Cutting Your Own Hair at Home: A Barber’s Quick Guide

Whether you're bored at home or have no money, getting a haircut can be tempting. Desperate times call for desperate measures, right? But put those kitchen scissors down, sir, and take a break. Unless you want to get a full, even haircut, you're advised not to cut your hair in style. Remember the bowl cuts? That's exactly what happens when people are left to their own devices.

Yes, you can cut here and there strategically to keep everything cut, and we will offer you advice for just that, but please don't undermine the professionals. They went to school for years and formed tens of thousands of domes. Also, how can you expect to fade the back of your head, let alone draw clean lines with a hand mirror? The degree of difficulty is too high.

These Hair Tips will Help You

Follow these tips to tame your mop instead. The following tips come from Raquel Fajardo, hairdresser manager and training director at Fellow Barber in New York City.

And by the way: if you love your hairdresser or stylist, you should consider sending him a digital money tip right away. Most of them suffer through the shows, while this quarantine keeps everyone out. Many shops also have funds to help barbers, like "GoFundMe", where Fajardo, our expert source for this article, works.

1. Stock up on your haircut toolbox

You will need specific products for all DIY haircuts. First, a dedicated clipper (not a beard trimmer). Fajardo likes the Kenchii wireless clippers best.

Second, dedicated hair scissors, plus a comb and a hand mirror (a three-sided mirror in the kit works very well for the same reasons: to see the back of the head). Finally, even longer styles will require a hairbrush.

2. If you are going to buzz, stay even and get rid of the beard trimmer.

Again, no fading, no mixing, no make-up. Just choose the length of hair you want and cut it evenly. What is a good length? It's up to you to decide, and Fajardo suggests you start with a higher clip on the first try and keep going down until you're satisfied. "It'll save you having to cut the hair you like so much to avoid a dramatic mistake."

He says most of the buzzers that work will end up in the 1.5-2 range at the barber shop. (1.5 in the thickest and darkest hair, and 2 in the thinnest and lightest.) He says to do it once a week. "If the sides still look a bit bulky with your level 2 up, use your 1.5 on the sides, first with the cutter lever open." This generates slightly longer hair. If it's still too bulky, close the lever to get an accurate 1.5. Between the stages you should find the desired result. But, you should follow this barber guide for hair cutting tips.

The best hair cutting machines for easy hair care

Most of us have a beard trimmer at home, but you'll have to switch to a regular one, says Farjardo. They are stronger and can cut hair easily, while beard trimmers generally use less energy. "A beard trimmer will give you an uneven, uneven effect," he adds. "It's made for smaller areas and it will take forever to achieve a uniform look.

Buy the best clippers for home grooming.

3. How to Avoid the Bulk in Short Styles as They Grow

If you start with a short style and grow from there, then Fajardo says you can still attack with a full level buzz on this, just choose a level 1 size higher than usual. (A 1.5 becomes a 2.5, for example.) This should take away the mass and roundness, he says. But here's another variation on the buzz cut: "Instead of raising the shape of the head (against the grain), it goes down with the cutter to remove the minimum length," he says. "It will take the minimum amount of hair, changing the shape from round to square," he says. This will help keep any fungus at bay.

Since the entire hairline is exposed with a short style (we're talking about the entire perimeter, not just what's on the forehead), you need to keep the edges clean. Don't draw hard lines with the bare trimmer, it's recommended (unless you have a roommate or a partner with a steady hand). Otherwise, shave anything naked (especially the back of your neck), but be careful about where your cleavage should be. You can go to any length of the rest of your hair, and buzz here anyway. You'll avoid any strong contrast, and it shouldn't look like it's shaking when everything is growing.

4. How to avoid volume in medium styles during growth

Once the hair starts to grow, it is very easy to understand the importance of the barber: his task is to artistically structure and stratify the hair so that it looks good and continues to grow in a flattering way. Without this, you end up with a rag mess. You turn your head, it becomes frizzy, it doesn't flow. But if you don't like the hum, what can you do to make things more tolerable?

Here's Farjardo's advice for cutting pasta:

To start with, use a little combing and clipping around the sideburns to feel more controlled.

Comb all the hair forward, out of the hairline, towards the face. Then slightly trim the hair that falls on top of each other.

Then, direct the side hairs on the sideburns, towards the ears. Clean slightly with scissors, in the same way, only the hair that protrudes from the hairline. This will define the facial/ear area, allowing the longer hairs to flow backwards and eventually settle firmly behind the ear, hidden and organized. With a super-conservative eye, it also cleans the outside of the hairline on the neck. This will also help things feel tidy.

For this length, it suggests adding a cream and styling paste (to form a "super paste"). "A more malleable product like styling paste can help you reach a certain weight to keep your hair together and flexible, so adding cream makes your hair relaxed and fresh with controlled humidity.

We like it: pasta and cream partner.

5. How to clean longer styles - or how not to

Let's say your hair is long enough to fit behind your ears. If you can, avoid cutting it for now, says Fajardo. Unless cleaning your sideburns helps you feel more in harmony. It's often best to keep your hair with the sideburns down, especially if it grows into a curly beard.

Instead of cutting your hair, pay attention to maintenance: "It's super important to brush your hair and exfoliate your scalp (with a brush), especially when the hair is thick and hides the scalp," she says. "Brushing dry hair before entering the shower is optimal. This breaks up the layer of sebum, dirt and other oils, and you can do a full rinse with hot water. Still, this exfoliation and ritual stimulates the follicles and promotes a healthy scalp, which in turn leads to thicker and more complete hair growth.

Tips for hair tool maintenance. 

You can also randomly check the ends of your hair for broken or frayed hair. Ideally, if you have been conditioned and brushed regularly, you won't face this problem. If you have split ends, you can cut them off with hair scissors (just above the split ends). Don't cut hair that doesn't need to be cut. Follow up with a conditioner, for a good fit, a hair conditioner or hair oil would also be sufficient.