How to Cut Your Own Hair During Lockdown - The Good Men Project

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Hey, there. Do you know how to do a DIY haircut? If not, it’s about time you started working on that. Here’s how I mastered the art of cutting my own hair at home during a lockdown.

January 9, 2021 by Mike Barber Leave a Comment

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We can all agree on one thing – 2020 was a year filled with critical life lessons. And as we usher in the New Year (2021), it’s only right that all of us try to adjust to the new norms. Anyway, if there’s one thing last year has taught me is that it’s imperative to learn self-grooming; because you’ll never know when you’ll have to stay indoors again.

So, with the pandemic showing no signs of ending and social distancing being a possible fix to the world’s current predicament, my visits to the barbershop drastically reduced. And as a result, I ended up with an unruly beard and hair desperately in need of a trim.

I knew I couldn’t wait out the pandemic. Therefore, the only option I had was to cut my hair at home. Was it easy? No. But I managed to do a decent job of it. I know most of you can relate. Therefore, if you’d like to try this too, here’s a step by step guide on how I went about doing my first DIY haircut.

Step 1. Research

The first thing to do is always research. You want to learn everything you can about cutting your own hair including:

The best DIY haircuts for first-time home barbers.
What you’ll need.
How to do it right.
The Dos and Don’ts of DIY haircutting.
And what to do after the haircut.

In most cases, I found watching video tutorials on YouTube made it quite easy to learn and execute the tips provided. And once I was ready, the next step was to gather all necessities for the task at hand.

Step 2. Sourcing the Right Tools

Here’s a fact – knowing how to cut your own hair isn’t enough to give you a quality, groomed look. You also need to have the right tools. Now, shopping for these items won’t be a walk in the park. There were so many products to choose from and hundreds of reviews to read through before I was comfortable enough to make an informed decision.

In the course of my research, I found WiseBarber.com’s post on the best hair clippers very informative and comprehensive. It helped me find a clipper that was not only ideal for home use but also efficient enough to give me an easy time. After my research, I had the following items in my grooming arsenal:

A good-quality clipper with accessories.
Combs and brushed.
A barber cape.
A Self-Cut mirror system.
Shears and cleaning brushes.
And a few hair care products.

Why do you need all these? Well, tools and accessories tend to simplify the whole process. That way, you’ll not only get a stress-free haircut but also have some fun doing it. Anyway, by this point, I was ready to do my first DIY cut.

Step 3. Time to Clip-Clip and Trim-Trim

This was the best part of my home haircutting process; I finally got the chance to put my new tools and knowledge to the test. And it turned out okay. So, here’s how you should do it:

Prepare Your Workspace – You have to make sure that everything you need for the job is an arm’s length away from your workspace. That makes it easier for you to complete your haircut without any unnecessary and messy movement.
Comb Your Hair – Next up; you need to straighten your hair to get rid of any tangles and dirt stuck in there. Note that you should use a comb instead of a hairbrush because brushes tend to miss hair tangles. That way you’ll have a smooth, painless, and easy time cutting your hair.
Dampen Your Hair To Loosen Tight Tangles – If you notice that you have tight and numerous hair tangles, don’t force your comb through them to avoid damaging hair follicles, pulling hair, and even damaging the skin underneath your hair. Instead, slightly dampen your hair using moisturizer or water to loosen the tangles and simplify your combing.
Always Start With Bigger Size Guard Combs And Work Your Way Down To Your Desired Length – I learned this the hard way. Starting with a lower size guide comb will limit your ability to make size adjustments in case you do something wrong or need to shorten the hair slightly.
Lastly, Cut Against the Grain of Your Hair – In doing so, you’ll end up with an evenly-sized haircut. Trimming along your grain or cowlicks will lead to uneven hair sizes; leaving you with a patchy haircut resembling a soccer ball or something.

Easy, right?

Conclusion

The bottom line is that you don’t have to visit a barber to keep your hair and beard looking neat and fresh. All you need is a little skill, the right tools, and products to do a proper DIY haircut.

But remember to use tools that you are comfortable with and avoid overusing hair products among other hair care mistakes made by most men. Stick to one or two products that work best with your hair type, length, and style. Good luck!

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