Updated! Originally published June 23, 2014.
Over the weekend, the boys in our family (my husband and four boys) got much-needed haircuts. It probably won’t surprise you that we take care of these haircuts ourselves at home.
Cutting our family’s hair happens to be a family tradition. Growing up, my mom always cut my hair and my siblings’ hair. My mom is talented at everything creative and artsy, so even when we were older my sisters and I trusted her to cut our hair.
My husband also grew up in a family where his mom cut all the kids’ hair. When he got older he learned to cut his own hair. To this day, my husband has never paid for a haircut.
Saving Money
How much you can save depends on how much you spend!
How much do your spend monthly or yearly on haircuts in your family?
Having never paid for a men’s/boys’ haircut, here’s a rough estimate. If I paid $10 per haircut (that’s a low guess) for each of my boys (husband and 4 sons) every month, that would be $600 per year.
The clippers easily pay for themselves after one hair cutting session at our house!
And that’s just the for the boys. There’s also two daughters and me. Girls’ and women’s haircuts are more expensive, though they may not be as frequent.
Crunch a few numbers and see how much you could save by cutting your family’s hair.
Investments
The investment to cut your own hair is pretty minimal. It will pay for itself in a haircut or two. For girls’ hair, you’ll need a pair of basic, affordable haircutting scissors
For men and boys’ hair you’ll probably want clippers. My mom always cut my brother’s hair with scissors, but it takes more skill. Probably the best clippers are the ones your grandma used to cut your dad’s hair. They were made to last for generations and actually do!
If you didn’t inherit any clippers, there are many affordable name brand hair clippers on the market. Wahl, the classic brand your grandma’s clippers were, makes a very affordable set (currently priced at under $40 on Amazon) that consistently receives great reviews.
Learning
If you’re new to cutting hair, be brave and give it a try. Between blog tutorials and YouTube videos, you have plenty of instruction at your finger tips. The best thing about hair is that it grows back. Even if you make a mistake, you’ll have another chance to try in a couple of weeks!
If you start cutting your children’s hair when they are young, your skills will increase as their awareness increases. When they’re young, they couldn’t care less about what their hair looks like. If you tell them they look good, they will believe you! We have teenagers now but we’re still doing haircuts at home. My oldest son will show Mike a picture of a haircut he wants and Mike does a pretty good job at figuring out how to make it happen thanks to lots of years of practice.
Is it Worth it to YOU?
For some people, paying big bucks to get their hair cut (and colored, styled, etc) at the salon is worth every penny. It’s their form of self-care. That’s fine! We all have things that we’re willing to give up and things we just don’t want to sacrifice. If you are trying to find ways to reduce your spending in order to reach your financial goals, cutting your family’s hair at home is a great way to save money.
How About You?
- How much and how often do you pay for haircuts?
- Do you (or have you) cut your family’s hair to save money?
(top photo) All my kids came out with a head-full of hair, but this little guy takes the cake. He got his first haircut at 4 months (but obviously needed it much sooner).
(bottom photo) It took me a while to decide to finally cut my daughter’s hair. I didn’t want to cut off her cute little baby curls for fear they wouldn’t grow back (they didn’t). Finally, just before she turned three I cut her hair for the first time.
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Saw this as a new post and I had to chuckle. I grew up in a family of five children, one of 4 girls and one brother. We never went to the salon or barber shop. My mom would cut our hair, just straight across the bottom of our long hair with sewing scissors. My brother got crewcuts from my dad and mom cut his with clippers. My oldest sister too over cutting my mom’s hair when she was a teen. I did try going to the salon when I was an adult, but the results weren’t worth the money.
