How to Cut Your Own Hair

Cutting your own hair can be a great way to trim a monthly expense from your budget. Since there’s really no way to stop hair from growing – and honestly, why would you want to? – paying someone else to maintain your locks over the years can really add up to a significant, long-term expense.

And, judging by the sheer number of YouTube videos on the subject, many folks seem to be wising up and attempting to do it themselves.

But before you break it off with your stylist, here’s what you need to know about cutting your own hair versus visiting the barber shop.

What Do I Need to Cut My Own Hair?

Though salons may be filled with expensive, high-tech equipment, all you’ll really need to cut your own hair are clippers or a pair of scissors.

Clippers, which are the best tool for cutting men and boy’s hair, can be obtained relatively inexpensively online, and start around the $20 range.

A pair of haircutting scissors and some plastic clips are best for women and girl’s hair, and both items together will cost around 10 bucks. Just ensure you reserve the scissors specifically for haircuts as repeated use will make the blades dull more quickly.

How Do I Get Started Cutting My Own Hair?

Once you’ve obtained the necessary tools, it’s time to grab a willing family member (or yourself) and get snippy with it!

Learning to cut hair is a visual process, so it’s best to take advantage of free tutorial videos available online and watch a haircut step-by-step. You’ll want to re-watch the tutorial videos several times until you feel like you have a strong grasp of the process.

Cutting your own hair does have a learning curve and while your hair may not look perfect your first go-round, the more you do it, the more skilled your cuts will become. And, if you really mess up, take comfort in the fact that hair always grows back!

How Much Can I Save?

Conservatively speaking, men and children’s cuts start at around $10 a month, while a women’s salon cut runs at least $30. Other hidden expenses which aren’t factored in include tips to your stylist and gas to drive to the salon.

So, on the low-end, a family of five can expect to save at least $70 a month by cutting their own hair. That $840+ yearly savings can really add up and is an easy way to slash your monthly budget.

Advantages to the Barber Shop/Salon over Cutting Your Own Hair

While cutting your own hair sounds great in theory, ask yourself, am I prepared to make it through a potentially botched cutting job? Like anything else, hair cutting is a skill which takes time to master. If there’s a school picture day or Christmas pageant on the horizon, it may be best to hold off on attempting your child’s first haircut, until these events have passed.

Likewise, if you’ve got an important meeting or presentation, you may want to wait to cut your own hair, since a bad cut can squash your confidence levels.

Instead, it’s best to attempt to cut your children’s hair during their summer break or your own hair when you have some time off of work, to allow yourself time to perfect the process, or, worst case scenario, for hair to grow back.

If you just don’t have the confidence to go the do it yourself route or life won’t allow for a (potentially) bad first haircut, you may be better off sticking with the salon or barber shop.

Alternatives to Cutting Your Own Hair

If the thought of cutting your own hair makes you too nervous, but you’d still like to save money on your monthly budget, consider some other cost saving alternatives to cutting your own hair.

Scour Craigslist ads, as would-be stylists often advertise for live models when they’re looking to demonstrate their cutting skills for employment at a salon.

Cosmetology schools also offer low cost hair cuts by students who are practicing for their cosmetology license. While they aren’t yet licensed, students are under the watchful eye of an instructor, who observes the haircut and can intervene should anything go awry.

Resources— Six Figures Under, Money Saving Mom

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