How To Cut Hair With Clippers Youtube

E'er wanted to save yourself a trip to the barber by using clippers to cut your own hair at home? Nosotros'll bear witness y'all how.

Hair clipper set — Photo past AntonMatyukha / Depositphotos.com

Even a slightly disheveled pile of hair can ruin an otherwise immaculate impression. I've seen a lot of men who await dapper…until you observe something'due south a chip off with their hairstyle.

It could be an overgrown neckline that has lost its trimmed neatness.

A fade haircut where the sides take gotten way too thick to accomplish the layered effect properly.

Or just your standard easy cut that's turned into a jungle of messy locks earlier yous fifty-fifty realized.

The truth is, haircuts definitely take a strict "expiration date." For a long time, I was a regular offender by not sticking to it and declining to revitalize my undercut.

Sometimes I was only lazy. On other occasions the financial side of things was to arraign. Information technology can be expensive if you desire to keep your hair in cheque oftentimes!

Unfortunately, presently after I started caring more about my hairstyle routine, I experienced rapid hair loss. Over a period of only 4 months, a severe diffuse thinning robbed me of the wavy hair I had had over the past 23 years.

Subsequently a few weeks of torture and antisocial myself, I decided I'd had plenty. I bought a pair of clippers and shaved it all off to a #ii.

I could've gone to a barber, yep, simply I wanted to practice it by myself. It felt like a rite of passage to mark a rather shocking stage in my life.

Following that, I became increasingly interested in DIY haircuts and haircutting tools. I've cut my friends' hair, consulted aspiring barbers in their choice of tools and experimented with clippers past disassembling them and customizing them.

Equally I like to say – what started every bit a coping mechanism has turned into a passion.

Y'all can easily become your ain hairstylist. No, I'm not only talking about uncomplicated buzzcuts. I've seen a lot of people shaping very neat fades or undercuts with a petty bit of exercise.

Going the DIY haircut mode is very satisfying. You're in full command of your looks, you larn a absurd new skill and you save quite a bit of money in the process. There'south literally nothing not to like… except perchance the 5-10 minutes of post-haircut cleanup.

Let's take a look at a few nuts of trying out a home haircut.

Your cuts will look similar crap if you don't do a little bit of due diligence. Information technology won't fifty-fifty matter if you take a natural talent for DIY haircutting.

I've seen a lot of people complaining nigh clippers "chewing" on their hair without cutting properly, breaking down in no time, blades rusting, etc.

Estimate what? 90% of the fourth dimension they were shooting for cheap clippers off the shelves in Walmart for $15.

This is quite similar to me getting a pair of $10 headphones and wondering why the sound sucks and why they broke after a calendar month or two.

Don't make the aforementioned mistake. Quality clippers don't need to exist very expensive, just y'all do tend to become what yous pay for. Here are a few tips:

Hair Clipper Brands

The big three are Wahl, Andis and Oster, with a thumbs upward for Remington besides. I know some people similar Conair, but I oasis't had expert experiences with their clippers.

Price Range

$35 to $60 is a good price tag for clippers that are suited for domicile users.

Everything below that might lack performance, everything above that is a premium that you don't necessarily need. A lot of barbers really utilise mid-range clippers like Oster Fast Feeds or Wahl Magic Clips.

Going above $xc ways you lot're getting professional tools that y'all'll see in college end barbershops.

Accessories & Extras

Some models come packed with lots of additional things – from scissors, to capes and luxury storage boxes. You lot may or may non need these.

What you definitely need are clipper guards, as many of them as possible. They define how versatile you are in your DIY hairstyling.

Size & Weight

A typical clipper weighs around i lbs and is half dozen″ or so in size. Models to a higher place that usually have metal in their construction.

They volition heat up and tire your hands more than.

Lightweight clippers are usually cordless, but be careful – you might be trading operation for their convenience.

Adjustable vs. Detachable Blade Clippers

Your typical home clippers are the adjustable bract type. Their symbolic feature is a side lever that looks like this:

This lilliputian guy gives you valuable command over the length of your cuts. Pulling the lever in a "closed" position will cut your hair shorter. Leaving it "open" will allow for longer cut lengths.

