendall
Tag team it
Tag team it
When it comes to hair cutting, two heads are better than one. The best idea is to find a partner who will cut your hair and vice versa, Punches says. You can use a mirror to do it alone, but seeing the whole picture is difficult. The chance of error goes down when the person cutting can directly see the hair.
Think
Think before you get scissor-happy, you need to ask yourself an important question: Am I drunk? Most people who mess up their hair and need it fixed are intoxicated when it happens, says Cora Carey, stylist at Head Rush, 622 W $12^{th}$ St. The people who go to Carey for a hair fix usually were either dared while drunk or thought it would be funny. But they aren't laughing the next day, Carey says.
Prep yourself
It is easiest to cut women's hair when the hair is wet, but matters less with men who are just trimming. Use your best judgment.
In any case, take a moment to think about what you want. Are you interested in layers?
What length looks good with your face
Prep yourself
What length looks good with an oval shape? Punches recommends styles that make an oval shape around the face for women. For example, a person with a square jaw shouldn't have chin-length hair. Go to
visual-makeover.com to see what hair style will work best with your face shape. The main objective here is to put thought into the style you want and the approach you are going to take.
Do it
Do it Some styles are easier to create than others. Styles that are edgy, urban and choppy don't require symmetry and are therefore easier to do on your own, Carey says. And curly or wavy hair hides errors best. For sleeker cuts, section the hair and take it one section at a time. Check for evenness continuously and you'll avoid obvious problems. Punches' book details a step-by-step approach to most basic haircuts for women.
most basic haircuts for women.
For short haircuts, use the electric trimmer/buzzer like an orange peel, from the bottom to the top of the head covering all areas. You should go over the whole head at least twice on the same setting to make sure you didn't miss any spots.
miss any spots. If the thought of cutting hair scares you, don't do it. Cutting your own hair may save money, but if you like being taken care of by a professional, it's understandable. Hair isn't like clothes that you can take on and off, Punches says. So it may be worth the money to have a professional maintain it. Even Wright and Caldwell don't exclusively cut their own hair. Both have a professional trim on occasion. But if you are careful, there's no reason not to try cutting your own mane. Hey, it's not like it won't grow back.
The Tools
Four clips, Vidal Sassoon, $2.29 — Round Corner Drug 6.5-in, stainless steel shears, Conair,$ 7.99 — Target Fine-toothed comb set, Revlon, $2.99 — Walgreens 16-piece adjustable clipper, Vidal Sassoon,$ 17.99 — Target
Damage control She's no lady
No free room and board for you, Asian lady beetle 'Tis the season for ladybugs. You may notice a small round mustard-orange beetle making its way from your bedroom window to the confines of your personal space. Act fast because more are on the way. These wee little pests are called Asian lady beetles, and are very common at this time of year. Although they won't bite you, eat your food or
are very common at the workplace. Although they won't bite you, eat your food or damage anything, they are just plain annoy- especially when they arrive in packs of 20, 30 or in my case: 1,000,041.
30 or in my case: 1,000,541.
Before you whip out the pesticides, try these prevention tactics:
- Pest-proof your windows and doors by closing off cracks and crevices with cardboard or masking tape
or masking tape Sweeping and vacuuming is the best way to get rid of them. Don't the squash the beetle, it'll bleed icky yellow fluid when attacked and this can stain your walls or fabrics.
this can start your wounds.
If all else fails, it's time for the chemical warfare. Try BugOut Flying Insect Spray, it contains pyrethrins, which kills on contact.
Sources: http://www.ars.usda.gov,
http://www.doyourownpestcontrol.com
—Megan Claus
minute fix
Make a full recovery
Make a full recovery Three-fourths finished with an article for my reporting class my computer freezes. Luckily, after much heartache and a reboot, my computer's recovery file opens with the majority of my document.
majority of my document. Your computer probably has a recovery system too, based on its last auto recover save, says Staci Wolfe, multimedia coordinator at the Dole Center. The default auto save is usually 10 minutes, but you can reset it to as often as every minute. On Macs, click Word on the menu bar, go to Preferences and Save. For PCs, go to Tools on the menu bar, click Options and then Save.
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— Misty Huber
Jayplay 11.11.04