Tips for cutting hair at home

[angie_nrs]

During this whole Covid mess, I learned a new skill. Apparently now I'm a barber Who knew? LOL! There actually was something good that came of this mess. When this all started, I didn't even have a good comb. Now I have a trimmer set and a couple of good pairs of scissors, combs, and a barbers gown. I also have oils and brushes to care for the timmer and scissors. I'll share a few things I have learned and hope that others (who actually know what they're doing) will chime in. I still have a lot to learn, but we're both happy with our new hair cutting routine.

When hubs gets the hair 'wings' over his ears, it's time for a cut. The first time I cut his hair, I found a good youtube video that I can't find now. Dang it, I can't remember her name and I thought I bookmarked it, but didn't. Anyways, it was a nice video for beginners. If I find it, I'll post it to this thread. So, the first time around, I used just regular house scissors and it didn't turn out too bad. I also had some battery operated trimmers that I quickly found were junk. After that, I bought some scissors with good reviews online. They were cheap and they were also junk. I finally found a decent pair of sheers for $21 on Amazon and they are great. I also found a nice clipper kit on WM.com for $25 which are wonderful, but now are double the price that they were only a couple of months ago. It comes with a really nice instruction manual too.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Wahl-Color-Pro-Plus-Haircut-Clipper-Kit-79752T/921473579
So today, I used the clippers and scissors. I used the scissors for the bangs and the top of the head and down the sides. Then I used the #3 guard up the back of the neck to the bottom 1/3 of the head. I then used the side guards around the ears. Then I used the #5 guard up the back of the head to the mid area of the head. To finish, I used the scissors and trimmer with no guards to get a close cut around the ears and down the back of the neck. Heck, there is even an eyebrow guard, but I didn't use that this time b/c he was already in the shower when I realized I had it. So, next time, I will use that one too.

I cleaned everything up and oiled the scissors and trimmers so that they'll be ready to go the next time. I also made myself notes and put it in his kit ,so the next time I won't be wondering what to do or where to start.

I was really hesitant at first to cut his hair but he insisted that he didn't care what it looked like, so I did. After doing it the first time, I gained some confidence. Now, I look at it as an opportunity to learn something new. No matter what the outcome of his cut is, it always looks better than when I started, so that is a win! Now I'm saving money and have the tools at home to do it myself, which makes us even more self sustainable than we were before.

For those of you who cut hair at home, share your tips and suggestions for us newbies to the craft. And for those of you who have never tried to cut hair at home, I hope this thread gives you the courage to give it a go.

 

[Patchouli]

I've gotten used to cutting one of my sons' hair. I used to cut the hair of everyone in the family.
I shyed away from my husband's hair, but could do it. The girls' long hair was actually more difficult.
Sorry, no tips or pointers from me. One of my sons has very thick hair and it takes me quite a while to cut his since he lets it get too long before asking me to cut it. He gets uncomfortable and we don't have an office chair. Maybe that's a pointer: have a comfy chair.
I've cut hair outside, in the kitchen, in the bathroom, in the dining room. The garage would be good too.
Never thought of looking for yt tutorials.

 

[Terri9630]

Hubby likes the #2 for the whole head.

 

[ClemKadiddlehopper]

Leave the house. When hubby is doing a self buzz cut he gets in a hurry and the guard falls off leaving a bald streak. He then sets about fixing it and ends up with some interesting track mark's and crabby. I quit cutting his hair because it was never good enough. The only thing I ever sheared was a sheep so quit complaining already.

 

[dademoss]

I cut my own, 1/4 guard, all over. use a mirror for the back and freehand around the ears. The Wahl is what I have used for years.

 

[backlash]

My wife did a pretty good job cutting my hair while the barbershops were all closed. I did a horrible job cutting hers so that will never happen again.
My brother told me he has been cutting his own hair for 20 years. He must do a presentable job because I never noticed.

 

[angie_nrs]

Hubby likes the #2 for the whole head.

He must like really short hair!

I like the way hubs hair turned out, but it is way shorter than he normally gets it cut. I think most of the reason being that barbers tend to 'long cut' hair for repeat business. I have trimmed his bangs at home after he returned from the barber. Yeah, that's not happening anymore. Still, I think even with the #3 guard, it's more of a summer cut for him, which is great right now. However, in the fall, I will probably go with a longer gurard so he doesn't freeze. He works outdoors, so even though he likes the short cut now, in the fall he will probably appreciate a bit more hair in the back for warmth. There's a learning curve for sure. For him, as long as it's off his ears and out of his eyes, he's happy. I am fortunate to have such an easy to please customer.

My wife did a pretty good job cutting my hair while the barbershops were all closed. I did a horrible job cutting hers so that will never happen again.

My hair just grew and grew..... I need a cut, but I'm not brave enough to let him take the scissors to my hair. It probably wouldn't make any difference since I normally have it up in a pony tail anyways. I'm on the verge of just cutting it myself but I'm not that brave yet.

 

[Terri9630]

He must like really short hair!

I like the way hubs hair turned out, but it is way shorter than he normally gets it cut. I think most of the reason being that barbers tend to 'long cut' hair for repeat business. I have trimmed his bangs at home after he returned from the barber. Yeah, that's not happening anymore. Still, I think even with the #3 guard, it's more of a summer cut for him, which is great right now. However, in the fall, I will probably go with a longer gurard so he doesn't freeze. He works outdoors, so even though he likes the short cut now, in the fall he will probably appreciate a bit more hair in the back for warmth. There's a learning curve for sure. For him, as long as it's off his ears and out of his eyes, he's happy. I am fortunate to have such an easy to please customer.


My hair just grew and grew..... I need a cut, but I'm not brave enough to let him take the scissors to my hair. It probably wouldn't make any difference since I normally have it up in a pony tail anyways. I'm on the verge of just cutting it myself but I'm not that brave yet.

He was a military brat who went into the military and then LE. He can't stand to have "long" hair.

 

[angie_nrs]

Here's that video I was talking about before. It's Miss Ruby. This is a mens cut with scissors. I thought it was informative and concise. I use some of her tips but also use the manual that came with the clippers too and combine the two techniques.

 

[backlash]

My wife has really short hair. When we got married her hair was long but as the years went by she cut it shorter and shorter.
She likes her hair likes she likes me. Easy to manage.

 

[Amish Heart]

Grandson watched a youtube and tried to cut his own. Our son had to take the shaver to his hair and give him a buzz. Husband didn't let anyone touch his hair, and he looked like an old hippy. He got his haircut a few weeks ago.