My last husband died of cancer 8 years ago and being he was mostly bald I would run the clippers over his head every few weeks. My current husband that I met a couple years ago let me cut his hair after we had been dating for a couple weeks. He bought me a good pair of hair shears though before he left me cut his hair, he sad no to craft shears, and I couldn’t use his left handed hair shears. My first couple attempts needed minor correction, but by the third haircut, I was confident and did a great job. After the first time I cut his, I mentioned that I hadn’t trimmed my hair in close to 8 months, I needed a trim. So I took a seat on the stool and had him trim my long elbow length hair. He did a great job, and does every time. We are both retired, own the home, so we are doing well financially, but I enjoy cutting his hair, and I enjoy the attention I get with the bonding time with him trimming my hair, knowing that I don’t need to worry about it getting cut too short or cut badly. It does save us hundreds of dollars a year and it is very convenient. A great money saving skill to learn.
Great article, Stephanie! As a barber, I completely agree that cutting your family’s hair can save a lot over time, especially with a large family like yours. It’s amazing how simple investments in clippers or scissors can pay off quickly. While professional cuts offer a more polished finish, at-home haircuts are perfect for maintaining basic styles and can be a fun bonding activity. For those looking to save, learning basic cutting techniques is a great way to stretch your budget without sacrificing style!
I was thinking of getting my hair cut short a few years ago, but didn’t like the thought of paying for frequent haircuts. I now wear it in a variety of up and back styles (depending on occasion), and only have to trim the ends occasionally. I keep it about upper back, which means I can bring the hair forward and do it myself, but it’s not so long to be unwieldy.
A woman maintaining a short cut is not as difficult now as a few years back, since the current short crops are easy to duplicate at home.
After I have cut a woman’s or girl’s hair short, they have usually kept their hair short. Though granted, the girls/teenagers I have cut, their mom has directed the short cut, so I am not sure just how willing the girls are to having their looks updated.
I was cutting my wife’s hair long before Covid, but since Covid, she refuses to go to a salon. There was a big YouTube trend on Covid cuts at home, I wonder how many women are still getting home cuts?
I did a google search for “bangs scissor” and it came up with a lot of stuff, mostly ads. And one website listed “bargain” shears starting at only $129. Too expensive for my taste. I use a small pair of hair shears, 3.5 inch from Sally’s that cost about $18 to do my S&D on split ends between trims. From what I read, that is what is recommended for bang maintenance. Small sharp shears with thin blades. I cannot imagine anyone seriously thinking that using the kitchen or paper scissors is a good idea.
I would say that sharp is key! Just like I don’t let my kids (or husband) use my fabric scissors on anything but fabric, our hair scissors are exclusively for hair. 🙂
Another option is to use small “peanut” clippers for bangs. Peanut clippers are really versatile gizmos to have around. Great for shaping necklines and creating clean lines over the ears, they can also precisely trim bangs and be used in areas whe standard clippers are too big or awkward.
I used to pay for everything. Other people did everything for me and my family. Then, four years ago I started homeschooling, growing our own food among other things. Cutting my husband’s and 2 son’s hair was part of the deal. I’d add is so much easier when you have regular hair scissors and also bang scissors! With the latter you get the bangs look and a salon finish so easily. I also cut my hair and mine is curly and I also have bangs for when I blow dry it straight…is hard to mess up when you have those… bang scissors are amazing!
That’s awesome! I didn’t even know there were special scissors for bangs!
Why do you think women are more reluctant to have their hair cut at home than men? The thoughtful posts here tend toward men and boys being cut at home, but daughters and moms getting their’s done outside. Yet women’s salon visits can get pretty pricey pretty fast.
I would agree that women get freaked out because they have been indoctrinated that they need to go the salon and spend money. I have been getting mine cut by my boyfriend for years now. Better than I ever got in the salon. But he respects me as a woman, admires my long hair and doesn’t want me to look like a guy. However if he decided he was going to shear me like a sheep, well he would not get near my hair with clippers or shears and I would tell him to leave. I will not be submitted to a weird fetish thing and look like a world war 2 NAZI collaborator.
Hi Cheryl;
No argument that if couples decide that one will cut the other’s hair, the resulting style has to meet the approval of the recipient of the cut.
