Home Haircuts Made Easy: A Mum’s Clipper Guide

Using hair clippers at home, whether you’re a mum giving your son a haircut, or someone doing it themselves, can be a bit daunting. However, here are a few tips and steps that show it’s much easier than you think. 

Understand the Clippers

The first thing you need to do is understand your hair clippers. Look at the settings, test the motor speed and power, attach the guards, etc. Much like anything, the best way to understand a tool before using it is to understand the tool itself. 

Wash & Dry the Hair

Unlike other types of haircuts, it is better to cut clean, dry hair with clippers. Grease, hair products, and general moisture can clump and jam in the blade of the clippers, and make it much more difficult to cut hair. 

Instead, clean your hair as you normally would and towel dry it. It doesn’t have to be bone dry, but dry enough will do. Also, be sure to brush the hair if it is long, as some knots can catch in the blades and hurt the person whose hair you are cutting. 

Have a Good Light Source

While a small detail, it is important to have a good light source, as this is simply because clippers make very permanent changes, very quickly. Therefore, it is best to be able to see what you are doing and not let bad light lead to a bad hair day. 

Cutting the Hair

Now that you understand the clippers and have set everything up to use the clippers, now it is time to cut some hair. 

Start on the Sides

Considering most haircuts, especially for boys and men, including short sides, it is best to start on the sides when cutting. It allows you to create a base to work from, and you can see how the different guards cut to different lengths. 

When cutting, start from the bottom and shave upwards, or against the grain of how the hair grows. Be slow and careful, especially when first starting, but after a few minutes, you will get the hang of it. 

The Back

Once you have the sides, move on to the back and keep cutting in the upward motion. To keep it easy, don’t change the guards; not only does this keep the haircut a bit more consistent, but it is also just easier to do. 

The Top

When it comes to cutting the top of the hair, you need to decide how short you are going. A buzzcut can be defined as a haircut that is the same length all over, but you can keep some length on the top simply by changing the clippers guard. 

Use the biggest/longest guard when cutting the top, which will keep the length but also give the hair the trim that it needs.

Using Guards

When using guards, be aware of the size you are changing from and to. Simply put, the smaller the number on the guard, the shorter the cut, while the bigger the number, the longer the cut. 

No-Guard Trimming

It is more than acceptable to use no guard at all when you want to clean up any edges of the haircut. For example, stray and short hairs are much easier to cut just using the clipper blade, but you should do it slowly and gently, as it can cause skin irritation. 

Tips for Buying Clippers

Now that you know how to use your clippers, here are a few tips to consider if you haven’t bought a set yet. 

Power

Nowadays, most clippers are equally, or as close to, as powerful as each other. However, you can get both cord and cordless clippers, and corded clippers don’t necessarily offer more power, but they do offer consistent power. 

On the other hand, cordless clippers need to be changed, and at worst, they can run out of power halfway through a haircut. 

Blades

When it comes to blades, look for ones that are stainless steel or titanium-coated. Not only are these the sharpest, but they also stay sharper for longer, and are much more durable. They also glide through the thinnest or thickest of hair with ease. 

You will also want sharp blades if you use the clippers to cut and trim a beard, as the skin on the face is much more sensitive, and you don’t want the hair catching in the blades and pulling when cutting. 

Guard Variety

Unless you are planning on having the same haircut for the lifespan of the clippers, you want to buy a set that has a wide variety of guards. It’s very difficult to cut your hair shorter than the guard that is on the clippers. 

Cleaning

While not something to look out for per se, as most home clippers don’t require any speciality cleaning equipment, it is still essential to know how to clean them properly. This can range from the blade itself being removable, or being able to open the casing around it to clean. Either way, be sure you know how to clean the blade correctly, and do it after each cut. 

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