Gonna cut my own hair... Any tips?

Fenian Army

Right lads I have a clippers here with all the assorted blades and am thinking of cutting my own hair, would save a fortune!

Fed up with longish hair, pain in the hole fixing it up etc, not to mention that the aul genetics are kicking in and its noticeably thinning, all along the top of my head but especially at the crown, not quite a bald patch yet but its on the way and I'm a bit self conscious about it and would like to tackle it, its starting to play on my mind and will only get worse. Consensus in this situation seems to be just cut it short.

Is it as easy as it sounds, just pick a blade and shave all over? What number should I go for do you reckon? I'm worried about looking ridiculous if its short, I've never really had short hair.

awec

The only time I'd advocate cutting your own hair is if you have no intention of styling it and just want the shaved all over fuzzy look.

MagicMarker

Yep, it's as easy as it sounds, I'd start with a 3 or 4 seeing as you've never done it before and then you can make a judgement call on whether to go shorter.

Just be thorough, be sure to use a second mirror to check the back and make sure it's even.

Be sure to maintain the clippers if it's going to be a long term thing, clean them after each use because it's a pain in the hole when they don't cut as well as they should.

DonJose

Don't cut it unless its an all over shave. I trimmed my hair when I lived abroad once, I got a proper haircut when I came back to Ireland, the hairdresser remarked straight away "Did you get a friend to cut your hair?". Can't imagine what it looked like from behind.

smallBiscuit

I've been cutting my own for years. Number 1, all over easy as pie

awec

A trip to the hairdresser for me is a 200 mile round trip.

Haven't found anyone in Dublin I trust enough to do it right!

Pembily

Don't do it while drinking! I did that to my poor cousin He did ask though!

Fenian Army

The "styling it" bit is what I'm fed up with tbh, I just want to run a towel over my head afew times and be done if you follow.

On the blades there is all measurements 1/4 of an inch, 1/2 inch etc what do these lengths look like in reality on someones head? Its hard to visualize.

awec

Fenian Army wrote: »

The "styling it" bit is what I'm fed up with tbh, I just want to run a towel over my head afew times and be done if you follow.

On the blades there is all measurements 1/4 of an inch, 1/2 inch etc what do these lengths look like in reality on someones head? Its hard to visualize.

Start with the longest and work your way down if you're not sure.

Leo Dowling

Give it a number one all over, it'll look weird to you at first but it'll have grown out to a two or three within a week and you can be certain it's even when it's that short.

Fenian Army

Leo Dowling wrote: »

Give it a number one all over, it'll look weird to you at first but it'll have grown out to a two or three within a week and you can be certain it's even when it's that short.

What does a number one look like? I've seen lads were they only have what is basically a 5 o clock shadow on their heads, that would be too short for me.

awec

Fenian Army wrote: »

What does a number one look like? I've seen lads were they only have what is basically a 5 o clock shadow on their heads, that would be too short for me.

That sounds like a mach 3 job.

A 1 will leave a few mm of hair.

MagicMarker

Fenian Army wrote: »

What does a number one look like? I've seen lads were they only have what is basically a 5 o clock shadow on their heads, that would be too short for me.

To get that you wouldn't use any guard on the blade at all.

This would be about a 1 on top.

Fenian Army

I think I'll give it a number three and go from there, gives me some leeway if I hate it.

Dravokivich

I did it once and ended up with a scalped patch... so i'm not going to be able to give any advice.

Sorry.

Mech1

I run a 3 to finish, try a 4 first

Mech1

if you have the angled attachments remember to always keep the thick side of it high / swap attachment for left right side!

foxinsox

might be too late in to save you...

ALWAYS make sure the attachments are clicked/snapped in correctly..

If not they can hop off causing a nice golf hole effect in your fancy new haircut..

How do I know this?

Because I scalped a young man once by mistake

Fenian Army

Hahaha

Havent taken the plunge yet, gonna do it in the morning when there is someone around to help with the back of my head!

In case anyone else is curious heres some info on the lengths:

Zero

Zero is not using a guard attachment on the clipper at all. It leaves stubble equivalent to a day or two of beard growth. It is often used for cutting around the edges of the hairline, and then longer clipper guards are used to blend the hair until it has more length towards the top of the head.
Numbers One and Two

A number one clipper attachment leaves hair an 1/8th of an inch long in the clipped area. Generally the scalp is clearly visible when using a number one clipper guard. It is also often used to blend to a longer length at the top. The number two clipper is used to leave hair a 1/4 of an inch long. Usually, unless the hair is unusually thick, there will be some scalp exposure with the number two clipper guard.
Numbers Three and Four

The number three clipper guard leaves hair 3/8 of an inch long. Depending on the thickness of the hair, there may be some scalp visible with a number three clipper guard. The number four clipper guard leaves hair 1/2 an inch long and is one of the most popular clipper guards. It gives the appearance of the hair being clean cut, and the scalp cannot usually be seen at this length.
Numbers Five and Six

The number five clipper guard is 5/8 of an inch long, and is generally indistinguishable from the number four visually. It is not generally included in clipper kits, and is often purchased separately.The number six guard for the haircutting clipper leaves hair 3/4 of an inch long. It is sometimes used on the top, and is often used to blend shorter to longer clipper lengths from the side to the top.
Number Eight

There is no number seven clipper guard, mysteriously enough, so that brings us to number eight. The number eight clipper guard is the longest available guard for haircutting clippers. It leaves the hair 1 inch long and is often used on the top, while a shorter clipper guard is used on the sides.

Gonna go for a number three/two, that way when you can see my scalp it looks the way it should rather than like I'm losing my hair

awec

I get a number 4 at the back and then either a 2 or 3 at the sides at the front. Then she does magical things on the top and makes the top blend into the sides and back.

It's art I tell you.

Otis Driftwood

Moved from tGC.

Mollyd90

your probably better off getting a trustworthy friend or girlfriend to cut it. you wont be able to see the back to easly and you'll need to tidy up the edges