In my case, when I cut the hair of the woman who became my wife on our third date, she had kept her hair long for simplicity – it was easier to have long hair than to cope with getting it cut every month if it were short. So she agreed to a short cut with the understanding that if screwed something up, I would be responsible for any professional correction.
With variations, she has been in some form a a pixie since. We have let it grow back to her shoulders, and cut it short again. And she knows that all things being equal, short hair is more attractive to me than long hair.
For me, short hair does not equate to being shaved. And while she give me a lot of leeway in deciding the cut, she _does_ like to know what the planned cut will be.
It is interesting, however, to look at how this discussion is shaping. It is accepted that a woman can cut a man’s hair and there is no question concerning the activity. It is simply a way to save time and money.
But if a man cuts a woman’s hair, suddenly we are in the realm of discussing if a man is in some way imposing his will on the woman.
I have read many internet posts in which a woman is perfectly happy to cut her husband’s or boyfriend’s hair, but will run if the the husband or boyfriend picks up the scissors.
I started out cutting my sister’s bangs – she was having a problem getting them even. That evolved to complete cuts since she hated going to the blue hair shop my mother took her to. Eventually, I was cutting my mother’s hair also. I made a few bucks in college cutting coed’s hair – if a beer can be considered payment. And I probably would have gone on to cut hair professionally if I didn’t love working on newspapers more.
So now it is a hobby I enjoy, it saves my wife the hassle of driving ten miles to the nearest salon, and yes, we save a few bucks in the process.
Ok, when you mentioned running the clippers up the back of her head and around her ears when her hair was mid back, it seemed really scary to me. As you mentioned it is very important that the giver and recipient agree on how the haircut is to be done before any cutting starts. My guy like my hair long, like I do. So when he cuts my hair, it is a minimal trim to remove split and damaged ends and keep it looking neatly trimmed.
While you mentioned a lot of women would not reciprocate in allowing their guy to cut their hair, I do think it partly because some men do not think it is manly to cut their woman’s hair or the guy won’t put forth the effort to do the job properly. And yes there is narcissism among women who spend excessive time with curling irons, blow dryers, flat irons, etc on permed and colored hair and therefore figure their guy could not do a proper job, because they won’t even give him a chance. I have had a lot of disappointments in the salon, but am smart enough to put the blame on laziness and sloppy work rather than think that cutting hair is just that difficult to do. When my boyfriend first started cutting my hair, I admit I was nervous when I heard the first few snips. But after he combed down the sections and I could see he was very detailed, I enjoyed the attention he was giving me. He is very patient, doesn’t yank my hair and I have gotten him to learn different braids which he does for me. He is not insecure about his manhood and he has braided my hair in public. Most reactions have been positive. One lady said she was impressed seeing him give me a Dutch braid, and another said, I’m next. So I am very comfortable with my guy doing my hair whether it is a braid or a haircut, and I would feel like I was cheating on him if I let someone else cut my hair. And I know women that think it is great that my guy cuts my hair for me. He has cut hair for his ex-wife and prior girlfriends. So he has given a lot of different haircuts, to include teaching me how to cut my boys’ hair with both scissors as well as the clippers. So I don’t think your experience is odd, just the drastic change and your statement about a shaved nape. I do see women who wear their hair cut quite short, that while I do not find it attractive, if their guys do, there is no reason why they too cannot save time and money by taking a seat and letting their guy cut their hair after bragging how smart they are to be able to cut their guys’ hair and how much money they are saving. And frankly once these women get over themselves, they would find not only are they saving money, they can get a better haircut and actually enjoy the one-on-one time.
Cheryl;
My first marriage taught me to talk about hair preferences early on…yeah, it seems silly, but…. My first wife had waist-length hair that she would NOT cut. I am not saying that insisting that she keep her hair long led to the breakup, but it did lead to a lot of misunderstandings.
So I talked about my preference with my current wife early on, and cut it on our third date, as I mentioned earlier. Not as weird as it sounds, I knew my wife for about a a year before we started dating, and she knew I cut hair, for I was cuttting hair for women while we were in grad school together.
