General wig cutting advice

[DollyKim]

I have a wig I want to cut about half the length off of, I want it closer to the shoulders than the waist. It has a slight wave but isn't curly or frizzy.

Any general advice will be appreciated.

[Greyhaunt]

I've trimmed several wigs and the biggest thing I can say is DON'T USE SCISSORS!!! You can always tell when someone cut a wig with scissors because they have unnaturally straight lines. What I use is a hair trimming tool that looks like a comb but has a razorblade imbedded in it. It let's you sort of "shave" down the hair and gives a really natural looking edge.

I cut a butt length wig to shoulder length with one of these and what I did was work it in stages. Don't go straight for the length you want because if the wig has any wave to it at all it might end up shorter than you want. One of the ones I did had a slight wave at the bottom - but when I trimmed it I ended up having a light curl right at the ends of the hair - it wasn't what I expected (since at full length it had been straight there) but it looked fantastic, and since I cut only a small portion off at a time I still had the final length i wanted.

[OkamiKodomo]

Actually, I did cut a wig with scissors a few times, and while GH's method is waaaay better, it can be done with scissors. A small pair of mustache scissors, held almost parallel to the hair, and cutting in little snips, in stages like the razor comb method, until you get to the right length. It's a very messy method though.

[magkelly]

I always treat doll hair like I was cutting human hair, specifically child hair which can be hard to control. I usually will wet the wig down a bit with a spray bottle first and then I do use scissors. I cut the wig straight across a bit longer than I want then I use small scissors and cut up into the line to make the line a bit more natural if I want it to look that way. If not I just trim it carefully to where I actually want it. I actually like hard lines sometimes when it comes to hair. I'm very much into geometric hairstyling a la Sassoon. I don't like messy hair a whole lot. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but most of the time I like my dolls to look fairly well groomed.

You might find this helpful. It shows you how to do basic layers and such if you want a less formal look...

http://www.dolls-n-daggers.com/Dolls/OOAKtipshair.php

[Gift_in_Edge]

Like magkelly I make suse the hair is wet, it makes the hair more controllable. Make yourself a guide in the hair and slowly work your way around. Cut the hair in small groups.

What helped me a lot was remembering how people cut hair at salons. :)