How To Cut A Fringe

We would never, ever tell you to chop in an entirely new fringe at home. It's always best to leave drastic hair transformations to the professionals. But what if you already have a fringe, it's growing into your eyes, and you have too little time for a salon trim? Now, that's where we can offer some emergency reprieve.

As the Duchess of Cambridge succumbs to the lure of a flattering, age-defying fringe, we're taking tips on trimming an existing fringe from Marc Trinder, Art Team Director at Charles Worthington Salons. Whether you've got a full fringe, a side fringe or a grown-out fringe like Catherine's, it's possible to tame errant strands and keep it groomed at home when a trip to the hairdressers isn't an option.

How To Trim A Full Fringe

- Never attempt to trim a full fringe when it's wet. Blow dry it as normal first, and ensure you lift as you dry so that it's not too straight.

- Little and often trims are best, so it's advisable to cut no more than a millimeter every week instead of taking off a lot of length in one go.

- Invest in texturising scissors and use them to soften the edge first, before cutting into the length.

- With a full fringe, removing a little weight from straight across can make a huge difference. Do this instead of attempting to alter the shape drastically.

How To Trim A Side Fringe

- Do not cut the sides of your fringe - the section that meets with the rest your lengths. Instead, only ever soften the corner of the shortest part, which is usually the piece beginning to stick into your eye.

- Soften with texturising scissors first, and never cut the fringe straight across. Instead, take shallow nibbles into the very ends, just a few hairs at a time.

How To Trim A Grown-Out Fringe

- The Duchess of Cambridge's fringe can be hard to keep in shape yourself, as it's essentially two side fringes either side of your parting.

- The shortest parts of this fringe - the hair immediately framing the eyes - is the only part you should trim at home.

- Take your scissors and point cut (see illustration for the direction of cutting) very slightly into the tips, taking the hair around the eyes a little shorter than the sides.