When we were negotiating her change to a short cut – she had never had it short before – the main reason she said she had kept it long was simplicity. It was easier to pull it into a ponytail than have a style that required trips to the salon every month. So she asked if I cut it short, who would maintain it?
I said I would – and that was essentially a proposal of marriage for then we decided to be together. If I cut her hair short, and I committed to keeping it short, I was going to be in her life, and she in mine.
She was very relaxed with most of the cut – her long hair was inconvenient when working with her horses and so forth, and she became tense only when the clippers were used. While I said that her hair would be in short layers,with the back cut short and the sides off her ears, I neglected the detail that I would be using clippers. So she had this vision of ending up with a crew cut.
But cutting her hair is a quiet time for us when we can be together and catch up on all the details of lives that somehow one doesn’t have time to discuss in other conversation. Women do love to confide in their stylist, even if the stylist is her husband. And that has some benefits also. Things said “under the cape” have a certain immunity, for while I am her husband cutting her hair, I am also a bit of a confessor where she can discuss issues she is having with her husband, or parts of her life her husband may not know about, knowing at some point her husband will respond.
Now this is a generalization, but I would guess that women are pickier about their haircut being just so, than men are. I, personally, am not as particular about my hair as most women. I totally trust my husband to at least trim my hair. My hair is in the middle of my back and would be pretty hard to mess up. 🙂
I don’t imagine that I would take my daughter to a salon. My mom always cut our hair, so I just plan on doing the same with my kids.
At what point do you think your kids will be able to make decisions about their hair? Length, cut, whether mom continues to do hair or they want to go to a salon?
My mom always decided the cuts for my two sisters. I started cutting their hair when my cuts were preferred over the stylist my mom was taking them to. They both still had their hair short, but my short cuts were more in the current decade than mom’s stylist. I started cutting mom’s hair after she got a horrid cut from her stylist and I ended up fixing it.
I DO agree that women, in general, are far more sensitive about their hair than men. I think this is due in large part to the societal pressure, the Pantene commercials and being convinced that men only like long, lustrous locks. And the more expensive the cut, the better it is.
And in this environment, the idea of the husband or boy friend saying “Honey, sit down, its time to cut your hair” perhaps offers too many flashbacks of when mom said the same thing and the girl got bangs chopped unevenly to the top of her hairline.
I live in a small town in SE Ohio. The local paper ran pictures of the new high school cheerleading squad (yes, it is that kind of town, and that kind of newspaper ). ALL the girls had exactly the same hair – just below the shoulders with side-swept bangs.
And a general question to you ladies who are having your husband/boy friend cut your hair: Who determines when it is time for a cut and how much is being cut? Does the husband/BF mention your hair is needing a cut, or do youall ask your resident stylists to cut your hair?
Do your stylists express preferences or ask you to consider options?
I plan on continuing to be the barber for my kids as long as I would be the one paying for the haircuts. If when my children get older, have a job and want to pay for their own haircut, that will be their business. But once they lay out their own money and find they can get as good, if not better from Mom, I expect I will get visits even after they are grown and out of the house to get their haircuts from their barber Mom 🙂 right now they want their hair short and I decide when their hair needs to be cut, but when they get older they will decide when they want their hair cut and how they want it cut. I remember my Mom being controlling and not letting me have a say about my hair until I was in my teens. I cried going to the salon and after for days. I don’t want to have that experience with my children. I know how important hair can be to their self image. I am very picky about how my hair looks. As I mentioned earlier, my guy cuts my hair. I tell him when I want it trimmed and we figure out when in our schedule to do it. I enjoy having him comb my hair and making sure it looks right, I don’t want him to rush through it. And of course I get my braid of choice afterwards. Yes, I am spoiled, and I love how good my hair looks.
I gave my wife her first short haircut on our third date – it was mid-back length and did nothing for her face shape. She only started quivering when I used clippers on her nape and over her ears. I have been cutting her hair ever since, and nothing looks nicer on a woman than a freshly-clipped nape!
