I can't give you advice on how to cut or maintain long hair. I only do "short."
Blog post by reader request....
I'm the most frugal photographer in the world when it comes to haircuts. I bought a set of electric barber's clippers and guards thirty years ago and started cutting my own hair. Something like this https://www.target.com/p/wahl-clip-n-groom-men-s-haircut-kit-with-built-in-finishing-trimmer-79900-1701/-/A-579774 which I found online at Target.com works great. When I heard from one of my friends that he was spending over $100 a month on "hair care" I almost fell on the floor. And when I heard from one of my female fellow swimmers that she pays around $200 a month for her "hair care" I became light-headed and had to sit down. If you invested those amounts in an index fund......sigh....
Okay, so if you have a hair style that requires much complex cutting, trimming and manipulation I probably am not going to be much help. But if you are a typical guy who doesn't really give a hoot about styles then I'm your cheap haircut mentor. I can be capricious, sometimes I just can't be bothered cutting my hair and it grows out like weeds in a garden. But before big client engagements or when I get tired of flying a flag of white hair (which makes every young person around me talk louder and offer to help me cross streets...) I grab the clippers and go berserk.
Well, not really berserk but I have little fear of failure in this regard. I start with a #4 guard on the clippers. This translates to leaving your hair about a half inch long. The guard keeps you from inadvertently getting it too short....
So, put your #4 guard on the clippers, don't stand on the shag carpet (my bathroom is saltillo tile so it's easy to sweep up...) and start clipping. Generally, I find it most efficient to go against the grain of your hair. Who knew that hair has a natural "grain"?
Take some time to get all that head of hair more or less uniform and you are ready to move on to step two; the hair in front, above and behind your ears. Most of the clipper sets come with guards that are slanted and meant for each specfic ear. They are generally labelled something like, "Left Ear" or "Right Ear." Start with your favorite ear. Mine is the left and that makes sense because I am left-handed. These guards are like graduated neutral density filters; they allow a closer cut on one side and a longer cut on the other. Obviously you want the close side next to the ear and the far side away from your ear. This will get you a close cut near the ear but a feathering into the rest of your hair. Now do the other ear using its specific guard.
Now use the shallowest guard, going with the grain of the hair on the back of your neck. You don't want to start low and go high you want to start at the hair line and go down. After that you might just look in the mirror and tune up any rough spots.
At this point you are done. If it takes you more than ten minutes you are either paralyzed by fear of failure or you are overly obsessed with perfection. If you really screw up you can wear a hat till it grows back.
Should you want an easier approach you can do as my old pool manager, Brian, used to do and grab the #2 guard and use it everywhere. Once all the hair is uniform you are done.
Take a shower. Sweep the floor. Put a drop of oil for clippers on the blade and then box up your clippers till next time.
So, how frugal am I when it comes to hair cuts? Well, I will tell you that Studio Dog (Rest in Peace) and I shared one set of clippers for the past twelve years...
this is a "Kirk" haircut about 10 days later. Curly hair. No way it stays flat.
this is a "Kirk" haircut maybe two and a half to three weeks on....
This is from a time before haircuts...Or razors. And yes, it's a black Canon AE-1
I wouldn't take a chance on cutting hair like this unless I had a iron clad waiver and
a team of liability lawyers on retainer.....
If you screw up (doubtful) you can always wear a convenient and stylish hat.
If you are amazingly good looking no one will even be looking at your hair.
Why pay extra to maintain it? At $100 a month that's equal to a couple of good lenses
or really cool used camera bodies per year....
21 comments:
I loved this post. Bought a prof. Wella cutter last year, but I'm still a bit scared to use it, but you certainly gave me hope. Not sure who would pay $100 to get a hair cut. My local hair shop charges around $25, which I think is on the expensive side as it only takes 15-20 minutes.
This is helpful. I am about to do this. Overdue for a haircut. I normally pay $17 plus a nice tip to the old Italian guys around the corner. I have the razor with attachments. I'm a simple guy and I'll take Brian's #2 approach all the way around. If I screw it up...well I'm not going anywhere other than the grocery store for the foreseeable future. It will grow back, or it won't, I don't much care at this point. I like hair I don't have to style out of the shower.
I've hated haircuts since at least 6 years old. Just hated them. I was finally able at 15 to have my way and stop. Then when I turned 25 I realized I was having a tough time in the professional world because I didn't wear suits (still don't and never have except to my dads funeral) and had long hair. So I cut it. At 59 I decided I really missed being able to look however I wanted to look and have not had a haircut since. Wear the same braid down my back that I started as a teenager. If anything, it has enhanced my professional life.
I find haircuts to be very relaxing. I love the feel of hands, scissors, or electric clippers on my head. However...
I was sitting in the barber chair last year and the barber says "My son has about as much hair on top of his head as you and I told him to just shave his head." I figured that if he felt that way I would try it. So since last summer I have been shaving my head every few days. It takes just a few minutes, and is an enjoyable routine. And since my hair had gone from brown to "blondish" recently (in geological time) instead of looking my age, 71.75 I can now easily pass for 69.50. A win win situation :-).
