Cutting your own hair

[bradchu]

Hey this is my first post!

I need a haircut badly, but I have only trusted one guy to cut it for the last 6 years or so and he works in Chinatown NY. I'm a picky guy with my hair, and my guy cuts it decently short with scissors only (typical asian cut with shorter sides and back and longer top for the faux hawk effect).

Now I moved to Philly and I'm thinking that it probably pays to just use some clippers and do it myself. I want to keep my hairstyle somewhat similar, but I realize it's going to have to be shorter (i.e. high and tight). I'm considering just going at the back and sides with a #4 and finishing the rest with scissors. I'll have a friend smooth out/line up the back.

Does anyone else have DIY haircut suggestions?

[Craig]

Do most guys who cut their own hair know what a #4 is ? Or do they know there is a guideline for tapering on the sides, or 2 inches on top, 0.5 in on the sides, etc.

[kimpossible]

Please post the results after your DIY.

[bradchu]

Do most guys who cut their own hair know what a #4 is ? Or do they know there is a guideline for tapering on the sides, or 2 inches on top, 0.5 in on the sides, etc.

Sounds like you have some insight that I might need. I've never cut my own hair. Have you done it before?

[monkeygone2]

there's so much potential for comedy with this thread.

i thought the a.b. (after the bowl) asian cut was....a clipper with a #16 for the top and a #3 for everything else?

[Adaon]

#16?! What the deuce? Didn't think the clippers went that high.

I personally prefer clipping down to size with either a number 4 or 5, then work a fade in the back/sides with a number 2 (haha, I said number two), and go at my side burns and around my ears with a beard trimmer to get the really short stuff at the ends (pain in the ass, I usually ask my friend to do it, while in a double mirrored room (so I can watch the bum, I never trusted anyone else with my hair after my sister tried to shave her name into the back of my head, good thing she stopped at P-A-T and half an S.) I use hand shears to clip the top and round out the edges.

I hate doing it myself, though I know how to, for the style that I've been usin' for the last couple of years. It just takes more time than I like to spend on my hair. And after my collar bone surgery, I can't keep my right arm that high for that long with out it loosing feeling. Sucks.

[monkeygone2]

^you really know what you're doing.

do you put product in your hair?

[Adaon]

Nah. Stopped that in 7th grade when the girls at the time would wonder wtf I was putting in my hair to get it so soft (as I was one of the few who didn't spike my hair, I quickly learned my lesson and started gel-spiking, stupid move on my part at the time)

[Sunflare]

I never trusted anyone else with my hair after my sister tried to shave her name into the back of my head, good thing she stopped at P-A-T and half an S.) I use hand shears to clip the top and round out the edges.

ROFL. What was she trying to do? Give you the Chinese M.C. Hammer look?

I used to walk around looking like Vanilla Ice, that's how I used to cut my hair back in the day. With the cut eyebrows and everything.

[Adaon]

She was trying to spell her name on the back of my head.

[Sunflare]

So did you fix it or just go to school rocking the word P-A-T-S on your head for the next couple of weeks?

[Adaon]

That's something that I'll n-e-v-e-r t-e-l-l....

Anyone else know how to lower their own ears?

(As in the expression, "getting your ears lowered" meaning a haircut.)

[Sunflare]

PM me then and tell me. I promise I'll keep it a secret. I swear it. :crosses fingers:

Edit: Please ?

[thaite]

I cut my own hair all the time. Started doing it about ten years ago.

I get it all wet, tie it up top with a rubber band, and use clippers on the sides and the back. Then I undo the rubber band, and then in parts, I grab the hair in my fist. Whatever sticks out of my fist gets chopped off.

Not perfect, but it works for me.

[Sunflare]

Wow. So much variety in how guys cut their own hair. This is good.

I'm scared shitless of cutting my own hair without fucking it up so bad that I have to hide in my house for a month before the fuck ups in the way I use the clippers grows out or wear hats and stuff. (I tried and paid the price) That's why I never learned how to do it right.

The barbers love to see me. I'm a regular customer at my barber shop.

[Adaon]

Pfft. I remember in second grade, getting sick of waiting for my mom or aunt to have time to drop a bowl on my head and cut, I grabbed a pair of safety scissors and a hand full of my bangs, and *SNIP* went my hair. I sat in the principle's office for the rest of the morning, until my dad ok'd my second grade teacher to even out the damage and get me to promise not to do that again.

[bradchu]

OK so i'm getting the feeling that cutting your own hair is pretty much guaranteed to make me look terrible, right? I kind of want to do it before the 6 weeks of studying for a big exam I have coming up, because nobody will see me then (and if it turns out terrible it will keep me inside and studying instead of outside hanging out).

I'll post pictures or something when I finally decide to sack up and do it.

[Craig]

Sounds like you have some insight that I might need. I've never cut my own hair. Have you done it before?Cutting is easy if you either want to keep it fairly short (and simple lengths) or fairly long, it's more difficult in-between. You can get a pair of buzzers with extensions for probably under $30 that will last a good 10 years or more (remember to oil the blades). It's not hard to find models with blending left and right sides so you don't have to worry about that. Even if you don't have those blending guides, if you scissor carefully you should be able to do it by hand with a little practice. The guides don't work too well at longer heights, so if you want 1.25 or 1.5 inches or greater it's not going to be as good as using the guide for 1/8 inch, 3/4 inch, etc. So, your desired hairstyle may be out as the scissor work with likely get butchered if you don't have enough practice. Note, if you do use the buzzers, you will still probably want to do cleanup on the edges when the hair stops and it's mostly bare skin, because the hairs won't be as stable and come more easily, etc. (unless it's super short)

However, all that being said, you probably aren't going to do too well the first few times. I wouldn't use the scissors too much if you don't have experience (especially on short hair). Also, don't try to use scissors on stuff you can't see with only one mirror, unless you have lots of experience. Best, no mirrors (somebody else's hair), better, only one mirror (front, top & sides).

[WONTONnPHO]

The only time I trust myself to cut my hair is if I use trimmers to shave it all off! Can't mess up that way :-)