How to Cut Boys’ Hair Like a Pro
ByRemember how I promised to show you how I give my boys’ haircuts…and then just at the moment I had my long-haired boys all lined up for haircuts and pictures…my camera batteries died? While we’re waiting for my boys’ hair to grow back for the photo op, Cheryl from Moms in Need of Mercy offered to guest post on this subject for us! And she got her PROFESSIONAL cosmetologist to help us out!
Eventually I’ll be able to show you a video tutorial of how I cut my boys’ hair…but in the meantime…this picture tutorial from Cheryl is awesome!!
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When thinking about giving your son a haircut, do you:
a) shudder at the thought of what it might look like if you did it yourself,
b) reach for your scissors with a glint in your eye,
c) reach for your phone to make an appointment for him,
d) wish you knew more of what you were doing, so you weren’t just “winging” it (come to think of it, he kind of looks like he has wings when you’re done)
Haircuts, even for boys, are expensive. As often as their hair grows, this adds up to some serious cash. But if you know how to cut your son’s hair at home, and you know how to do it right, both of you will be pleased. He’ll be pleased at the result, and you’ll be pleased with how much you’re saving by doing it yourself.
If you’ve ever wanted professional lessons on how to cut his hair by yourself, my friend Liz–a licensed cosmetologist–agreed to show me (and you) the tricks of the trade. Normally, these lessons would cost you a partial cosmetology school tuition, but we are bringing them to you free! Now go pour yourself an ice water on me, and let’s get to work!
As you can see from the above picture, cutting hair successfully is all about the angles. To begin, you may want to start with the neckline. (Liz thought that beginners may want to start at the top. This way, you can set the top length as your guide and blend down from it, rather than having to cut everything again if it doesn’t blend properly when you get to the top last).
But let’s say you start at the neckline. Working on the back of the head, starting from the area of the top of the ear down, use your water bottle ($1 at the Dollar Store/Walmart/Target) to spray the hair down and cut at a 45-degree angle, slanting toward the neckline. You will hold the hair according to this angle and cut along your fingers, as you can see in these pictures.
Once you have worked your way across the back of the head, you can use your scissors to carefully go straight across to form the base of the neckline. As you can see Liz demonstrating, you want to make sure to hold the hair down firmly so you cut it evenly.
Liz says if you are right or left-eye dominant, it could make your haircut slant. So when you finish the neckline, get eye level with it and check that it does not slant. If it does, correct it!
Just as your child’s patience has about reached its limit, you will reach the top. Reassure him that you’re almost done and you’ll give him a reward for sitting so nicely (or not so nicely!) when you’re finished. Take the hair from the center of the top of the head, lift it up, and cut it straight across. If the very front of the forehead looks too choppy when you’re done, you can point-cut it. This is where you will use the point of your scissors to cut small points in the hairline (you don’t want it to look like candy-corn) :)
If your son has cowlicks at the top of their head (mine do), you can leave the hair longer here to compensate. The extra weight will help prevent it from sticking straight up. To accomplish this, you will want to angle the hair slightly toward the front.
Now you’re just about done! The only thing left is to check the cut to make sure it’s even. You should be able to run your fingers through the hair, pull up various sections, and have the lengths line up evenly (angling in places, but with no long hairs jutting out). It should be well blended. Correct any mistakes you find, and try again in another 3-4 weeks, depending on how quickly your son’s hair grows!
Click here to see how to give a clipper cut as well as how to properly use clippers to help take out some of the bulk in a standard haircut.
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This post is linked to Frugal Fridays.
It would be dangerous for me to try this!
Complete insanity!
My boys would be butchered!
;-)
(I have to cheat and use a Flowbee, lol.)
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13 years ago I decided to save this haircut money and I bought a clipper : my son is now 17 and still uses it (the same : hum, good quality product) : maybe I should count how much (in money, but also in time !) we have saved in 13 years… He likes his hair very very short… I don’t know if I would have managed his haircuts only with scissors… but it looks really fabulous ! Maybe after training, training… I don’t know !
I love your blog ! Thank you very much for sharing…
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I haven’t been brave enough to try a “real” hair cut (we just buzz with the clippers), but you make it seem simple. :) Thanks for a great tutorial!
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I have a flowbee too for my hubby & boys..Makes it much easier & faster on me & the haircut comes our great each time!
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Thanks so much for this tutorial. I’ve been cutting my little boys hair since he was born, honestly having no idea what I’m doing but I’m getting used to it and now we use the clippers on him and that’s pretty easy. I guess I’m more of the wing it kind’ve person. Hey maybe you could have someone teach us how to cut girls hair also! I try but not sure I’m getting it very even. She has really thick hair.