I have a Wahl clipper set too but only use that on my beard. It is an old one with an adjustment screw(?) on the side. When the clipper starts wildly clacking I can quiet it by turning the adjustment screw in or out using a penny in the slot. Easy peasy. For a regular haircut I use some old Revlon scissors. For me it is fast enough to do. Sometimes I can do a really good job but usually it's nothing special. I don't mind if I goof up once in a while any more because no matter how well or poorly I do the job I'll get to take another wack at it in another month or two. And saving a few dollars every time doesn't hurt at all.
Thank you.
Rats. Out of stock.
I have what I call "baby hair." Straight and thin, no body at all. It just doesn't look good. Couple that with male pattern baldness, about 20 years ago I gave up on hair and combing, bought a set of clippers, and sheer it all off every week or so.
Your pre-barber and pre-razor picture? I never could look like that. I think thick and curly would have helped, but we all get dealt different genetic cards.
Hi Kirk
I've been cutting my own hair with a pair of clippers for about 6 years (No.2 all over). Bought them to trim my beard many years ago. The beard went shortly after purchase, by design, and the rest followed fairly quickly after (possibly in sympathy?).
Caught myself in a mirror on the way out to a black tie dinner a few years ago and realised that mo matter how much time the barber had spent blending grade 1 into grade 2 with a bit of scissor work, I still looked like I was more likely to be denying others entry to the premises than picking up an award.
We're fairly (although probably not enough) locked down here in London so I'm looking forward to giving my youngest a "proper" haircut this weekend ready for his 20th (virtual) birthday party. God help him if his big brother, who has "fewer options", gets hold of the clippers round the back. :-)
I'm boring. I don't like to be in the photograph, I don't like being video'd, and holding the family camera usually gets me out of things. but for once, I'm actually looking forward to getting this on video, being part of it and doing some sort of speedup / timelapse version of it.
Perhaps this could be a version of Michael Johnston's "one camera, one lens, one year" challenge. I'll go "one clipper, one camera, one expendable head of hair"?
Keep safe all
Andy
I used to go to a hair salon for my haircuts, but then decided I liked having it really short, so I just asked the woman who did my hair to just clip it to about 1/2" length all over. After a couple times of doing that she told me to just go the Sally Beauty Supply and get an electric razor with the trimming attachments. (I think she found trimming my hair that way less than thrilling.) So I did and have cut my own hair for the last 20 years or so. All for the $65 cost of the trimmer set. Perfect. (And I just use either the 1/4" or 1/2" guard over my whole head)
Steve B
I pay $20 for my cut here in Dallas and only get it cut once every 4 weeks. I've been using the same guy ~ 28 years.
My barber's salon is closed due to local quarantine rules. I don't mind paying him whenever the shop opens again. Since my 40's my hair has been growing more slowly and receding some. A missed appointment (or two) shouldn't be that bad.
I'm another head shaver. A few years ago I would go to the barber for a number 2 cut, this later changed to a number 1, but I wasn't getting a very regular cut.
Now I trim hair and beard together. The sides of the beard are trimmed close, the part of the beard below the mouth is combed and tidied. The 'tache gets a trim because I don't like to have the mouth covered, no matter how useful it may be to have a soup strainer.
The moustache and beard are separated by a shaven bit, which allows my mouth-and-nose CPAP mask to make a good seal against my face. Then the head is shaved. A shower always follows, because I don't want to itch all the next day.
I was never a comb over man, even though male pattern baldness got me early. When I had shoulder length hair but was also going bald, I resolved to make the change to short hair before it all became too naff looking. I'm glad I bit the bullet and did it.
Kirk-
Glad to know you and yours remain well. Let’s keep it that way!
For the past 25+ years, I have been cutting my own hair with that same Wahl clippers as you posted.
I live in the Bronx.
When my two daughters were small, I would take them with me to get my haircut at the local place.
While I was in the chair, the girls would be reading or drawing with crayons.
Like many barbershops way back when, the place was filled with men.
And, not surprisingly, when men gather, they start to tell stories and jokes.
That was fine for a breath but the jokes soon turned racist and pointed to various ethnicities that were not current patrons.
I asked the barber to maybe not say those things in front of my daughters.
The place quieted and my haircut was done.
I returned two weeks later for another haircut.
The same thing happened the moment we went inside.
It almost felt like they purposely stated saying that BS which made the situation more fun....for them.
I bought my first Wahl clippers the next day.
That barber lost a customer for life.
I then used to put the $15 haircut money in a jar. Twice a month was $30.
By the time my wedding anniversary came around, we used the haircut money to pay for a lovely lunch.
With our 35th anniversary coming up in June, we have enjoyed some wonderful lunches at some fabulous NYC restaurants.
I now cut my hair once a week.
With COVID, we are currently not in the Bronx.
When we got to our current sheltering in place household, I pulled out my cameras, figured out where to go food shopping and then pulled out the Wahl clippers.
Why wouldn’t I bring the clippers.
I knew I would be here awhile v
We will probably be here through May.
If we are fortunate.
I hope everyone stays healthy.