Ladies, if you cut your guys’ hair to save money, you should get sheared at home also! Although it takes a bit of knowledge and practise to cut a woman’s hair, the skills are not difficult to pick up. Haircutting guides are available at the library or on YouTube.
That’s awesome Martin. I think it’s less common for a husband to cut his wife’s hair than vice versa, but it definitely can be done! That’s great that you do it!
Three weeks after I gave my first haircuts to my boys. I am looking at the boy’s hair and see it is touching their ears. I left it a little longer on the sides because I did not want them looking like NAZI skinheads like they did leaving the barbershop. I took the scissors to touch up around their ears. My boyfriend said I am hooked, you are a perfectionist and you will make things right for everything under my control. So I guess haircuts will move from six weeks to monthly. I guess I am ok with that as I will get more experience and I will have less drama with haircuts as there will not be drastic shaving. The boys will get used to more regular haircuts and feel less violated with minimal trims. I looked at a few more YouTube videos and I think I will try a more complex trimming method with the clippers. Has anyone else found that after you mastered a couple haircuts, you feel more confident as well as more observant? When I paid for the boys haircuts I put up with less than perfect, but when I am wielding the shears and clippers, I just feel I need to keep it just right.it isn’t costing me $30+ a pop each time. So did this happen to anyone else? Or I am I an oddball? I do like getting my ends trimmed with minimal taken off so I can’t even notice it, so maybe it is not so bad. It was a big step for me to start cutting the boys hair at home, so to me it means in need to do a great job each time to keep them happy with Mom as their personal stylist.
Good for you Cheryl! I think it’s awesome that you want to learn fancier styles now! I think after some success with any new skill (hair cutting included) you feel more confident and are more observant. I’m sure some of it is personality too though!
Hello! I LOVE your post about cutting your own child’s hair…My son is African American and I’d have to take him to the barber every two weeks for a hair cut. When he was born, I swore that I’d never do that because of the cost I’d be racking up. So I cut his hair with a clippers every two weeks on my own. Now, we don’t do anything fancy and he’s basically bald by the end of the cut. But that is the “in” style for African American men, so it really doesn’t matter. I would highly recommend any Mom or Dad to invest in the time to learn how to cut their own child’s hair!
You get lots of experience with haircuts every two weeks Cara! That also means you’re saving even more money! 🙂 Way to go!
My son is 11 months and I’ve already trimmed his hair several times. I fully intend on being his barber/stylist for the remainder of his younger years 🙂 You’re right, it’s only hair!
That’s great Lauren! It will save you so much money!
I’ve been thinking of trying my hand at cutting my boys’ hair, but I’m way too scared I will really ruin it. I’m talking massive chunks of hair missing type ruin it. Maybe I will take your advice and watch some YouTube videos to build my confidence.
You can do it! With clippers, at least, it’s hard to mess it up too much!
I’m a cosmetologist and I’m actually really surprised at how many people don’t cut their kids hair or do the easy haircuts at home, instead bringing kids to the salon even for their first haircuts! I cut all of my family’s hair (seems to be the de facto job of any cosmetologist). My husband likes his hair cut every three weeks, and used to spend $11 including tip (a lot of people who bring their kids in for cuts don’t seem to remember that tips are a big part of how stylists earn their income). I also trim my own bangs, color my hair when I was coloring it, and I’ve cut my hair before…though I’m planning on a major haircut in July and I’ll go to the salon for that–I don’t recommend cutting your own hair when you want a drastic style change! 🙂
That’s such a useful skill! I can totally understand having someone else do a major style change for you. Good luck!
