Home Haircuts
I want to try and get back on track with our Friday discussions based around The Complete Tightwad Gazette. This week I’m looking at Home Haircutting.
I was a home haircut kid. Which actually worked out okay for me until the teenage years where had I had the benefits of a hairdresser, I might have discovered I have wavy hair a lot sooner than 18 (the first time I went to a “real” hairdresser). Given curly hair was preferred over straight hair in those days, that could have been a real advantage to me.
Farmboy is also a child of “home haircuts”. I’m not sure how he felt about that. Other than the fact that we decided as parents it wasn’t something we were going to “subject” our children to. It was also something I had no faith in myself whatsoever in terms of believing I could do it.
The one day Farmboy decided he wanted a razor cut (short all over) and bought himself a pair of clippers. I paid very little attention to what he was doing. Until he asked ME to cut it. ME? What if I stuff it up?????
Apparently it’s not all that hard to stuff up cutting hair with a set of clippers. But that didn’t stop me being incredibly nervous.
As things turned out, I didn’t stuff it up. And I discovered that I really quite ENJOYED it. Gaining confidence, I started giving Leighton (who was still pretty young at the time) a little bit of a trim up in between visits. I figured this was a good middle ground point. If I could stretch each visit out by trimming his hair myself, we could still get a well styled cut from the hairdresser (giving me lines to follow) and save ourselves some money in the process.
At around 7, Leighton decided he wanted a hairstyle like dad’s. “Short enough that I don’t have to comb it” was his comment.
One day, just before I was about to clipper his hair, I asked Leighton if he minded if I experimented on his hair. I knew that any stuff-ups would soon be removed by the clippers so I took the opportunity to see what would happen if I took scissors and a comb to his head.
It turned out okay. So the same day, I gave Trailer Boy a trim too. He was about 2 at the time and I was quite pleased with the outcome of my efforts.
Now I give each of my children the option each time they need a haircut. I’m not prepared to impose home haircuts on any of them. So far, given the choice, they’ve opted for mum to cut their hair rather than go to a hairdresser.
I do it more for the convenience than the money saving factor, although the money savings are certainly welcome. Cutting my children’s hair gives me one on one time with that child. We’ve had some great conversations while I’m cutting away. And I find it so much easier than having to ring up and make an appointment and either cart the kids in to the hairdresser or collect them from school for their appointment.
It also comes in handy when you realise the afternoon before school photo’s that your kids hair looks like a mop and it’s too late to book in for an appointment.
The Complete Tightwad Gazette has quite a bit of information on Home Haircutting, including some great instructions with pictures on pages 234-236.
In true Amy D style, lets look at some basic calculations here:
6 haircuts a year @ $15 per time = $90
8 haircuts a year @ $20 per time = $160
Not significant figures?
Let’s look at 4 family members (I’ll exclude myself for now although I do know how to cut my own hair as well. I like the “pampering” of a hairdresser visit although I am going to try my own method again soon as I haven’t been overly happy with how my current hairdresser styles my cut).
$90 x 4 = $360 per year
$160 x 4 = $640 per year
What if I had put this money aside over the past decade in preparation for our big trip next year? I would have somewhere between $3600 and $6400 to put toward our trip. Now, I haven’t been doing this for 10 years (yet) but it does go to show how a simple skill can go a long way toward making dreams come true.
We also have the benefit of the internet in terms of learning a new skill like cutting hair. Here are some links you might find interesting/helpful when it comes to cutting hair:
Search YouTube for Home Haircuts
As another interesting “aside”, as I type this post, I have a 4-year old hairstylist behind me very seriously giving me a “do”. Not with scissors thankfully! 
What are your thoughts on Home Haircuts? Have you tried it? Do you think you might? Anyone cut their own hair? I hope you’ll take a moment to wade in on the discussion and share your experiences and thoughts.
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My 21 year old son has had 1 at-the-barber- cut in his whole life & that was because Daddy was being shipped off for Dessert Storm & he wanted to take him to the barber - you know, in case he didn’t make it back… None of my other children, except my daughter, a handful of times (and only because I’ve forced her) have had a haircut by anyone but mom.
I’ve also cut my husband’s for most of our marriage. I cut mine myself, too, but will go once every year or two to a salon for a ‘real cut’.
I wonder how much money we’ve saved….
My mother also used to cut our hair. One day I pleaded with her to let me go to a hairdresser in town - I was about 10 I think. I am sure she chose well - it was dark and had a claustrophobic hallway down to the cutting room. Shirley (her name is imprinted on my brain) pulled my hair out from my scalp as she chopped in silence. I hated the outcome. Mum had no problems from me for a few years after that!
I have to pity poor V though - his mother WAS a hairdresser, although she had to let other stylists trim his as he threw up whenever she tried to do it herself.
my mum used to cut my hair till i was about 9 too. i never really minded because when i was younger, it was the regular straight a-sian bob and all i had was “play” in mind and i couldn’t care less how my hair was like. (wait, a-sian is a banned word…??)
i believe the “fashion” side of me kicked in when i was 9. she cut my hair and i looked like i had a bowl on my head and i was grumpy for weeks. that was the last time i let her touch my hair. HAAHAHAHHA. remembering that now made me laugh.
anyway i came here from problogger. so you did put an ad in the end. i’m going to be putting a free one up for my sister’s business…. but i’m still contemplating if i should put up a couple more. i’m still building my readerbase, so i guess i’m still kinda confused about it. i hope it’s going well for you though!!!
