For this weeks Happy Homesteading post I wanted to talk about how to cut your little boys hair.
Haircuts can be expensive. As a mom of 2 boys and one happy husband, going to the salon every month really adds up to some serious cash. If you can learn how to cut boys hair at home and give the boys a nice cut; you will be save a ton of money for years to come.
My youngest son is 6 years old and I finally decided to take the time to learn how to cut my little boys hair. I was really afraid of messing up his hair, cutting him, or shaving him bald. So the way I learned to do it was by taking some lessons from my sister in law who is a professional hair dresser. Finally one day gave me some lesson and I have been cutting my boys hair ever since. I have only messed up once so far, so like with everything.. there is a learning curve. It’s nice since hair always grows back so you can try, try again.
HISTORY
As you know I like to bring in a couple of pictures from my family history in these Happy Homesteading posts..so I looked through all my albums to see if I could find any evidence of some bad hair cuts. I found a couple for your enjoyment. See… even if you try this out and fail a few times, it won’t be the first time.
This first cut I thought was funny was of this boy Herbert Olson (my great uncle). Looks like a definite bowl cut to me! Plus it’s a little bit shaggy too. 🙂
And of course…this picture of my Grandmother Marilyn in 1935 cracks me up! If that isn’t a haircut done at home I don’t know what is.
She is still absolutely adorable though…
HOW TO CUT YOUR LITTLE BOYS HAIR
I started with the clippers. I purchased a clippers set from Walmart for around $20. I used the clipper guard with the number 3 on it for my son. You can also buy a nice clipper set on Amazon for under $20 as well. You want to have a comb, some scissors, your clippers and the numbered guards.
Next, find one silly boy and make him drape a towel over his shoulders (they hate getting all itchy…).
Start by putting on that plastic Number 3 guard on the clipper and plugging it in. Hold the clippers in a 90 degrees angle and go straight up from the base of the neck. Cut it in an upwards motion. Do this all around his head.
THE EDGING
Take the guard off the top of your clippers, and do some cleaning up around the ears and the back of the neck. You can also use your scissors at this stage as well if you prefer. Be very careful not to nick his little ears, those clippers can be sharp.
Now you are DONE with the clippers. Get your scissors out for the rest! First step is to get his hair wet. My dollar store spray bottle broke (big surprise there…) so I just used a cup of water. My son LOVED that as you can tell (said sarcastically).
MAKING YOUR GUIDE CUT
To begin trimming the top of his hair, take a section in the front and make your “GUIDE”. Choose the length you want his hair to be for this guide.
Then holding your fingers as level across as possible cut the hair away.
Then if once you have your guide you will be cutting the rest of the hair that length.
View the top hair in 3 sections, the middle and the two sides. Starting at the front and working your way to the back do the middle section. Comb a section on his head up level with your fingers and snip away the longer hair to the length of the guide hair you cut. Use the guide cut all the middle section, then the sides.
Your last step will be blending the top of the hair with the shorter sides. To do this you need to cut at a 45 degrees angle like the angle this comb is at in this picture.
I used my fingers and just gently clipped the hair at that 45 degrees angle.
PS – Have I mentioned to you all how much I love this face? I do, I really do.
And then you are all DONE! Woo hoo! Another $15 saved. Here is the end result (just like at the salon!)
My son was thrilled to be done…and get all that hair off him. Time to head on over to shower off!
Because getting a haircut can be ITCHY!
Thanks for reading… I hope you try to cut your own son’s hair too to save some money. I haven’t yet tried to cut my daughters hair, I need another lesson from my sister in law for that one.
And if you are looking for a nice Clippers Kit – check out this one on Amazon for under $20.
For the cost of one haircut (around $15) you can buy some clippers, do it yourself and save lots of money.
Savings Breakdown:
Cost of 1 Haircut around $15 w/tip
My son gets a haircut at least once every 2 months ($15 x 6 = $90 per year)
$90 per year x 2 sons + one husband = $270
Buying Clippers – $20
Final: $250 per year saved by learning to cut your own boys hair!
