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I have been looking for ways to save money and would like to start cutting my kids hair myself but don't want them to look like Frankenstein or the Beatles (I guess that wouldn't be too bad). :-) Anyone have any hair cutting tips? I have never done it before.
Thanks, Jenni
I used to do my daughter's hair and would clip it up and start on the underside and trim it, then let down the next layer and pull out and up to match with the bottom layer as a guideline and repeat all the way down. That was plain straight girls hair though. Bangs I would comb upwards and trim a spot, comb it down to see where it layed on the face (keep in mind that when it is dry it shortens a little) and if it was okay, I would lift up the next section and part of the first section to use as a guideline and go all the way across. Comb down between each section to make sure you are going straight.
There used to be a hair cutting kit you could get that came with a VCR tape with instructions, hair clippers, hair scissors, a cape, combs, etc. for like $15-20 at Walmart or Kmart. (08/03/2004)
By Tawnda
By Walker
As the kids got older, I "grew" with them. I got my DH to let me cut his hair, if I can cut the hair of a squirming 2 year old I figured I could cut his hair (and have done it ever since...15 years later). The teenagers love it when "mom, can you cut my hair, we have to leave for school in 30 minutes, and it's too long back here", and guess what, no appointment to wait for and it's done, now.
I got a pair of hairdresser scissors. I made my own cape (a big circle cut out of the widest material I could find at the fabric store. The material did not "hold" hair, it is not plastic but folds up nicely and where the head goes I just attached Velcro so as to close around the neck while the haircut is going on).
I will watch closely when someone is getting a haircut and see if I can pick up any tips. Now, I am the only one in the family that goes to a hairdresser, and that is because my hair is short and I can't cut it evenly at the back. So, $15 every 2 months isn't bad for the family haircuts.
I do not use a clipper on the men in the family. They have never asked for that short of hair. If so, I do have the dog clippers I probably could use. (10/13/2004)
A couple years later everyone started asking me to cut their hair which was awesome because now it is one of the most exciting things that I do. I cut my dad's hair all the time, but now since I got married and moved far away I guess he will have to use one of my other siblings.
As for myself, I cut my own hair and my husband's too, and create different hair styles. I am sure that cutting my children's hair will be simply fun and exciting.
Thank you all for reading this!
God Bless! (07/20/2005)
By Diana
Wetting the hair is essential, as is fairly clean hair. With boys it's nice to be able to use clippers with extensions, either to buzz or to taper the hair (use shorter extensions to longer extensions from the bottom of the hair, nape of neck, around ears) up toward the crown of the head.
Still figuring out how to do longer girls' hair. (09/10/2005)
By marie
My oldest didn't get used to it until he was four years old, but our 18 month old doesn't mind, as long as he can watch Blue's Clues and help with the vacuuming! DH does it (used to in the Corps) and he uses the short comb, then fades to a longer on top. We get lots of compliments on the boys, and they are more comfortable without all that heavy, fine hair (bath time is easier too, cause their hair was like a duck's back!).
If you are still not sure for the boys, you can sometimes find the videotapes at the thrift stores (which I think that is where mine went to), or conair.com may have some resource for you. My biggest piece of advice is have someone with you for judgment and holding down (if very young) and don't offer cookies DURING the session, hair doesn't digest.
If it is just too much, check your local big town for the cosmetology school. My boys (at such a young age) will only let pretty girls work on them, or daddy. It is considerably cheaper because it is their training, but if there is a problem the instructor will take over right away. Call ahead for hours and price discounts, and check the back of your phone book for coupons (this is what I do for me, as DH will not touch my hair!). Or go to a plain barber shop, no salons, as this is less overhead (no expensive retail products) and more of a place for "little men." (08/21/2006)
By camo_angels
By Elle
But I have to say, part of this is because I had such hair problems as a teenager. Bad home permanents, bad cuts in the salon. It took me YEARS to go back to trusting professionals, and by observing I have finally learned what a good cut really consists of. I can't afford the $75 price tag - so I go to the hi end beauty school. But every time I DO end up in a salon, I now know what they are doing and whether or not I will come back. (02/07/2007)
By Jayne
By April
By Debbie
My 3 year old daughter has long natural curls too. It's not a problem. I always condition it even if I don't wash it and use a detangling wide tooth comb or pick. Most importantly, comb it while it's still wet. Never mess with curly hair after it's dry! I use a detangling spray in the morning just to freshen it up a bit. Don't be lazy about your kids' hair! Remember that it's not all about you. (07/03/2007)
By hair be gone
Now I have a little 3 yr. girl who keeps cutting her hair! I want her to wear it long and wear hair ribbons and bows. She's very girly and likes dresses and dressing up, but hates keeping in hair clips, bows, headbands, or ribbons in her hair for more than a couple of minutes (if lucky an hour). I have to hide all scissors from her of any kind or she will try and cut her hair with them. Most recently while I was washing the dinner dishes, she found a pair in her brother's room and must of held them flat to the middle of her head and cut, and then again a little piece over her right ear! I realized she wasn't in the living room and called her. She came down the hallway all sly and I asked what she was doing, and then I saw her head and screeched "what happened to your hair!". All proud of herself she told me, "I'm beautiful I cut it". "With what?", I asked her; since I thought I had all the scissors out of reach. So she went in her brother's room and came out with them, she had climbed her brother's bookcase and got them off the top shelf, I had just installed his new air conditioner in his room earlier and had accidentally left the scissors up there.
