How do I cut my own hair?

In My Humble Opinion
1

The recent poll about cutting your own hair got me to thinking about doing it myself. I’m a guy with typical Asian hair: very thick, very straight, very black. I usually only go when my annoyance at the length of my hair exceeds my annoyance at going to the barber. I also dislike forking over $15, though money is a secondary issue. This time around, my hair has gotten to be extremely long, longer than usual for me. So how does a guy go about cutting his own hair? I don’t want to go the shaven route. If I had the option, I’d rather not get a buzz, but I’m willing to consider it.

So, to all male Dopers who cut their own hair: How could I go about doing it? What sort of cutting implements would you recommend? Any tips and tricks?

Thanks in advance.

2

Dude, you’re a brave guy. For starters, I’d have a friend help you with it rather than tackling it yourself. Secondly, (although I am not a beautician) I hear that Asian hair is a completely different animal than caucasian hair. There may be a different technique than just grabbing the scissors and going to town. Like I said, it’s something I’ve heard and you may want to investigate before giving yourself the “Do From Hell”. Just a thought.

3

ummmm Flowbee?

4

It shouldn’t be hard at all to cut your own hair if you are wanting to look like any of the DragonballZ characters. I think they all cut their own hair. Hell, if you wanted to look like Yugi (from Yu Gi Oh) you could probably easily enough put the front in curlers and then start randomly cutting the back of it.

Just get the scissors and cut away at random. However, if you want a nice looking haircut the do it yourself way, you should probably really consider the buzz look. It is easy and quick and you won’t have to worry about it simply looking crazy (see the Animation reference above). It is very difficult to cut your own hair. It is hard to keep the comb/scissors parallel in order to get a flat surface. Most of the time you will wind up continually cutting to a point that even a buzz cut would look uneven. At least that is how it worked with me when I tried to cut my hair.

5

Have you tried a beauty school? In exchange for the students getting to practive on your head, it is free or really cheap.

Do not cut your own hair unless you are shaving your head. You’ll never get it right.

My brother is Army SF, so hand him a Bic and he can shave his own head in nothing flat! But it’s not a look that everyone strives for, especially if you have nice, thick hair.

6

Shampoo with Nair?

7

EchoKitty: Getting a friend to help sort of defeats the purpose. That’s why I’m asking here. The suggestion is much appreciated, though.

BobbySuezQ: Does it work? I’m listening…

dorkusmalorkusmafia: So is there any hope of my not looking like a refugee from bad anime?

EJsGirl: Well, as I said, money is a secondary consideration. What I really want to avoid is having to actually go someplace to get my hair cut.

Hastur: I said cut not eradicate! :smiley: Besides, I want to keep my eyebrows.

So it looks like scissors may be out. What about electric clippers?

8

Step 1: buy shaver kit / scissors from Walmart - $20

Step 2: marry - $10,000

Step 3: have your wife cut your hair, she’ll get better over time (1 year later my haircuts look better than from a barber)

9

No clue … the commercial says it does, why would they lie? :smiley:

10

Well, I cut the front of my hair all of the time. I have that part in layers, so exactly straight doesn’t matter. I get it wet, pull it up in sections, twist it, and then snip the ends off, about half an inch at a time.

It looks okay, I’ve never had anyone ask me what happened or anything like that. I have no clue how you could cut the back evenly. None.

11

Maybe I’ll just cut the front then submit my picture to Mullets Galore.

12

LOL. Now that would be funny. You can probably do ok cutting your own hair after you have had a lot of practice. I used to try to cut my own hair with scissors and the top was never even. So, I always had to go back to the barber anyway.

13

I have a buzz cut, and I cut my own. The basic cut is relatively easy, as I just follow my skull with the guide. The tricky part is defining a neckline in the back. This is done without a guide, using a wall mirror and a hand-held mirror–only one hand on the electric clipper. Getting it right is a just-barely proposition.

For a longer cut, I understand that one does NOT want to follow the skull. Doing it yourself, and having it turn out well, would be difficult if not impossible.

So from my perspective, the key question is: Which is more important to you–not having to go to a barber, or having hair longer than a buzz?

14

I wouldn’t mind getting a buzz. I don’t know if I would look good in one, though.

15

I cut my own also, along with my SO, and in a while, our daughter’s.

I’ve used a variety of ways to look at the back of my head. The best I’ve used was mirrors front and back. My hair is about 3" long, no buzz.

I start off with a wet head, scarier that way, but much easier. I cut my bangs, by pulling them straight down, then the top, I begin pulling up sections of hair and cutting them pretty much at the same length, don’t grab to much at a time. I tend to get a little shorter as I reach the back.

On the sides, I comb it straight down, over my ears. Pick a point at the front that will go behind my ears. I open the scissors, and lay them so the one point is behind my ear, then whilst holding my ear down, I snip it off. Keep a hold of the ear, and wrap behind.

Now for the back line, This requires a lot of patience. Starting at one ear, (for me it’s the right ear, ymmv) cut down at about 45 degrees, begin to roll to a flat to the center of the neckline. Continue flat for as long as possible. Now go to the other ear, and do the same 45 degree, but roll the corner to the flat. Final check, angles, line, roll and trim a minute amount to even things out.

Up the head to the back. Cut pretty similar to the top. Pull it out, guess how long it is, and cut. Again small sections at a time so mistakes aren’t noticeable.

Almost finished now, but it gets interesting, the NECK.
I sometimes do my neck with the same razor I do my face with. It’s not to hard, and if not for my mole, I’d never have cut myself. When shaving one’s neck, hold your newly cut hair up against your scalp, so you don’t ruin your nice line. Then just wet neck, as I will have dried out by now, apply favorite cream or gel, and cut from the shoulder up. Shave up as far as you can go, without cutting the hair you are holding up. I also use a beard trimmer for this task. Less scary, but not as clean imho.

Now comb it, and trim up the loose ends. Pull loose ends from around the top back of ears, then cut. Check bangs, trim as necessary.

Remember when watching yourself in a double mirror, practice cuts prior to making the real cut. If it looks funny in the mirror, don’t bring them blades together. Watch your ears!

Oh yea, I use short sewing scissors, and a twin blade razor.

Wow that got long!

Dan

PS, no one ever suspects I cut my own hair anymore. When they find out, the sometimes still don’t believe it.