I use clippers for my husband and son, but have yet to cut my daughter’s hair. Her hair grows VERY slowly, so I have not had to do much and she has short hair after only 3 or 4 trims at age 4. I always cut my sons on the shortest so I can do it less often and am lucky that his hair lays so nicely that I can’t really mess up. He is 2 and a half though and does NOT like the clippers noise, so wrestling him during cuts is a little tricky. #SITSSharefest
When our boys were younger, my husband would let them hold the clippers before he started. He’d warn them of the noise and then turn them on. That way they knew to expect the noise and were familiar with the object that would be making the noise, rather than have all the surprises come from behind.
My boyfriends mum used to cut his hair, I’m a bit too scared to do it though. If it were just shaving with clippers it would be ok but he likes his hair a bit longer. Maybe one day I’ll work up the courage.
As for my hair, I do get it cut, usually <$50 a trip and I'm too lazy to get it trimmed all the time, I usually cut it once every 6 months.
Scissors take a little more skill than clippers, at least to get a consistent length. Maybe his mom can teach you!
Yep! I helped cut my brothers’ and dad’s hair since I was 12 and now cut my husband’s hair. I think a lot of people don’t realize how easy it is and how much money it saves!
Wow you had a young start (and very trusting family)! It really is easier than people might think though.
Well I did it! Today I gave both of my boys a haircut. Last time I took them to the barber I was not happy with the results. The hair was not cut evenly and I asked my boyfriend who cuts my hair to fix them. So earlier this week I looked at the boys and said, “This week you are getting haircuts”. I wanted to wait until they were out of school before I tried doing it myself. I checked out a couple Youtube videos first and felt I was ready to take the plunge as a mother who cuts her children’s hair.
My youngest went first. I was a little nervous as I put the 1/2″ attachment on the clippers and turned them on. My boyfriend coached me on technique and supervised, giving me tips along the way. Well it was not hard. I wanted the younger one to have it shorter for the summer, so it was pretty much same length all over. Afterwards I took the attachment off and trimmed the sideburns and neckline. Scissors around the ears. It looked great. Then the older one, he wanted to keep it longer on top, so I clippered the sides, and then did scissor over comb cutting on top. My boyfriend did most of that. I did the sideburns and the neckline like my younger. OK, both were done. Brushed each off and then into the showers to rinse off the loose hair. After their hair dried I followed up to inspect my work. A few stray hairs needed attention, but I was extremely pleased with the result. My older son’s hair looked great, better than what he got at the barber shop.
My younger one kept looking in the mirror and saying he looked handsome 🙂 I did it, no mess ups and I saved $30 for the two haircuts, plus time and travel. The results were great and I figure at roughly 10 haircuts each a year, I will save $300 a year plus time and fuel costs. Afterwards my mother saw the boys and complimented how nice their haircuts looked. She was surprised when I told her I (with a little help) did them. Needless to say I will not be taking them back to the barber anytime soon when I can get better results at home 🙂 .
Congratulations! What a wonderful success story Cheryl!! Thank you for sharing. That makes for a nice annual savings!
The annual savings thing really is important to me. I fugured $30 a pop including tip for the two boys plus tranportation costs of $15 round trip monthly. So that is $450. My hair being cut by my boyfriend every other month saves me $50 including tip plus $15 transportation costs, that is close to $400. So over $900 a year of my income is alot of money I am saving that could be spent on groceries, clothes, etc. These are real savings, not I “saved” $ off the price of a shirt that was on sale that I bought because it is on sale. I am also very pleased with the result. It had to look good or I don’t think I could continue to do it. My boys’ haircuts came out great! And my boyfriend always does a great job cutting my hair. Discussing the savings with a couple ladies at work, they were impressed at the amount I am now saving, as well as how good the haircuts were, I showed them pics and of course they have seen mine 🙂 One asked if I (and my boyfriend) would be willing to show her how to cut her daughter’s and son’s hair. She said she thinks she could do it and definitely could use the savings as well. She said that she would be very hesitant to ask her husband to cut her hair, but she asked if it would be OK with me if she asked my boyfriend if he could cut hers while we were showing her how to do her children. It really is a great skill to learn and sav money 🙂
That’s an amazing savings for you Cheryl! I love that you are sharing your ideas and skills with friends so that they can save too! Thanks for sharing!