Oh my goodness, I took her to the salon because I couldn't think how to fix it except a pixie cut maybe, it was so short it almost looked buzzed cut where she cut it! I took off her hat and the lady who was to fix it said I can't cut her hair that short she'll look like I buzzed cut her hair! So she cut it in a chin length bob, told me to have her wear headbands for 3 months to let her hair grow back and then to bring her back and she'd layer it some more then to blend it into the rest of her hair. Okay one problem, she won't wear the headbands or hats for long, and she looks odd when she doesn't. I think a pixie cut even though it's very short may still be the only answer. I know from my own experience it will grow back in nicer than it is (her hair is still very baby fine, it took a longtime to grow in). I know with her brother, his hair started out that way and after I had him get his first real haircut at 2.5 when it had finally got long enough to cut, it came back in thick and beautiful, plus it grows so much faster. Also, I know she won't mind.
I wondered has anyone else had a 3-5 yr girl with this problem, and how do you fix the hair?
Follow-up: Well, we have a very cute pixie cut similar to Alyssa Milano's recent cut. It's receiving mixed reviews. My daughter seems okay with it, plus as a bonus we got her ears pierced yesterday at Little Divas, which she loves and didn't even cry or let out a peep when having done, just got up and started looking at stuff in the store! Then today we took remembrance pics of the cut and piercing. So what could of been a negative has turned into a very positive experience. (07/20/2007)
By Dreamdancer
When I had long hair, I put my hair up behind with a flat barrette, and then lifted the flat ponytail above my head and cut the desired length off. I then took the barrette out and trimmed around the face and evened out the back.
I keep on trying to convince my husband to let me trim his hair -but he just goes to the barber and has it cut short & lets it grow out gradually. I do the same for my hair cuts - cutting when it's gotten too long and then letting it grow out. That way at a medium length you only need a few cuts a year.
But frankly, if you are awful at that sort of thing - no talent with scissors - go to supercuts on sale and/or find a beauty school near you. In the city here, they are always looking for hair models - a way to go for a teenager. (10/17/2007)
By pamphyila
In response to the first question, I cut my husband's hair with clippers. Very easy, but if you do not have any clippers, practice on a doll first. And then very carefully, cut as little as possible at a time. it is better to have it too long and messed up than too short and messed up. So take your time and do not breathe too hard. That has a lot to do with hand control. (02/14/2008)
By guest
My daughter is only 5, and yes I never raised her to be that kind of "typical girl" who fusses over the hair, wants it long, wants to wear dresses and look like a princess, etc. I just raise her to be who she wants to be - she is very artistic and individualistic, and yes, different from most kids. I encourage her to continue to be that way. She does not have a lack of friends at school. She is not socially inept either. So what's this fuss about hair? I've always had short hair myself, its hassle-free, and looks great on me. I can't see why parents take an issue with girls who have short hair.
At first, I had my daughter grow long hair since she was a baby. Up until the age of 5, she never said anything about it. Then recently (she's 5.5) she told me she hates long hair. She hates the way it gets into her face and she hates having to take care of it when I'm not around in school with her. My daughter has been complaining about her long hair for ages. Had it cut to a chin-length bob 2 months ago, yet she still complains because it still gets into her face when she bends down to eat, for example, and she hates having to clip or put hair accessories in her hair to keep the hair away because they always tend to come loose and she cannot be bothered to readjust them herself. So always ends up with very messy, dirty hair, most schooldays.