Well I never cut my own hair only the fringe when i can not see for long bangs.
I do however cut the beachblogger’s hair fortnightly- what’s left of it grows so fast. So if he was going to the regulars men’s hairdresser around here it would be at least $ 20 a cut x 26=$520 a year. Over 6 years since I have been doing it we have saved $4200. If we had stayed in Sydney it would have been more.
My DH does his own clipper cuts but since his nick name is ‘Baldy Boy’ as you can imagine he doesn’t have much to cut!
I tried to cut my girl’s hair once or twice but didn’t do a very good job either time, though Izzy has a definite passion for cutting her own here so maybe I should just let her go to it!
I HATE LOATHE and DETEST having my hair cut - I don’t like people touching my head… but I also hate really long hair and having to do something with it so I need you to teach me how to cut my own hair please!!!
I give my husband and father a haircut with the clippers with not too bad an outcome. My girls both have long hair so don’t have it cut that often. For their first couple I took them to the hairdressers. The were so scared of her that they sat like statues. Whereas if I had tried to do it they would have wiggled all over the place
I might try to do theirs myself next time. How hard can it be? (famous last words). My son has a scissor cut, so I haven’t been game to try his.
The Spouse clips his own hair, Feral Beast gets a #2 clipper cut in Summer which lasts him all year till the following Spring (his hair grows slowly).
Feral Queen and Feral Teen have been cutting their own hair for years now and they cut and style mine, too.
Hmmmm. I think I might tell Princess Pink that we are going to save money by cutting her hair for her. Would you like to watch? I’m sure it would be entertaining!
I did home haircuts for my tribe until they were about 10 or so, then it was hairdresser time for the boys until they got their own clippers. Youngest boy has very thick curly hair which he hates, so at 13 he started shaving his head with MY razor. His christmas present that year was a pair of clippers which he still has and uses with many, many interesting results. He’s 27 now, so the clipper investment has really paid off. The girls grew theirs long and chopped it off at the shoulders occasionally. Now they both visit the hairdresser, one for style and colour, the other just for a trim and colour. Older son still clips his really close, says it saves time and shampoo.
I clip hubby’s hair myself, I used to do TJ’s through the warmer months, but now he’s getting older he likes different styles and I let the barber do it. The barber has a new side kick in at the moment who is female and does girls hair so we took CJ there last week for a trim before school photos. Worked out quite well. No need for an appointment and $5 cheaper than the hairdresser.
I can’t cut my girls hair - it’s too thick and CJ’s is so dead straight that if it’s a bit crooked it’s noticeable. Both her hair and mine need proper layering, but I trim my fringe to extend the time between visits.
Followed the trail over from Aussie Bloggers to here!
My father was a Ladies Hairdresser, and as a consequence, we had short hair as kids all the way up to teenage years. No long hair allowed as “it was too much trouble to manage” he’d say.
Of course I have long hair now.
Hairdressers are one of the Top Jobs that’s on the Australian PR list. We have a lot of 2yr UK trained hairdressers migrating here as a result (not enough here). Haircuts are still on the way up. $28 for a bloke’s cut yesterday. May have to invest in the clippers…..
Cheers,
Cindy
I do Hubby’s hair every few weeks. I usually give the two older girls a trim while I’m at it, but I also take them to the hairdresser at least twice a year. Mostly because I have straight hair, and they both have curly hair, and I don’t know what to do with it. The hairdresser does whatever she does with it and I just keep it tidy for six months.
When we finally make it back “home” Hubby’s best friend is a hairdresser, and charges me half price, and Hubby and the girls nothing (she does them while my colour’s in, so no extra time required).
I’ve been cutting my family’s hair for many years. I had a good friend who is a hairdresser show me how to deal with dh’s thick hair and how to get everything “even”. She even helped me pick out professional scissors and clippers. We save hundreds of dollars each year and my hubby & our five children love getting their kitchen haircuts.
I use the clippers regularly on my husband and two oldest boys. Like your children, they have a choice and at the moment seem to prefer it when I do it. Last time though I did the toddler’s and I did it way too short. I honestly wanted to cry, it made him look way too old. I am not sure if I will have the courage to do his again.
I would never dream of cutting my preschooler’s hair. She has this amazing blonde tight ringlet curls - way too hard for me. But I just take her to my hairdresser twice a year and that is all she needs.
My mum never cut my hair when I was a kid- but I did have it long most of the time. When I got her to cut my fringe, she always made a hash of it, so started doing it myself. As I’ve got older (and older and older) I’ve become almost phobic of hairdressers! My friends laugh when I tell them I’d rather go to the dentists! I’ve almost stopped going to the hairdresser since I’ve become hopelessly poverty stricken compared to earlier in life, but my hair still grows very fast. I mainly cut it myself as the hairdressers just will NOT cut it short- I have sat for 2 hours saying “more off, more…”. Usually it doesn’t look too bad, so I save money so I can pay off my debts, LOL! One day I’ll have a huge fancy haircut and highlights and I’m determined to enjoy it!