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I used to cut my sons’ hair this way when they were little. Getting them to sit still long enough was a challenge. Now that they’re bigger, I just buzz ‘em with the clippers every few weeks – much easier!
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I’ve been meaning to look this up! My 11 month old is getting a little shaggy over the ears, which I think is cute, but hubby says he needs a hair cut. Now he’ll still look cute! Great helpful post!
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This is going to be so helpful (my son is turning 2 next month and really needs one)!! Thank you!!
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Can’t wait to read how to clipper cut- that’s how we do it and I’m sure I could use a lesson! My son is getting a little fashion/style conscious and wants more than a buzz all over in one length. I’ll definately be checking back tomorrow!
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Thanks for sharing this advice. When my husband is out of the military, I now know how to cut his hair if he ever decides to grow it out. For now, buzzing him works best!
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Great post! WIth 3 boys, this is great info for me! I can’t wait for the next lesson.
Thanks!
Janna
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Yeah I have a knack for cutting hair. People tell me I should have gone to cosmetology school. It wasn’t the “coolest” thing to do in school so I passed (vo-tech people were looked down upon a lot).
So, now I cut my children’s hair and hubby’s as well w/ease. I never liked the buzzed look on kids, but that’s just my preference. Luckily neither does hubby!
Flowbee… our neighbor growing up used that. A dr’s wife no less! I guess everyone likes to save money.
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I’ve been cutting my children’s hair since they were little…sometimes it looks pretty good, sometimes passable and sometimes I wonder if I should ‘cave in’ and go to a professional. I find my son’s hair that is wavy is the most forgiving. My youngest son’s hair is not at all forgiving so I’ll try these techniques out. My oldest son & my husband? I don’t touch their hair any more :)
What about girl’s hair? My daughter wants some long layers (she has very fine, straight hair – not sure if it would look good on her or not). Any suggestions?
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Danielle Reply:
October 21st, 2009 at 10:35 am
Best thing w/fine hair is to do a hairstyle no longer than shoulder length. My girl, has fine hair too, and I keep it at a bob length.
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The drawings are especially helpful!
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I always cut my husband’s hair, my daughter’s (it was the dickens to get even, it was so fine) and my son’s. I hate clippers. Hubby wanted me to clip the back of his neck, and being the submissive wife that I am, I obliged. Blood gushed out all over the place. He calmly pointed out that I didn’t have to press so hard with the clippers. I refuse to “do necks” now. I cut everyone’s hair but my own for over 10 years. Now that we moved near a base and can get the $7 hair cuts, son and hubby go there now, and my daughter and I spring for salon cuts a few times a year. Thanks for the tutorial.
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this was great , i don’t think i would try it i have been known for using the clippers and messing up our oldest has lost his hair due to my mess up’s atleast 5x i am no longer allowed to touch his LONG hair he is 7 1/2 but he can pull the long hair look off
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I have three boys and it does get expensive! This tutorial was VERY helpful!! Thank you sooo much.
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I cut all the boys’ hair in my family – even the big boys! :) It’s much cheaper, especially since their hair grows so fast.
Oh, I’m having a giveaway on my blog this week. I think it might be something you’d be interested in.
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Oh I so want to cut my boys hair, and all my girl needs most of the time is a bang trim, but the thought of it scares the tar out of me. I am a little picky about the way they look, and I am just not confident in myself with scissors in my hand. But maybe I will attempt it sometime, I can always take them someplace to fix it after I butcher it… Right….?
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I started cutting my first son’s hair when he was little – and have been doing it every since, I figured I could practice while he was still small enough and no one would notice my mistakes. So now I do both sons and my husband and I trim and layer my daughters hair too, it’s fun!
For the boys I have found that clipping the back and the then cutting the hair on top with scissors – blending it all in of course – is the easiest. There are a ton of clipper tutorials online, so that was a huge help when I started using the clippers. The girl who cuts my hair gave me an older pair of her hair-dressing scissors and I have to say, they are sooo much easier to use than just ones you buy at the store, like a knife through butter. If you are serious about cutting hair at home, I would highly recommend them!
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This is so helpful! I cut both boys’ and my husband’s hair. Most of the time it looks okay, but these tips definitely have the potential to push it into “good haircut” territory! :)
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I totally needed this post! I did a similar post on my site, but I had to refer to a YouTube video demo! My poor little man has endured many hack jobs. I’m determined to learn to do it myself though. I can’t imagine having to take him somewhere and PAY for a haircut every month! Thanks for the well put instructions :)
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Thanks for this!
Now, the question…how does one get the boy to sit still? My one year old is just about ready for his first hair cut…I’m so nervous that I’m going to cut him!