Let’s keep our heads up, and stay strong.
(and that’s especially true for those who need a haircut!)
By the way, I use the purple/#3 attachment.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts throughout the madness.
Thumbs up.
Rob
Now that all the salons and barbershops are closed in most areas, a good number of people are attempting to cut their hair at home.
When I see the Facebook posts of friends that show their husband/boyfriend is shaved bald because they screwed up, I realize that I have it pretty good having my husband be the family barber and stylist. Having my guy cut my hair for me is a great bonding experience. I have been having my husband cut my hair for me since we first met. Our routine is that every other month I take a seat on the stool, he sets out a glass of wine for me, I get caped, my hair combed out, sectioned just behind my ear on each side and he pins up my hair with hair clips. He blunt cut trims the bottom layer of my hair with his sharp hair shears, and then he lets my hair down in increments to trim each layer. He has me turn my head to the side so he can match the hair in the front with the back. He holds sections from each side of my head under my chin to ensure it is even. He cuts my hair dry so he can see and remove the split/damaged ends. He does the trimming in increments So that he is cutting a manageable amount of hair, as if he tries to cut through too much at once, the blades push the hair before they cut, leaving it uneven. I used to pay $55 for a haircut when my hair was collarbone length, now that it is past my elbows, they would be charging me more like $80. So I figure I am definitely saving several hundred dollars a year. My best friend asked me years ago who did my hair as she needed a haircut and was not happy with the way the salon she had been going to cut her hair and she liked how mine looked. When I told her that my guy cuts my hair, she wanted to come watch him do it. I told my guy and he was fine with it and asked if I wanted him to cut her hair for her. I said yes, if she asked. Well she came by, watched him intently as he cut my hair, complimented his work, then as he was taking the cape off of me, she said, “I’m next!”. He said you are indeed and she took a seat. She wanted about an inch and a half off her mid back length hair, so he caped her, did the full routine on her hair. When he finished, she went to the bathroom to check the results and I got her a hand mirror to check the back. She was pleased and asked if she could book her next appointment. So she gets her hair cut by my guy regularly and does not miss the salon. He also gives my two teen boys their haircuts every three weeks using a combination of the clippers and shears over the comb cutting, followed by using the peanut clippers to clean up the sideburns and neckline. He has been doing since they were quite young, so he has easily given each one over a hundred haircuts. So I have saved a lot of money, several hundred dollars a year on their haircuts, and he has gotten a lot of experience. It is so convenient and saves me a lot of time. When I go back to work, I don’t have to worry about having a wonky haircut, nor will my boys, they got a haircut a couple days ago, so they are not looking too scruffy. I have diabetes and high blood pressure and my son has asthma as well, so I am definitely not inviting anyone over to the house at this time. My mom is also diabetic, has high blood pressure and is overweight, so she is not going out. Once things open up and she feels more comfortable, she will be visiting to get her hair cut and so will my best friend.
On the same page! Works great in the shower.
Only problem for me involves forgetting about the hair strainer.
Clippings kinda look like a wet rat sleeping at the drain.
Much screaming ensues...
Ha! Got the same clippers. Haven't needed the guards, except the smallest one, in so long I threw them out years ago. When my wife sees old pictures of me with hair she says I look better now than I did then. Works for me!
I had the thought of getting some clippers so I could cut my own hair if necessary about a week ago. I've had the same person cut mine (or what is left now) for over 40 years, but figured these are drastic times. Unfortunately hair clippers are as hard to find as toilet paper. Apparently lots of other people had the idea before me. My mother always cut my fathers hair, and no she was not a beautician. Just another way to save some $$. Thanks for the guide. If I can find some clippers I'll go back and read it before attempting anything on myself. In the meantime I'll just work on that pony tail I've never had the guts to grow.
Thanks for all the great comments. I knew I was not alone!
Rob, wanted to let you know that we're celebrating our 35th anniversary on Monday! Congrats to you!
I'm going for the Grizzly Adams look. My hair was just starting to get out of control just before covid struck Calgary. Now it's gone feral! I decided to grow a Covid beard. No shaving until this horror is over with. And yes Erna hates it!
Eric
This morning I dusted off some cheap clippers I had bought a few years ago at Walmart and never used. Oiled them up and put on the five guard. I have thick curly hair that was probably pushing three inches long. Normally I go to Great Clips every three months or so. With the guard on the clippers just wouldn't cut. So I took it off and went with a more prison oriented look. It's not attractive, but I'll be wearing a mask when I go to the grocery store, so no big deal.
Thanks for your consistent posting, it is quite nice during this difficult time.
Here it is, May 24th and I just passed this link on to a distant and much younger cousin who is balking at paying $70 for a simple haircut. (Ya think?) Who knows what he's going to do?
My state, county, and city are still on COVED-19 lockdown and my hair makes me look like the aging hippy that I am, but I don't really care. When things open up and Jon The Barber is back in business he'll still charge $7 for a Senior haircut, I'll tip him generously, my hair will be short, and my wife will miss my curls.
Thank you, Kirk, for being awesome. I love your daily musings.
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