I should cut my daughter’s hair but I’m really no good at it. I have tried cutting her fringe a few times and it ended up so high up her forehead, I felt so bad afterwards! I didn’t realise there were tutorials on Youtube though, I’ll have to check them out. Thanks for sharing!
I always err on the side of cutting too little, especially with bangs since they often spring/bounce up. Also, if you plan on curling them, they’ll need to be a little longer.
Your kids are adorable! I only get my haircut once a year, but I recently got bangs so need to learn how to cut them myself. Thanks for the tips! I really don’t like spending money on beauty stuff, especially while climbing out of debt.
You can definitely do bangs yourself! Just take off a little at a time. You can always cut more off, but you can’t put it back (though bangs do grow fast)!
You are a brave woman! I don’t trust myself to cut my own hair – or even my husband’s for that matter. But I would definitely consider cutting my girl’s hair. The oldest has hair nearly to her waist, so it would be pretty simple. The two year old isn’t getting a haircut yet. Like you, I don’t want to lose those baby curls!
It is hard to cut those baby curls, but I liked the bob cut too. I saved the curls for her and but them in a shadow box for her.
I’m new to your blog but have been really enjoying following it so far. I have been cutting my husband’s hair for a few years now, but this weekend I took the plunge and did my son’s too. I used scissors and a good YouTube video and it turned out really well! I would even go so far as to say I enjoyed doing it!
Thank you for all your inspirational posts.
That’s great Kerry! I’m glad the first time went well!!
Your sons face is absolutely priceless, and adorable! I started cutting my boyfriends hair a year ago, mostly because I had seen a great tutorial on YouTube featuring his hairstyle. I’ve been doing it ever since. I use scissors, and it creates quite a mess, but we’re trying to perfect that as his hair grows really fast, and generally needs a cut once a month. I would like to learn how to cut my own hair; I haven’t gotten it cut in a while as I don’t feel like paying $35 for a trim.
I wish I could cut my hair and my daughter’s – I wouldn’t try cutting my husband’s because he’s so particular! (He’s the one that goes to get his cut the most often too – about every 5-6 weeks). I wish he’d cut mine – it’s easy, just cut as straight across the back as possible – I just trim off dead ends every 6 months for mine. I cut my daughter’s bangs once when she was little, and I haven’t been allowed to cut her hair since 🙁 She just came home with lice yesterday though, and I might try my hand again (and if my husband complains, he can pay for her hair cut out of *his* fun money 🙂 )
I would be a little scared of cutting my husband’s hair — he’s got so much of it, and it’s so curly, that I’d be worried about accidentally cutting off an ear! Something to think about, though . . .
Ha, funny…it’s a family tradition for me too. My grandfather (who was a jack of all trades in a little European town)..cut all the hair for the men in town, he was the vet and the dentist too..LOL. After he got to old to cut hair, my Mom took over cutting all the men’s hair. I cut my own hair (lucky it’s curly and doesn’t need to be perfect)…and have always cut my 3 boys’ hair and now I cut hubby’s hair too. He tells me all the time how much better it looks than it did when he went to pay a pro to do it! LOL
Wow! Cutting hair, vet, and dentist– that’s quite a combination! That’s a great compliment from your hubby!
My husband also ALWAYS has cut his own hair, and our son’s hair. Every few years the clippers do need to be replaced, and we do find the brands you mentioned above, but usually at Marshalls. For those who peruse that store often (I know you don’t), you can usually find them once in awhile for 10-13 dollars. My daughter never wanted her hair cut until last summer, just before she turned 4. We did take her to a salon and she also lost most of her baby curls. She still has only ever had that one haircut, and loves her long hair. Whenever it’s humid/rainy out, her curls come back for the day! 🙂
My daughter has long hair too, going for the Rapunzel look! 🙂 She’s only had one haircut too! That’s a great deal on clippers!