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This is great and I’m going to try it today. I usually just use clippers and buzz my sons hair, but lately he’s been wanting it a bit longer, so I’ll give it a try. If I make a mess, I’ll just pull out the clippers and go back to the buzz! LOL
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Thanks! I just cut my husband’s hair. = ) He had to get a treat for sitting still too.
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thanks for this post! a few months ago, i bought an instruction book that shows how to cut layers all over the head–it’s basically the same method you demonstrated but without the 45 degree angle around the bottom. haircuts for my twin boys are turning out great, but i wanted to give them a cut that was layered but longer on top, and this is spot on. i would make the first cut at the top/crown to establish the length guide, then work down the back to the neckline, then the sides, then finish the top.
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Thanks so much! I cut my 21 month old little guy’s hair today for the first time. Dad usually does it and he’s not that great at it either. He thinks he’s a pro, though lol. The problem is my little guy has such fine hair so it lays perfetly flat and you see every mistake. I think I did pretty good for no one helping me except Elmo and an orange Tootsie Pop. ;) This was the first time he’s ever had a sucker. Amazingly he didn’t even get 1/2 finished. I will keep trying this and I’m sure it’s all about practice practice practice. Thanks again.
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Thank you so much!! I just found your tutorial and blog via a Google search on ‘how to cut boys’ hair’. I am bookmarking it for reference. I’d heard about the cutting it at an angle, but not where to stop and start–this is fantastically helpful. Now if I can get my 2 yr. old to sit still enough to try it…the lollipop idea in the previous comment might help!
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Thanks!! We are missionaries in Central America and my husband needed a haircut! For first try it worked out OK! Drew your little picture onto a sticky note and he held on to it while I chopped away!! Thankfully it was a *fun* marriage moment and he’s a good sport!! Will have to post some pictures on our blog! Was so thankful to find this here today! Looking forward to poking around and seeing what other treasures you have here! In Him!
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Thanks for the instructions! They are very helpful!
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The diagram is a big help! I’ve been cutting my two boys hair for a few years but I since I’m not sure what I’m doing it takes forever and they get really tired of it. This will help me cut more confidently and quickly, and I too will try the sucker idea.
The very first cut I gave I cut my son’s ear- I felt so bad but he hardly noticed. I’m so glad I didn’t give up, I haven’t cut anyone since!
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I somehow found this post when I started browsing through your blog. I have been cutting my son’s hair for almost a year, but with this diagram it looked REALLY good. Thankfully he’s only 4 so he doesn’t care too much yet. I figure by the time he cares I’ll have the blending aspect of hair cutting figured out!
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Thanks for this! I take my son for a ‘regular boy cut’ and every time they nearly give him a military cut. This time there are bald patches from where he got scared of the clippers and moved. :( I have been wishing I could just do it my self, and here this is! Thanks! Now, the question is “Where do I find a really good pair of haircut scissors?” :)
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easier said than done w. my 2yr old HA!! found this website earlier && did haircut as so by it (just finished) but took a good hour && 1/2 LOL only my sons 2nd haircut tho so shouldnt have expected any diff.. but came out VERY WELL overall!!! thankyouuu :o)
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I just wanted to say that I skimmed this article and the pics and tried it out on my 12 yr old son (home sick) because it was so long and HAD TO GO. It turned out great! Thanks so much for this! I’m going to try it out on the other kids when they get home from school.
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I wanted to thank you for your pics. Money is tight and we can’t afford to take our kids in for haircuts. I can trim my daughters no problem since it is long and one length but I was kinda scared of my sons (it doesn’t help that he is only 2 and squirmy). Since it was over his ears and into his eyes I went for it and I must admit it turned out pretty good if I say so my self. Thank you for the pictures and the confidence, I know I will get better each time.
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I used your tips to cut my two boys hair a few months ago and it turned out so well that I had to search out your post now that they are shaggy again. Hubby cut their hair once and before that my oldest went to the barber. Thank you so much! It really is a lot simpler than I imagined once I understood how to hold the hair out from the scalp. Your diagram is tops. I won’t pay for another cut again.
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Hi there I have two boys that I always cut their hairs with the clippers and their dad let his hair grow out and they want that look too. So now with the holidays and all, I want a clean cut and the growing out process is just taking for ever.
Its spiked out everywhere and its driving me crazy, so my question is, Is there some way to cut this so its not spiked out everywhere and it grows out more smoothly it so, Help plz.
sincerely
me
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I work at a children’s salon, and trust me, it’s not easy to cut kids hair. I also have 2 small children with massive amounts of hair, and I know it would be a tad expensive to keep up with it on a monthly basis. That being said, we go to school for this (and school is not cheap), we are trained professionals taught to give you the best haircut for you, or your child. For my benefit (I’d like to keep my job), and the economies, go to a salon. It’s fun for your child (most of them) and it takes a load off you.
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