Final thoughts. If you don’t feel comfortable trying this out yourself first, ask someone who does it to come over and teach you how. Or watch some youtube videos on it. But you can do it! Even if you mess up the first time keep trying. It is so worth it to save all that money.
Do you cut your own boys hair? Any tips or other helpful info you can add to this?
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I’m going to save this for when my son is a little older. He’s 1 and quite a wiggle worm
When my son was little I would wait till he was napping and then go outside and sit in the grass and cut his hair with him sleeping in my lap! Worked like a charm! But my kiddos can sleep anywhere and through anything!
I learned to cut boy’s hair when I had my first son and then we had 4 more boys so we saved a ton of money! I also cut my husband’s hair. We’ve never paid a barber so I spend the savings on MY hair!=)
That is awesome Kim, I wish I would have conquered my fears about this earlier, my oldest son is 13 and I am just starting to cut his hair too. But I will be saving for sure now. 🙂
Oh man, this post gave me a serious case of the giggles! Liam’s face and all the pictures just cracked me up. Brought a smile to my face. I just cut my hubby’s hair last night, thinking of doing the little man today. That’s for all the great tips!
I’ve cut my son’s hair and my husbands hair for years. They all wear it short, and I only use the clippers on them. But I use 3 different guards. First they decide how long they want it this time and I cut it all that length, then I use the next size down and do from around the side of the head to down the neck, then I change the guard to the next size down and do the back of the neck. My guards come in 8 (1″), 7 (7/8″), 6 (3/4″), 5 (5/8″), 4 (1/2″), 3 (3/8″), 2 (1/4″), and is 1 missing? Hmm. It also has right and left ear tapers. Cutting it in 3 stages using the clippers means I don’t have to try to cut their hair with scissors, (which I can’t do!) That might be less scary for anyone new at cutting their fella’s hair! (I only use the ear taper guards when they choose shorter blades or it tends to take too much off.) For my husband, his hair has gotten so thin on top that we just buzz it off all one length, which is super simple! Anyone can do that!
I’ve been cutting my husband’s hair for the past five years. Usually we are in a hurry, so we just buzz it (#5 guard), but occasionally I trim up the top like you explained. We try to stick to a tight budget so I can’t imagine spending $15-30 a month on hair cuts! If I ever have sons I will be doing this too!
Great tutorial! And can I just say that your windows are amazingly clean! Wow!
Why thank you! I wish the windows always would stay that clean… 🙂
Thank you for this post!! I have two boys, 27 months and 8 months. I’ve been trying to talk my husband into letting me cut my toddler’s hair for MONTHS because I don’t like spending $20+ every 6 weeks or so on haircuts for him. He has been really opposed to the idea because he isn’t sure I’ll know how to do it, so I’m hoping this post with the pictures will convince him. Thank you!
For anyone afraid to try… Unless your paying $30+ on a men/boys cut there is a 50/50 chance the stylist will do a terrible job anyway…now that Ive been cutting for about 6 or 7 years when my boys do get cut at the barber they are unhappy with it …for $15 bucks you will get a very basic and often times sloppy cut. Once you have mastered cutting your boys and/or husbands hair they will thank you. If your pocky like me they may be annoyed about the extra time spent but will thank you later. Best time to try it out is the summer. Start with a longer cut and work your way shorter if needed especially the first few times. If you really mess up at least they will enjoy a buzz cut as a nice summer cool down and you really cant mess those.l
That little guy is a-dor-able!!!! Thanks for the tutorial!
Like my son I was very ticklish and wish my Barber had done this. Use the handle of the clippers and massage around the shoulders, neck, and back of head. This will get them used to the vibrating sensation and keep the pulling away and jumping to a minimum. Also you need something or someone to get their attention and look forward. We use one of those noisy flashing light toys that you get at carnivals and the circus.
Oh man does my toddler need a haircut! I wish he would sit still enough for me to do this!
I know this is old post but I am working up courage to tackle my nearly 3 year olds hair. My niece who is a hair dresser trims it for free but she is busy and getting her to have time to come over can take some work so I am wanting to maybe tackle it on my own. The problem I have is his hair is curly and I do not want to take too much off.
