An even straight line is the ultimate test of control. On straight hair, the outline of the cut is clearly visible against the edge of the jaw or around the nape of the neck, and any deviation from a smooth edge will be noticeable. For this reason, straight hair is an ideal place to practice your basic cutting technique. Cutting a straight line, slowly and carefully, without rushing, will help your hands learn to control the scissors. Take your time and focus on making slow deliberate movements, rather than trying to make your cutting process faster. Use damp hair which has been brushed flat against the head.
Take a horizontal slice of hair at the back of the head and clip the rest of the hair out of the way. Hold a very thin slice of hair between your fingers, and slide your fingers down to the ends of the hair. Snip across, making sure to keep your scissors parallel to your fingers. Once you have established a cutting line, let down another thin slice of hair just above where you cut, and use the line you just made as a guide.
A common problem for new students is that they are cutting with the tips of the scissors while allowing the wrist to roll upwards. This will cause the line to be slightly pointed, or “stepped,” and the resulting edge will appear somewhat choppy when the hair is brushed out. To avoid this problem, focus on keeping the scissors moving in a perfectly horizontal plane as you cut, without allowing your wrist to roll. With your hand held level, your cutting line will be much more even. Practice cutting on a straight horizontal line around the bottom of the head for about fifteen minutes.
Take a small slice of hair, cut it, brush the hair down to settle it, and evaluate your line before moving up again. If you notice that your line is not even, do not try to even it out at this time. Instead, look at the slice of hair above your line, and try to match your guide as closely as possible. This will help your eyes learn to really see and follow the line. As you repeat this process several times, you will begin to see that your line is becoming more even from side to side.
You are probably not cutting any faster, but you are cutting much more smoothly and evenly. A straight line is very forgiving, because each slice of hair you cut is building on the one below it. With enough practice, your scissors will begin to move confidently as you cut, and you will see the overall shape of your outline become more balanced, even before you style the hair.