Basically, you get a unproblematic, user-friendly style to farther control how much hair you cutting, aside from clipper combs. You tin layer your hair mid-cutting with a quick film of the lever.

Detachable blade clippers are the Cadillacs of haircutting tools. Their cuts are crisper and honestly, you'll feel like a hairstylist with a decade of experience behind your back.

This blazon works in a completely different way. To command the cutting length, you have to swap one blade with a dissimilar sized one. This tin can feel a bit overwhelming for beginners, not to mention the whole ordeal costs more.

While there are comb sets for detachable clippers too, the real pride and satisfaction of using one comes exactly by sticking to naked blades.

In most of the cases, I recommend you pick an adjustable bract clipper. They are quite straightforward to work with, cheaper and commonly come with more than accessories.

How To Cut Your Own Hair

What I beloved about cutting pilus with clippers is how much more of a streamlined, convenient process it is compared to working with scissors.

If you're non doing something overly complicated with your pilus, it can take equally few equally iii minutes for a quick buzzcut, or 10-15 minutes for something more than demanding.

The but hard-set rule when you're cutting your ain hair is to go against the grain. Your hair'southward direction might differ depending on the specific part of your caput.

Here'southward how I usually buzz my head and practise easy cuts on my friends:

Step 1: Start With the Tiptop by Going Front To Back

If you're going to practice a shorter buzz, pay special attention to the crown. I experience the skin there is a little chip more tender than other parts of our heads, so exist more than gentle.

Step ii: Move to the Sides

Annotation that the area effectually the ear can be a flake tricky. A lot of the clipper kits, especially the Wahl ones, include specific attachments called "ear tapers."

Make sure you use them instead of the standard combs. If you're working with a naked blade, brand especially tiresome motions so as not to poke your ear. At that place won't be blood, but it still hurts.

Step iii: Trim the Dorsum

I get lesser-to-peak in an confronting the grain motility again. Commonly this is where you'll need a small hand mirror to run into how your cutting efforts are turning out.

Yes, you can go by only "feeling" the length of your hair. However, there's a loftier chance yous'll miss some parts.

To avoid looking ridiculous, just utilize the paw mirror then yous don't end upwards with uneven hair patches.

Step 4: Give the Neckline and Sideburns Some Dearest

This is crucial. You want them to expect sharp, otherwise they'll ruin your cut.

For the neckline, you might consider a neckline template – local shops and Amazon should have them. Or you tin can only make your ain! I've even heard about people using belts to get their neckline right.

For me, placing my fingers and taking a good look at the manus mirror while going slowly with the trimmer are more than than plenty.

A very simple, yet effective tip regardless of your preferred hair length is to leave the sides a bit shorter than the top.

Most of the fourth dimension, hair on the sides appears to be bulkier which might make your hairstyle lack symmetry. Taking a bit more off the sides preserves the rest and makes your hair wait neater.

Normally there'southward a ane or 2 clipper sizes deviation between the ii sections.

So for case, if you become with a #6 baby-sit on your elevation, make the sides a #5 or #4. I'm partial to the more than discrete 1 size difference – when I started buzzing my head, information technology was a #2 all over.

Earlier moving to my current close-to-bald shave, I constitute out that a #2 on the sides and a longer #3 on height looks way more presentable. The slight difference evened out the denser hair on the sides and the sparse remains on top.

For me, a #4 would be as well much of a contrast, as you can run into from the divergence in combs:

Speaking of sizes and numbers…

Standard Cut Lengths

As I mentioned before, virtually of the kits should come with quite a few guards included. Their lengths are standardized betwixt brands, with very pocket-size deviations present.

Normally, yous'll get attachments numbered from #1 to #8. Here'southward what length they cutting to (inches shown are equal to the amount of hair left on your head):

#1 – 1/viii″ or iii mm
#ii – i/4″ or 6 mm
#3 – 3/8″ or 10 mm
#4 – i/2″ or 13 mm
#5 – v/8″ or 16 mm
#vi – iii/iv″ or 19 mm
#7 – 7/8″ or 22 mm
#eight – 1″ or 25 mm

More often than not size increments are around 1/eight″ or 3 mm.