I then had it cut to an extremely short bob, which comes up to the tip of her ears - which by the way, was dictated by her. She chose how far she wanted it to go. Not only did she not cry or look sad after the hair was cut, she was extremely pleased with it and beaming from ear to ear. You should have seen the look on her face when it was finished. She just lit up, and smiled all day afterward. She also morphed into a hyper-active girl who jumped and hopped and skipped happily. Nothing like the girl before who seemed "dead" and dormant with a longer head of hair she didn't want. (04/24/2008)
By rachel
Starting with a good detangler is also a must. If your child is very young, as mine is, after giving her a calming bath, I sit her in her high chair, I give her a bottle, let her watch her favorite Baby Einstein video, and it keeps her still long enough for a trim. (This is also how I get her little finger nails clipped.) I have read some of the comments below, and honestly, let your kids pick out their own hair styles. If they are old enough to tell you what they want, they are old enough to learn how to take care of it, or at least help.
Personal grooming is an important skill for kids to learn, just like dressing themselves. At first, nothing matches, and items are inside out, but eventually they gain more independence and confidence. Hair styling is the same way. If you are planing on going from one extreme to another, do it gradually. Start bangs long, and not more than an inch of hair back from the forehead, you don't want bangs for the top of your head. For boys/men, invest into an easy to use clipper set. Start with the long settings and gradually get shorter. My husband can actually do it himself, and only has me 'check' for missed spots and his neck when he is done. Have fun and good luck! (04/29/2008)
By Abby's Mommy
As a child, I remember my mother cutting my hair short. She had my younger siblings to care for, and taking care of my hair was too much trouble. I remember feeling ugly and ashamed every day at school. That is a horrible thing to do to a school aged child. Life is hard enough without the people you love the most making it more difficult. I will trim my daughter's hair to shoulder length on occasion, but I will never give her a short short haircut! If she chooses to make that decision for herself when she is older that is fine, but I will not bear the guilt of forcing insecurity on my child. (06/22/2008)
By Melanie
By janholding
I am now 16 years old, and ever since that day, when I got the "ridiculous nuisance" (my hair) cut off, I've been wanting to get it shorter and shorter. This weekend I'm going to experiment with my hair and make it shorter. During the summer I'm going all-out into a boy's haircut. My parents let me do what I want to with my hair, because it's MY hair. I don't think anyone should enforce a rule on when their child is "old enough" to express themselves. You're just as bad as the people you berate. (10/29/2008)
By Ginger.
Last Saturday I came home from work to find that Dad had fixed the problem with these haircuts, which were "too long in front and got in their faces." Now I think I was in shock. He had cut the front and sides pretty short, "to match the back", and there was no longer any resemblance of the previous bob.
Obviously, the girls were upset and spent most of the weekend sulking in their bedrooms. Well, a week has gone by and I am getting used to the "new look". I even think the girls look cute with their short bangs, little sideburns, and bare necks. Hair care is definitely a breeze now, compared to the long hair, especially after swimming. I think we'll keep it short and maybe even let Dad do the trims with his trusty clippers--I guess he knew what he was doing. (11/08/2008)
By Cheryl
She wakes up every morning with a rat's nest knot on the back of her head. Detanglers do not work, I've tried every brand. My only option is to cut it very short which I am going to do. I am not "lazy" nor is it just that I do not want to be "bothered" with it. It is a necessity. Remember, judge not lest ye be judged. (11/23/2008)
By Carrie
Once there, the hairdresser suggested a clipped bowl cut for my youngest and an inverted bob for her sister. Both would be clipped short in back and on the sides. Once the pleading and the crying stopped, both girls looked so cute with their new haircuts.
Monthly "trims" were scheduled to keep their hair looking neat and daily haircare takes no more than a brush, a blow dryer and a little gel. No more tangles, no more constant brushing, and no more wasted time when they can be studying. Are they used to their new hairstyles? Not yet--and there are still times when they ask to grow it out. But I plan to keep it short for the foreseeable future and they'll ultimately get used to it.
By the way--I keep a pair of home clippers to keep them neat between salon trims. I even have a little "salon" set up in the basement that I use. Usually, one night after dinner, I'll take them both downstairs for "haircut maintenance." (12/29/2008)
By Diane S.
Fast forward 20+ years...I had 2 sons, who always have buzz cuts. I then had my 2 girls and I always wanted them to have long hair, but my husband loves short hair on girls (my hair is super short). So at the ages of 6 and 3 I had my two girls' hair buzzed in the summer, and I kept it very short during the school year. We love it! It is cute, easy to keep clean, and always looks neat. My girls have short pixies during the school year and everyone gets their summer buzz cuts on the last day of school.
The girls are now 14 and 11, and they got their hair buzzed about 6 weeks ago, with no complaints. They know it looks good, it grows back, and it's nothing to care for it. My 11 year old thinks she wants it buzzed again before school starts, so I will gladly do it! I always buzz my own when my girls get theirs. Girls don't need long hair to look good. Good looks start on the inside. (07/14/2009)
By 5janets
By pamphyila
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Cutting Your Own Hair At Home