Let’s be honest, we are living in an era of fear — the mere act of going out of the house could result in you falling very ill. Thankfully, we’ve adapted. Online shopping portals have permitted access to holy grail-skincare loves and experimental makeup products; at-home facial services have been made available so we can continue to pamper our mien; while gel mani equipment is readily sold so we can maintain our talons without professional help. The only thing many of us cannot do is cut our own hair, mostly because we don’t want to end up butchering our mane — or so we thought until the age of the wolf cut.

With the expeditious rise of TikTok last year, #hairtok was booming with clips of people cutting their hair in tiny bathrooms, either out of sheer boredom or being left with zero options due to quarantine. There have been many wins and fails in the quest for the wolf cut, where users are shown taking a pair of stationery-esque scissors to shear chunks off their ponytails.

@denizderyayurt

Saçımı böyle kestim işte dostlar #wolfcuthair

♬ good 4 u – Olivia Rodrigo

Aside from the many hairstylists who are cringing at this trend, there are some pros of having this hipster ‘do. Although many creators are calling it a mullet, it is actually a shaggy bob that was popularised in the 70s — looking very much like our favourite mystery-solving bloke: Shaggy from Scooby-Doo. The lewk is breezy and joyful, precisely what everyone wants to feel and to break away from the gruelling troubles we face. Not to mention that millennials and Gen-Zs have been chasing collective nostalgia of a time that we have never experienced — take a look at fashion trends, everyone is obsessed with attaining that retro aesthetic.

Even celebrities such as Billie Eilish hopped onto the trend when she decided to debut her new blonde locks that had her fans shook. Let’s move on from trendiness to maintenance, as the style is meant to look effortless and steering towards unkempt, combing, curling, and styling products can be minimalised. For those of us with straight hair, a spritz of sea salt texturising spray will give it that wild-frizzy effect.

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The only problem that we have with this trend is that a pair of blunt scissors — commonly used to cut paper during art classes or packages from the mail — will not suffice. Yes, some creators are blessed with really thick, voluminous hair that will look good under most circumstances. However, if your hair texture veers towards the opposite end of the spectrum, you might end up with split ends and an uneven length instead of a fresh, choppy bob. Looking intentionally messy is different from being messy.

So here is what you will need to achieve a proper, TikTok-worthy wolf cut:

Equipment:

• One pair of straight-edged hair scissors
• One pair of hair thinning scissors
• One large hairbrush
• One fine-tooth comb
• Two strong hair ties or rubber bands
• One or more friends (that you trust with your life)

@daniellemarcan

had a breakdown so i got a wolf cut #wolfcut #mullet #haircut

♬ good 4 u – Olivia Rodrigo

Instructions:

• Brush your hair from back to front and tie it into a high pony at the very top of your head. Leave no strands behind — this will help to achieve even layers on both sides, front and back.

• Have your friend hold up the high pony away from your face, discuss the hair length you desire and get your assistant to tie another rubber band there.

• Using the straight-edged scissors, get your friend to cut straight across the hair with the fine-tooth comb acting as a ruler.

• Remove the rubber bands and do a rough styling to see how it looks. Repeat the previous steps till you arrive at the appropriate length.

• Finally, shape the ends with the thinning scissors and give your snazzy cut some texture. Remember not to go overboard, you are not a professional.