I’ve been cutting my husband’s hair since before we got married almost 30 years ago. I’ve never used clippers before but after seeing this tutorial, I’m gonna get some! Thank you so much, it looks like you just made my job quicker, easier and safer. He gets really mad when I poke him with the scissors trying the cut the neck hairs short. :\
I have been curting my husband’s and our best friend’s hair for a few years now. My son is 18 mo and just starting to get long pieces in the front. But I am a bit apprehensive about it since he moves so much. I have started having him sit in a chair while I comb his hair with the guard, and try to keep him still. Then I will try doing it while the buzzers are on so he gets used to the sound. We shall see, I can’t cut my own, ans still don’t likw to pay one cut a year! Lol
Hi! My little brother loved the clippers but hated scissors. We’re always telling kids that scissors are dangerous, so they become something scary! Plus, it’s easier to get an even cut with your little bug when you’re using clippers.
P.S. Pro-tip- always tell kids you’re giving them a hair TRIM, not a hair CUT. Cutting sounds scary and painful. I saw a children’s haircutter use this technique and a little girl who was hysterical calmed down as soon as the word “cut” was replaced with “trim.”
I have also been cutting my boys hair for years, it saves a ton of money with 3 boys and a husband. I had a problem with the ear and next areas on one of my boys. It would irritate his skin horribly when I used the razor without the guard, and I was always worried I would cut them. My solution was spending another $20 and I bought an electric bikini razor, I keep it with the clippers and use it every time I cut their hair. It will shave clean to the skin, but has a mess guard to avoid nicks and rashes. It also came with an eyebrow trimmer extension and a mini adjustable comb. I have used the same one for probably 6 years now, so it was not a big cost over all. The one I use, in case anyone is interested is $20 on Amazon, and called Remington WPG-2000 Smooth & Silky Women’s Body and Bikini Kit.
Hello! I cut my boyfriend’s hair all the time. You can do the whole thing with clippers, including a fade really easily! Put the #2 or #3 on the clippers. Then cut all the hair at the back of the head in a scooping motion, but ONLY to the cranial nub/ bone thing in the back of the skull. Then do the next number up the rest of the way to the spiral at the back of the head.
You can fade by putting the lower # back on the clippers and holding it at a 90* angle to the head and buzzing straight up along the line between your two cuts.
Then select something longer (a #6 is nice) and do the top of the head. Fade it the same way.
I learned how through practice and this youtube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5AYjyMVfho
I always gave my sons a burr with short bangs when they were little. Too cute and easy. Later they wanted the spiked hair or flat top. By then I had gained the skills to do it.
I have been cutting my husbands hair for 30+ years now and my son’s hair since he was 1 years old (23 years now). I also took my trimmers to Saudi when I was deployed for the first Gulf War. Which was a good call because there was no barbers in the war zone. I made spare money in tips to pay for any extras I needed while I was deployed. I cannot imagine how much money over the last 30 years we have saved. All I can say to those that have not tried because of fear, get over it. You are going to mess up from time to time (I have), but it is just hair (it will grow back). And as far as the kids being a wiggle worm just wiggle with them. Note: from my experience, try to keep the cut hair out of their eyes, it will go much smoother. I only use trimmers, and have never mastered the scissors. Happy cutting.
P.S. my husband has a pointy head so I have to use one size smaller guard just over the top of his head to make it not look so pointy.
I have been doing my son and my husbands hair at home for a while. My only problem is when I do my sons hair I usually buzz it but then I have some longer hairs that I can’t seem to get cut mixed in with the shorter ones. Any suggestions on how to get them all the same length?
I understand. For me it has just been a lot of practice! 🙂
I’ve never taken either of my boys to a barber. I’ve been cutting their hair since their first haircuts. I also do my daughter’s trims- if she wants a completely new style, either my sister or my cousin (who are both hair dressers) do it for me. My mom went to school for hair, so she always did our hair, and my dad’s when they were married. Now I do his, and my brothers. The thought of paying for a haircut is ridiculous to me! LOL
Thank you for the very helpful information!
