Tips for Cutting Your Own Hair?

[Reducto]

I would let mine grow long if it weren't so thick and frizzy. Anything longer than an inch and I start looking like Napoleon Dynamite. I have a Wahl rechargeable trimmer and I just cut it all the same length using the 1/4" attachment. I use two mirrors and do my best when making a nice line at the back, or I just skip that altogether and leave it ragged.

Make sure you get one with a lithium battery! I tried various NiCd and NiMH solutions over the years and they just don't cut it. They don't hold a charge and don't have enough power to cut thick hair.

I can't really say I spend zero on haircuts. The trimmer I like is around $25 and the blades get dull after about 2 years.

 

[DannyB1954]

Whatever clipper guard that I use for my dog, that is good enough for me. My hair is a lot easier to cut. It is much thinner. For the back just rotate the cutter away from the head.

 

[TrainChaser]

Oh, just ask some woman in camp to do it for you. TIP: go with the woman who is quietly confident, and NOT the eager one with the evil grin.

 

[Belinda2]

Stress <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
in your life will make your hair not grow hardly at all.
You could always go back to the >>>>>>>>>>>ball-and-chain world <<<< of non-vandwelling and it probably will stop growing.
Belinda2

 

[vanman2300]

As soon as I retired I stopped cutting mine. Eventually it got long enough to put into a pony tail and with it pulled back that way it doesn't look like you have long hair at all, it's neat and tight against your scalp. Once it's all into the pony tail it's easy to cut to the length you want to keep it at that length. You just grab it and cut it yourself or anybody can do that for you and not mess it up.

Unless you just hate the look of a pony tail it is by far the EASIEST way to take care of your hair.
Bob

I like the idea of letting it grow. It might be a great way to hide my bald spot so I don't have to keep insisting to those who notice it that it is in fact my personal solar panel

 

[ArtW]

Over the years I've used 2 methods
Back when I had hair on top, and an ego, I would, with hair wet from the shower, brush it all forward and cut it so it couldn't obscure my face, then when I brushed it back it was 'layered'
Nowadays I just put a 3/8 or 1/2 inch guard on the electric clipper
oddly, I seem to be pretty good at trimming the back even when I can't find a 2nd mirror

 

[TrainChaser]

Belinda2: "Stress ... in your life will make your hair not grow hardly at all. You could always go back to the ball-and-chain world of non-vandwelling and it probably will stop growing."

That idea, unfortunately, simply isn't reliable. I finally found a woman who cuts hair beautifully. She did a great job, and then I worked for two years at a very strange Native American casino; the same day I quit that job, I got another one that was run by psychpaths, and had to work for them for 6.5 years.

If you're theory was reliable, my lovely haircut would have lasted 8.5 years, and IT DIDN'T EVEN COME CLOSE!

 

[mayble]

I'm fortunate to have rather curly hair - I can cut it myself and you can't tell whether it's straight or not.
The only problem is that I can't see/reach the back, so after a while I end up with a mullet and have to go get it cut by a pro

 

[Suanne]

Since it's been over 2 1/2 years since I posted in this thread, I thought I'd give an update. 

So far, I've found keeping my hair short all around has been the easiest method of hair care.  I have a Philips Norelco Do-It-Yourself Hair Clipper that works great.  It's rechargeable and has a swivel head to more easily cut the back and sides.  I used the attachment that leaves about 1.25" of hair length.  Hair maintenance was very easy.  But, I don't especially like how I look in such a short cut.

About 3 years ago I started to let my hair grow out.  I finally got it to one length all around, several inches below my shoulders.  But, to keep it out of my face and eyes, I kept it pulled back all of the time.  The look ended up to be very similar to when my hair was cut very short; a look I didn't especially like on myself.  Plus, it was much more difficult to wash and maintain than the very short cut.

A couple of months ago I started to look around for DIY cuts and found something I wanted to try.   This is the method that I used:

I like this cut a lot better on me.  My hair is just thicker, more wavy, and grayer than the woman pictured here.   Although a lot of hair got cut off, it's almost the same length as it was before, just layered.  Even with my hair pulled back, the bangs soften the look which I like better.   And, because layering makes for less hair, maintenance is easier.  Not as easy as the very short cut, but easier than when it was all one length.

 

[ArtW]

That method is very similar to the one i was trying to describe, as how I used to do it, but with a bit more thought in selecting the length, very cool
I does work well, if you like longer hair, don't it?

 

[anewbiewannabe]

Speaking of longer hair, anyone have tips for cutting longer hair off a few inches in a nomad situation? Especially for someone who can't keep her arms up for a long period?