In that location's a few additional sizes that might are more than situational and might not exist included with some clippers:

#0 (or #1/2 with Wahl clippers) – 1/16″ or i.v mm
# i 1/2 (Wahl clippers) – 3/16″ or 4.five mm
#10 (Wahl clippers) – 1 1/4″ or 32 mm
#12 (Wahl clippers) – 1 1/two″ or 38 mm

Either style, here's how to brand your home haircut last longer.

Making Your Haircut Last Longer

Some people beloved going to the barbershop. For others, it tin can be a chip of a struggle.

As I mentioned, before my hair loss I'd sometimes get lazy with keeping my haircut fresh. Other times, the postponing was due to purely fiscal reasons.

Only there's a 3rd factor: from fourth dimension to time, I only didn't desire to carp with the social side of hitting the hairdresser store. I suck at small talk and if you're not in a good mood, the whole grooming session can get really awkward.

The good thing with habitation haircuts is that you can refresh your hairstyle whenever you wish. 10PM? No trouble, just catch the clippers and go to work. Non in the mood? Nobody forces yous to go through small talk or any social interactions anyways!

Dwelling haircuts can be a relaxed way of doing some proper touch-ups between your full haircuts.

Clean Up Your Sideburns and Neckline

These two areas are the biggest offenders when it comes to haircuts that seem like they've gone past their "death date."

Even when your hair is actually still on point!

It'southward considering these sections are delicate lines that crave more frequent touching up. But a few overgrown hairs and you're looking like a careless caveman.

Okay, that was quite the hyperbole, but these can get messy in no fourth dimension, actually.

Still, clippers won't practice a great job here. What yous really need is a proper hair trimmer.

If you lot already take a quality bristles trimmer, yous tin can really use it (naked blade) to impact up both areas. In my example, I adopt a professional hair trimmer similar this Andis T Outliner:

Which prompts me to make an important stardom: hair clippers and hair trimmers are two completely different tools. I've seen a lot of people utilize them interchangeably, just that's straight up wrong.

Here'south how a typical T-Blade pilus trimmer looks:

Find the blade teeth? Very small-scale and situated close to each other. Almost trimmers also take a limited number of guards, if any at all.

They're made for maintaining stubble or shorter beards, touching upwards sideburns, shaping necklines or doing edge-ups.

Hair clippers were meant to work on your hair or serve as training tools for longer beards. Check what the blade on the Wahl Senior looks like:

As you can estimate, the wider teeth and bigger blade easily miss the marking when it comes to detailed work. That's why they're non optimal if yous want to practice keep your sideburns or neckline properly trimmed.

The neckline is especially sneaky, as we usually don't pay attending to what happens in the lower part of the back of our head.

It really depends on how hairy you are, and what's your hair growth rate, but practice frequent checks with the side mirror.

As for the sideburns, if I shave my beard, I leave them higher. A standard practise when they grow out is to just trim them to the halfway point of your ears.

My neckline has decided to grow out like a gorilla's, for some reason, so I have to make clean it upwards every two-3 days. If you're luckier guy than me, once per calendar week should be fine.

If yous have an extremely thick neck, I advise you to go for a tapered/layered neckline, just like the fade haircuts you're seeing. Conversely, if it'southward sparse, go for a more squared shape equally it'll add a bit of book to your neck.

Ensure New Hairs Are Healthy

The sideburns and neckline are the little details, only let's not forget about the bulk of your pilus.

A possible enemy of any dapper looking haircut can be the growth of unhealthy hair. Breakages and carve up hairs; dreary looking locks – if you're too harsh on your hair, these can significantly shorten the life of your haircut.

The best solution is to exist careful with drying your pilus, as it's virtually vulnerable when it's wet.

When I had longer hair, I always preferred to stick to towels and pat gently, with slow motions to minimize the risks of hair breakages.

