Save your family from going viral from a disastrous quarantine haircut post with expert haircutting at home how-tos from the renowned Frédéric Fekkai. Before taking on the job of at-home stylist, we suggest you stop and take a minute to check out his video tutorial before grooming your little loved ones. We promise it will be worthwhile and you can thank us later.

Keep reading for tips, products, and more from Fredrick Fekkai himself and his scoop on how to cut your child’s hair at home that he suggested on LeScoop, Maisonette’s platform that spotlights leading experts within the field to share insights with their community about parenting, style, design, and culture).

1.  Start With The Right Tools

I suggest that the pair of scissors or hair clippers must be good professional quality so that the cutting is precise and sharp. For toddlers and young kids, I prefer to have them standing up with some entertainment, like a phone game or iPad, to keep them focused. I recommend a cape or a plastic bag to avoid hair getting into their clothes and sticking to their skin.

2.  Prepare the Hair

Unless the hair is very frizzy, you’ll want it to be wet for cutting. You can use a spray bottle or wash the hair before and pat dry with a towel. A detangler and a good conditioner are essential for allowing the comb to move easily through the haircut. You can also prep the hair with shampoos or treatments that bring shine like FEKKAI Brilliant Gloss Multi-Tasker Crème for medium to coarse hair or volume like FEKKAI Full Blown Volume Shampoo.

Finally, you should consider style. For girls, at this time, I recommend to leave hair long—bobs need more maintenance. It’s certainly not a good idea to create a new style or bangs. Whereas with boys, shorter styles like those on Paul Newman or Steve McQueen can be accomplished easily with a buzzer and comb attachment on the 6, 7 or 8 setting.

3.  Gravity Is Key

Once the hair is really combed, the key is to let the hair fall with gravity. You don’t want to pull the hair towards you and cut it, but rather let it fall naturally. The neck should be slightly tilted forward.

4. Always Start With the Back

Of course, you must start with the middle section in the back. Part the hair so the middle section is behind the shoulders. Then, cut straight across and use the length as a reference as you work your way around the head. When you move to the front, again, let the hair fall with gravity, and merge with the hair you have already cut. At the end, straighten the head and double check everything is in line.

5.  Consider the Texture

Not all hair is the same. For curly hair, wet the hair and lift it to trim the ends. DO NOT cut hair against the skin. For frizzy hair, cutting on dry hair is best, and you want to hold it piece by piece, almost like sculpting – this method is more forgiving. For straight or fine hair, it’s also best to start with wet hair. This will help gravity to pull the hair down.

When cutting a bang, please consider wetting the hair and part it in an upside-down V-shape. Start by holding the center piece of the bang and use a razor blade NOT scissors to cut at eye level. Then do the same by cutting each side of the center piece but do not cut past your eyebrows.

6.  Proceed With Caution

It’s very important to cut less at first, and then cut again if needed so you leave some room for error. There are many tutorials online on Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube. I advise you to watch as many as possible before actually picking up the scissors.