 

[arctic cat]

I'm pretty lucky that right after I got in the Army I started cutting other people hairs, and then I was brave enough to cut my own by using mirrors.  Now and 32 years later I can actually take some clipper and cut my own hair and taper it in about 7 to 10 minutes without using any mirrors, by just feeling my head, I do so every 2 to 3 weeks.  What ever you do used a good set of clipper and keep them well oil.  Spare parts are readily available online.

 

[rvpopeye]

I just keep it all the same length,,,,,,,zero inches!
All I need is a very small amount of shampoo and a disposable Bic.........

I can walk right up to old friends and none of them know who I am !!!!!

 

[anewbiewannabe]

I can walk right up to old friends and none of them know who I am !!!!!

You mean they don't recognize your pipe or the anchor tattoo on your bicep?
skuh kuh kuh kuh

 

[Preach]

MARINE CORP HIGH AND TIGHT...EASY PEASY

 

[MT RV Dreamer]

Bob, I agree.  Longer hair is much easier to manage than short.  Maybe not as comfortable but more economical and versatile.

This is totally off topic, but I love your images of the states you've visited, so cool!
B

 

[Solitary Spell]

... A couple of months ago I started to look around for DIY cuts and found something I wanted to try.   This is the method that I used:

I like this cut a lot better on me.  My hair is just thicker, more wavy, and grayer than the woman pictured here.   Although a lot of hair got cut off, it's almost the same length as it was before, just layered.  Even with my hair pulled back, the bangs soften the look which I like better.   And, because layering makes for less hair, maintenance is easier.  Not as easy as the very short cut, but easier than when it was all one length.

Suanne, someone I met recently said she does the same thing. Question: it looks like the model in this photo series cut the hair perfectly straight and then points the scissors directly into the end and snips for the layering? Is that what you do?? Thanks for the post!

 

[Suanne]

Yes, that's exactly what I did. I did it all the way around the end of the cut pony tail, not just in the middle. It "feathers" the ends so as not to show any crooked lines. Since the illustration shows two frames of doing that, I took that to mean that it's more than just a few snips.

 

[MrNoodly]

I just keep it all the same length,,,,,,,zero inches!
All I need is a very small amount of shampoo and a disposable Bic.........

Yeah. Since my genes have taken about a third of my hair already, I get out the clippers about once a month and buzz off the rest of it. The only tricky part is making sure I don't miss a spot in the back. Washing my hair is just a matter of continuing on from my face.

 

[Headache]

Since this seems to be something people would like access to I'll bring my kit with me when I come down to AZ if I have room.  A very long time ago I went to cosmetology school and I still occasionally color and perm as well but I don't see that being remotely convenient to do in the desert.  I DO NOT have a license so charging a price would be a jerk move on my part but am open to gifts, bartering and other types of cheap horsetrading if you are satisfied with your cut.  I would be particularly interested in meeting those who can do simple and durable braiding as I can't keep my arms up long enough to do good tight braids.

My "specialty" is long hair because I can trim it without taking off 10" of your locks(unless your split ends are so bad your ends look like steel wool, we'll talk) however I can do short cuts without it looking like I used a bowl.  All cuts will be basic layers, trims and such just to keep it fair.  Anything specialty or if you have particularly difficult whorls and cowlicks I recommend you go into town.  I haven't competed, cut on a regular basis nor kept up with the latest do's for almost 40 years.

Sorry to my Leatherneck and other military partners in crime but high and tights and other forms of buzz cuts just weren't my thing.  Although I have used electric clippers they aggravate my wrists so it just wasn't something I got into perfecting and probably best that I avoid.

Why did I quit beauty school?  I wasn't much of a gossip, I wasn't excited by the latest Cyndi Lauper hair and realized I preferred driving big trucks.

As far as tips the most important ones are:

Eat an optimally nutritional diet and drink lots of water(stay hydrated).  Your hair is one of the many ways your body gets rid of "trash".  The healthier you eat the healthier your scalp is and the stronger your hair grows.  This makes cutting it so much easier and if you just go au natural it looks so much better.

Keep your hair in a manner that keeps your SCALP clean and healthy.  You can't imagine how many people have developed infections on their scalp because they didn't make themselves aware of how their scalp needed to be cared for.  Some people are able to go without shampooing(lucky them) others can't.  Only you are able to determine how to best care for your scalp and hair and that's done through experimentation and paying attention to yourself.

You MUST stay on top of split ends!  If you don't the split keeps traveling up the hair shaft until it breaks.  Sometimes it's as simple as sitting down and trimming off a few splits as they occur.  If you stay ahead of split ends you can extend how long it will be until your next cut and your do will still look decent as it grows out.