How to Take the Bulk Out of Curly Hair

Trimming Short Hair

Wet the hair and rub it with product so it’s easier to work with. Spritz over the short hair with some lukewarm water, which may make it easier to work with. Squirt a pea-sized amount or so of styling product or pomade into your palm and knead it through the hair. The hair product will make it easier to comb and work through.

Grab a section of hair that’s about 2 finger widths wide. Comb through the hair with a wide-toothed comb and pick out a section of hair along the back or center of the person’s head. Check that the section is about 2 finger widths wide, and at least 2 in (5.1 cm) long. Pinch the top of their hair with 2 fingers, using your dominant hand to actually do the trimming. While it may seem a bit slow going, working in gradual chunks will help the haircut look more consistent and polished.

Cut tiny snips along the back of the hair in a pyramid pattern. Look close to the roots, where the curly hair begins to form a “C” along the bottom of the hair section. Envision a pyramid shape within the section of hair you’ve separated, with the roots serving as the base. Loosen your grip on the hair with your fingers, then cut 3 tiny, evenly-spaced snips along the base of this pyramid, which will thin out a tiny portion of hair. Move your scissors up to the “middle” of the pyramid and create 2 small snips, centered above the 3 snips that you’ve already made. As a final touch, move your scissors to the “top” of the pyramid and create a single cut, centered above the 2 snips you just made. Each cut will only be a millimeter or 2 long. Keep in mind that you’re cutting into the hair instead of cutting across. Try to keep all of your cuts centered and evenly spaced. You’re not going to lose a ton of hair from these cuts—you’ll just thin it out a little bit to reduce the bulk. This is also known as a “bricklaying” pattern.

Comb through all of the hair to get rid of the freshly cut strands. Go over their hair with a wide-toothed comb, brushing away any extra hair that you just trimmed away. Smooth out their hair so you‘ll be ready to thin out their hair once more. A wide-toothed comb makes it easier to smooth out their hair, as opposed to a fine-toothed comb.

Take another section of hair and trim it with a bricklaying pattern. Grab an identical section of hair that’s above the hair you just trimmed. Grip it tightly between 2 fingers, and find the “C” shape of the bottom curl. Loosen the hair section a bit, then repeat the bricklaying trim pattern in the same way that you did before. You won’t notice a lot of hair separating from the other person’s head, but there will be enough to reduce the bulk. Double-check that you’re grabbing a new section of hair, and not the one that you just trimmed. Some shorter hairs may slip out of your fingers, which is perfectly normal. You’ll want to progress in an upwards direction, moving closer to the forehead as you go.

Drag a comb through the hair again. Take your wide-toothed comb and remove any extra hair again. Continue smoothing out the hair so it’s easy to work with as you style it.

Repeat this process until you reach the front hairline. Continue grabbing small sections of hair along the other person’s head, working your way up to the front hairline. Keep in mind that the majority of the bulk isn’t found near the front hairline, so you don’t need to worry about trimming this section at all. Pinch each new section of hair with your fingers before loosening it a bit, then snipping tiny cuts across in the “3 2 1” bricklaying pattern. After each trim, comb through the hair again to smooth it out. Focus more on the center and top of the other person’s head instead of the bottom and front. This is where the majority of the bulk will be. You don’t need to thin out every section of hair along the back of someone’s head—just enough to thin out some of the bulk.

Spritz over the hair and knead some product through. Dampen the hair and rub another pea-sized amount of product through. Once you’ve applied the product, let the hair air-dry completely.

Cutting Longer Hair to Prevent Bulk

Grab the hair in 1 in (2.5 cm) sections. Try to grab sections of hair that are naturally grouped together. While it may seem a bit tedious, you’ll want to trim the hair layer by layer in small, specific sections to really cut back on bulk.

Trim the front bangs at a 90-degree angle away from the person’s head. Clip the middle sections of the hair back so the front or side bangs are separated. Lift up each individual curl so it’s about 90 degrees from the other person’s head, then snip off no more than 1 cm (0.39 in) or so from the ends. Try to cut at a 45-degree angle so the bangs match the angle of their head. As you cut, the hair will center itself on their cheekbones.

Snip the rest of the hair in straight, even motions. Start at the bottom of the hair, using texturizing shears to trim and thin out the curls along the bottom third of their hair. After you’ve thinned out the lower curls, trim the upper two thirds of the other person’s hair as you see fit. Thinning the bottom third of their hair is what will really help reduce bulk.

Trim the end of each curl so it ends in a coil. Do your best to keep the individual hairs in each curl together instead of letting them separate at the ends. Snip away the excess so the curls look uniform and professional. If the person’s hair is spread out and frizzing along the ends, their hair will likely look bulkier.

Work from bottom to top and hold each section of hair at an angle. Pull on each section of hair so it’s away from their head, and not clumped with the rest of their hair. Start with the bottommost curls before slowly reaching the top of their head. Try holding each section of hair at a 90-degree angle or so.

Instruct the other person to shake out their hair to get out any loose strands. Double-check that all the loose strands drift out of the hair. At this point, look in the mirror and see if the curls look even and consistent. Don’t be discouraged if there are some uneven areas along the curls—cutting curly hair can be really challenging, especially if you don’t have a lot of experience. Ask another person if they can look at the hair and make sure everything is consistent.

Make adjustments to any uneven sections of hair. Take a pair of thinning scissors and trim away any extra or uneven hair. Continue cutting across the hair in a straight line, so the curls look balanced. Keep making adjustments until the haircut looks completely even.