Thank you for this! I’ve been looking for a post that shows something that won’t make my kid look like Lloyd Christmas!
Well I did it! Today I gave both of my boys a haircut. Last time I took them to the barber I was not happy with the results. The hair was not cut evenly and I asked my boyfriend who cuts my hair to fix them. So earlier this week I looked at the boys and said, “This week you are getting haircuts”. I wanted to wait until they were out of school before I tried doing it myself. My youngest went first. I was a little nervous as I put the 1/2″ attachment on the clippers and turned them on. My boyfriend coached me on technique and supervised, giving me tips along the way. Well it was not hard. I wanted the younger one to have it shorter for the summer, so it was pretty much same length all over. Afterwards I took the attachment off and trimmed the sideburns and neckline. Scissors around the ears. It looked great. Then the older one, he wanted to keep it longer on top, so I clippered the sides, and then did scissor over comb cutting on top. My boyfriend did most of that. I did the sideburns and the neckline like my younger. OK, both were done. Brushed each off and then into the showers to rinse off the loose hair. After their hair dried I followed up to inspect my work. A few stray hairs needed attention, but I was extremely pleased with the result. My older son’s hair looked great, better than what he got at the barber shop. My younger one kept looking in the mirror and saying he looked handsome 🙂 I did it, no mess ups and I saved $30 for the two haircuts, plus time and travel. The results were great and I figure at roughly 10 haircuts each a year, I will save $300 a year plus time and fuel costs. Afterwards my mother saw the boys and complimented how nice their haircuts looked. She was surprised when I told her I (with a little help) did them. Needless to say I will not be taking them back to the barber anytime soon when I can get better results at home 🙂 .
Great job!!
Thank You 🙂
The big thing for me was that the haircuts had to look good, otherwise I would never hear the end of it from my mom or ex-husband that I hacked the boys hair. I would be a terrible mom. But they turned out great! My mom was going on about how much money it will save me. She mentioned she gets about 60 cents a mile for business travel, so I should use that for estimating transportation costs. So add $18 to the $30 for each trip to the barber. My boyfriend cutting mine every other month saves me about $50 including tip. So all told, I am saving over $900 a year. Those are real savings, because while I may have dragged it out an extra week or so between trips, I still was taking the boys to the barber and paying for haircuts. Not like I saved $6 on a pair of pants that were on sale, that I bought only because they were on sale.
The hair clipper set I bought is probably one of the best investments I have ever made.
I tried the home made detergent and love it! I also tried to cut my sons hair. I think I did ok for my first time. Luckily he is only 7 and won’t be able to tell the difference between a bad haircut and a good haircut. Thanks! I’m really loving your page!
My husband hasn’t gone to the barber to get his hair done in nearly 15 years. Until last year, I had been doing his haircuts, but he always wanted it done at the most impractical time, so he just started doing it himself. He cuts his hair about every 2 weeks and uses the clippers with no guard on it. I’ve been doing my son’s hair since he was 18 months. Until then, we had his hair a little longer, but we realized how thick it is and decided he’d like it better short (we were right!). I usually do the sides and back at a #2 guard and the top with a #3 or #4 depending on if he is playing sports during that month or not. He gets a hair cut every 4 weeks. My daughter….well…..I do still take her to the shop for her hair cuts. They get done about every 3-4 months and the lady charges us $12. Her hair gets cut short and then stacked in the back and I don’t even want to bother trying it. I figure $14 4 times a year is not going to kill us. I don’t get anything done with my hair, so I’m willing to take my daughter to get her hair done.
I started cutting my first sons hair as soon as he needed his first cut, then I started cutting my husbands hair, now I have 4 sons and a daughter and cut all of their hair I also cut my own most of the time as well.
We save a lot in our house. I have been cutting my husband’s hair for awhile now. I usually cut it all down to 3/4in then I do the sides at 3/8in. I trim song the crown of his head at 5/8in to blend it. I’m waiting until my son is a little older to do the same thing for him. For me, since I don’t treat my hair, I usually grow my hair out then donate it to locks of love which makes my hair cuts free.