Using a good conditioner is as well quite of import as it fosters the growth of shine, healthy hair. I don't recommend you use it every day, especially if y'all have fine hair.

However, conditioners are not a one-size-fits-all production. What works for some other men might be a full disaster for you.

Fine hair will need a thickening conditioner for optimal healthiness and looks; this could backfire for thicker hair types.

What I desire to say here is that in any case, yous should stick to a suitable conditioner if you want to preserve your hairstyle's brilliance for a longer time.

Pilus Clipper Maintenance

Hair clippers relieve y'all money and give y'all access to a pretty cool skill. In return, they want something very basic: maintenance.

Don't worry, it's not an overly complicated chore! Information technology boils down to three things:

#i: Oiling

The frequency depends on how much hair you cut, just generally make sure y'all oil your clippers later on every cut. For quicker, shorter buzzcuts every other cut is acceptable likewise.

#2: Cleaning Leftover Hair

Make sure you remove all remains after every single cut. Hair and droppings will deteriorate your clipper bract'due south sharpness and volition reduce the quality of your cuts.

#3: Disinfecting

Not necessarily later on every cut, just make sure you clean the blades from time to time. As I cut pretty shut and in that location'south contact with my skin, I disinfect my blades at least twice per month.

The proficient matter is most clippers come with a small-scale tube of clipper oil and a tiny brush included in the set up. As for disinfectants, both Wahl and Andis have sprays or liquids that take care of that.

Pro Tip: If you lose your cleaning brush (something I've been guilty of quite a few times!), a modest toothbrush should practice the job just fine too!

FAQs Most Cutting Your Own Hair

Here are the answers to some questions you lot may have about cut your own hair.

What Do You Need To Know Earlier Cutting Your Ain Hair?

Yous definitely demand to know what kind of clippers yous should get, besides as the order of cutting. Start with the top, then the sides, then the dorsum and finally, make clean up your neckline and sideburns.

Is It Safety To Cutting Your Own Hair at Home?

Yes, it is prophylactic as long every bit you utilize the right tools, and use them carefully.

Should You Cutting Your Ain Hair Moisture or Dry?

The shape and length of your hair change when it's wet and so it's usually best to cutting it while it's dry. But if you're going for a style that has precise lines and edges, it can exist easier to cut it when it's wet.

Is It Bad To Cut Your Own Hair With Normal Scissors?

Yes, normal scissors are not very sharp when compared to hair-cutting scissors. They make cutting hair hard, and they can impairment the ends of your pilus.

Final Thoughts & Recommendations

I take the feeling that way too many people think of DIY haircuts and clippers equally something that'southward way more complicated than it actually is.

Sure, if you're rocking a very intricate hairstyle, information technology's probably not worth information technology to try to emulate your hairdresser'due south technique.

But honestly, probably more half of the men I've seen and then far stick to relatively uncomplicated haircuts that can be easily washed at dwelling. No doubt, information technology might take a "trial" cut or ii to become things correct, but it saves time, it saves money, and gives you a new DIY skill to brag about.

If you're looking for some product suggestions, here's what's worked for me and the people around me:

Whole haircutting kit: Wahl Aristocracy Pro

This is really what other pro reviewers like The Sweethome recommend too.

Wahl Elite Pro Kit (pretty much all you need to cut your own hair)

A total no-brainer given its price and all the accessories you receive, I've dubbed this model "The King of Dwelling Haircuts".

Cordless, lightweight clipper: Remington HC4250

I want to commend two things here – information technology'due south broad, curved bract that follows the head shape better than traditional blades, and the extra small, palm-sized body.

Keep in mind that it'due south perfect for buzzcuts, but not optimal for layered hairstyles.

More professional tools: Oster Fast Feed / Wahl Magic Clip
Barber-grade detachable blade clipper: Oster Classic 76

If you're but experimenting with the thought of cut your own hair, I'd recommend starting with something inexpensive. You tin can always upgrade later on!

Questions? Comments? Get out them beneath!