How To Do A Boy's Haircut With Clippers - Frugal Fun For Boys

Even if you haven’t cut hair before, it’s not difficult to learn to cut boys’ hair at home with clippers, and it saves a lot of money!

With a family of seven, we have to be thrifty. Let’s face it – big families cost money, and we’re always looking to do things the frugal way where we can. One way that we have saved a LOT of money over the years is by cutting hair at home. I have been cutting my husband’s hair since we got married (13 years ago!) and all of the boys’ hair from about age 2 1/2 and up. (I like to hang on to the baby hair as long as possible, so when they were babies they would get a trim when I got my hair cut!)

Let’s do the math… 5 haircuts x $10 per haircut (Jordan’s might be slightly more and the kids might be less, but let’s estimate) = $50 a month saved. That’s $600 a year!

It’s also a time savings. I can cut hair in about 10 minutes per person, and the clean up just takes a few minutes. If Jordan finds out he has an important meeting at work, I can cut his hair at the last minute the night before. There’s no time spent driving somewhere and waiting our turn.

A good clipper set is worth the investment, especially if you will be cutting hair for several people in your family. We paid about $75 for a Wahl brand clipper set that came with a small trimmer, and it lasted about 7 years. When it died, I replaced it with the set pictured below for under $40 at Target, and it is not the same. It does not cut as evenly, and I can tell it will not last long. My next investment will be a $100 Oster brand clipper, but that will pay for itself in only two months!

The guards are the same for each set no matter what brand you buy.

#1 – 1/8th inch

#2 – 1/4th inch

#3 – 3/8th inch

#4 – 1/2 inch

#6 – 3/4th inch

#8 – 1 inch

Here is Aidan’s hair before the haircut. I’ll explain my method for cutting hair, and then there is a video at the bottom of the post that will show it a little better.

In the summer, I usually do a #2 on the back and sides of the boys’ hair and a #6 on the top. I blend the two lengths with a #3 all the way around the head. In the winter, we usually leave it a little longer and do a #3 on the back and sides, #8 on top, and blend with a #4.

If you simply cut with the clippers and stop there, the haircut will still look a little “home done.” Touching up around the ears, sideburns, and the back of the neck with a trimmer makes it look SO much better!

I trim around the ears with scissors:

And then trim the sideburns in a straight line: (Look at the child from the front while doing this to make sure they are the same length! Ha!)

The finished haircut looks so much better! Aidan added a little gel.

(I can’t believe how grown up he looks! He’s turning 11 next month, which makes me feel quite old.)

The back is so much neater.

Tips for Cutting Hair at Home:

• Cut hair in the backyard or the garage to cut down on mess. Or cut hair in the bathroom. Our bathroom is very small, so we actually just do the kitchen.

• You don’t need to wet the hair first to cut with clippers. In fact, wet hair is harder to cut. We can’t cut hair outside in the summer because the boys get super sweaty in two minutes. Ugh.

• You can purchase a hair cutting cape at a beauty supply store.

• Don’t ever cut hair while your child is wearing polyester pajamas! The hair will never, ever come out! (We had to throw the pajamas away…)

• Getting a hair stuck in the bottom of your foot hurts like crazy! I usually sweep the hair up, wait a while, and then sweep again. Sometimes the hair is too statically charged to be picked up the first time around. If the broom doesn’t cut it, a quick mopping job with a damp cloth will pick up the hair.

• For kids who hate getting their hair cut… We’re not above candy as bribes! Our boys know they can have one of those Dum Dum lollypops when they’re done. It also might help to put on a movie to watch while you cut. For Jonathan (age 2), I just cut the whole head one length so I can get done really quickly.

Video Tutorial

This video is not professionl quality, but hopefully it will give you a better idea of how to cut hair!