Just had to comment that your sons hair reminds me very much of my oldest sons (mine are now 23 and 21). I had the pleasure to cut their hair until well, a year ago when both decided they wanted to grow their hair and donate Locks for Love. It is not only a money saver but a great family bonding experience that is always good for a “do you remember when” conversation. And looking back at pictures of them as young children I always get to say “gee your barber did such a great job”! Don’t miss an opportunity to make a memory hair grows back, years don’t.
Karmin makes the best in my opinion
I just had to write and say that my dad’s family is from Chappell, NE! Thanks for the hair cutting tips.
Good tips. I’d like to add there is a new product that helps me cut my sons hair and it works great for the popular taper/fade style. It’s called the “Hair Fader”. It’s pretty easy to use. Just thought I’d throw that out there for others who have kids with taper/fade haircuts.
Yes it is awesome! Thanks for mentioning that!
How strapped for cash do you have to be where two hundred and fifty dollars is worth going through this much bullshit for? I piss that much off in a month just on cigarettes. $15 a haircut, Jeez you think she figured out a way to pay off her mortgage five years early. That is something worth bragging about.
Negative comments and profanity are not necessary. But I find it interesting that you went to all the trouble to leave a comment on a page that doesn’t interest you… at all. If you were on the page that long, you must have already known how to pay off your mortgage early, I do. And I think lots of people do, too.
What we wanted to know was how to make our boy’s haircuts look good. Not whether or not you were a troll who’s only enjoyment was leaving comments on a blog that never threatened you. Go suck your cigarettes!
Thank you for this tutorial. I have been cutting my sons hair since he was 3months old. He is not afraid of the noise but hates the itchiness of the hair. He refuses to let me put a towel or plastic to protect him, any advice?
I bought a set of clippers from Walmart and started cutting my youngest two boys’ hair when they were toddlers. They wiggled but I would sit them in the kitchen with the TV and they were more still than they ever would be at the salon. The cuts weren’t too impressive but, I figured they were too young to know the difference and I knew the more often I did their hair the better I would get. Now, at 11 & 13, neither of them wants to get their hair cut at the salon. Last time my 11 year old went he was upset because it wasn’t how he wanted it and I had to fix it! I recently bought 2 new clipper guards on Amazon (1.25 & 1.5″) as they both prefer their hair longer these days.
Can I just say, thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!! I’m a mom to 3 boys (7, 5 & 18 months) and also have my hubby/man child. Ha! I am doing this tomorrow night on our youngest because right now he has what my hubby calls “hockey hair”. He has the cutest little curls in the back, which they will be saved cause this will be his first haircut! But it’s the hair in front that’s driving us, including the baby, nuts. I’m gonna give it a try, I’m definitely going to do a little bit in case I do mess up ya know.
Wow, this is a really good post. The pics make it so much easier to follow your tips. I regularly shave my 4 year old’s hair and it can be a challenge but what I do recommend for the more younger kids is;
Buy a hair clipper which is as silent as possible. I used to use a professional hair clipper which unfortunately made tremendous noise because it had such a large motor, but this terrified him.
Use a cordless trimmer. The younger kids tend to move around alot and you don’t want the cord to keep tangling up around them as this may get pulled and cause an accident.
I also take a garbage bag and cut a hole at the bottom to put it through his head. This way the hair does not go under his shirt and cause irritation while I’m shaving his head.
Great post! I cut my sons hair but after watching tonnes of videos on you tube and reading about how to blend in, I can’t seem to do it I am just left with a big obviousl line between the short and long bits! Any help appreciated
I’ve been cutting three sons hair and my husband went to the barber because he’s pretty particular. I kept practicing on the younger ones and my husband FINALLY let me try his hair again and everyone at his work kept giving him compliments that it looked good! Success and lots of savings!!
I disagree on the edging. It’s the riskiest thing to do especially the back side of the neck. Never try that