I just gave my first haircut last week. I do need to invest in better clippers but it didn’t turn out to bad. I figure I have the whole summer to practice. 🙂 This will save my family about $60 a month if I can get it down. My mom was a hairdresser so she said she give me a personal tutorial. Great post you stole it right from my head, it was on my to do list!!
That’s great Sarah! That will be a nice savings each month and how cool that your mom can tutor you!
I couldn’t imagine what might happen if I told my 12 and 14 year olds I planned to cut their hair;0) Starting young is a great tip! I have let my hair go back to its natural color to avoid that expense. We also have a friend, who went to school for such a thing, come to our home and cut our hair!
I wouldn’t recommend having teenagers as your guinea pigs! 🙂
I’m still hesitant to cut one of mine’s hair for fear of losing those baby curls, too! Another one of ours was way overdue at six months and needs one monthly ever since. The one to two stage was hardest with the squirming!
Yes! When they are little the squirming is hard. My husband has them sit on his lap while he cuts their hair usually.
My mom used to cut my family’s hair when we were growing up too. She was a hairdresser so it worked out great.
That’s convenient! 🙂
I hate hate hate paying for haircuts… but I do it anyway because I haven’t mustered up the courage to try to cut anyone’s at home yet.
I did once try to cut my teenage niece’s hair by using the ponytail method (put all the hair up in a ponytail and chop it straight across – instant layers!) and it turned out terribly. Maybe because the scissors were just Fiskars craft scissors? At any rate, I only tried it because she was on her way to the hairdresser anyway, so she got it fixed right away!
That’s why it’s great to practice on your kids when they’re little! They’ll still be cute even if you don’t do a perfect job. That was a great idea to try on your niece before she was going to the hairdresser anyway!
I have friends who swear by a similar method: Lean over hold your head upside-down (so your face is looking at your belly) then cut your hair straight across. When you stand up to have instant layers.
Hey Stephanie!
Before we started a family, I actually worked as a Journeyman hairdresser, so I have always cut my kids hair! I don’t work as a hairdresser anymore, so we do it in the garage or on the deck, depending on the season! My husband shaves his head, so I bought him a quality pair of clippers and he takes care of his own! We pay for my haircuts, but I think that I am going to start highlighting my own hair, instead of paying for it. That will save us quite a bit each year. Love the blog! Keep it coming!!
How cool Aspen! That’s a handy skill to have! I bet that really would save a lot if you highlighted your own hair, and I’m sure with your experience you do a great job!
My husband is the one who pays for a haircut every two months or so. I wouldn’t dare to do it myself, as he’s very concerned about his looks and I wouldn’t want to be the one responsible for doing something wrong! I even it out though, by only going once a year, or sometimes longer. Little boy is 18 months old now, and I’m considering paying for a haircut for the first time… he won’t sit still enough anymore (before I did it with his little baby scissors and got very good comments about it) and I would like to see how it’s done before I attempt it myself anymore. He has some cute curls, a kind of movement in his blond hairs that I would want to keep, but we’ll see, he might appreciate something more fresh for summer too… Haha, and your girl’s pictures brought back some traumatizing memories… my mother’s hairdresser refused to cut my hair again for a very long time because I started to cry big tears the first time she did it and my hair was shorter than I wanted. 😀
There are definitely some personalities that would mix well with DIY haircuts at home. My brother-in-law is like that. He has a standing appointment at his barber every 2 weeks!
Baby curls are so precious!
That’s rough on a little girl to have that kind of trauma! 🙂
My second son needed a haircut at 12 weeks!!
I cut all three of my son’s hair, my husband’s, and my dad’s on a frequent basis.
I cut mine every few years.
My mom has yet to take me up on my offer to cut her hair 🙂
That’s awesome Jerilyn! I’ve never cut my mom’s hair either (but I know she has done her own)! I have cut my roommates’ hair when I was in college though!
With hubby and two boys here too, we only have to pay for one haircut (mine)! 🙂
That sounds like a fair trade-off! 🙂