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How to cut a man’s hair: an easy tutorial for beginners

Learn how to cut a man’s hair short: this is an easy tutorial for beginners. I show you pictures on how to cut hair with scissor or clippers in only 3 easy steps.

a before and after picture form behind of a man's hair cur after a tutorial
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First things first: I am no hair dresser. But I have cut my husband’s hair for more than 7 years. Let me tell you: it is not that difficult! Follow my step by step tutorial and you will be successful the first time.

Why should you cut a man’s hair yourself?

As soon as we started dating my husband and I decided that it is not worth the money and time you spend going to a hairdresser. It might be worth it if you have very special hair or a very fancy hair cut. Well my husband has neither. That way we safe over 200 euros every year. So far that’s almost 1500 bucks! If you want more tips on saving money click here.

Real dedicated as we were I even cut his hair for our wedding day. And it sure does look pretty doesn’t it?

Which equipment do I use in my tutorial to cut a man’s hair?

There are three different tools I use. You can cut a man’s hair with this tutorial using only two.

  1. Comb
  2. Scissors
  3. Hair Clipper
comb, scissors and clipper with length adjustment peaces from the top with wooden background

Using a hair clipper to cut a man’s hair with this tutorial

Using a hair clipper is MUCH easier than scissors and surely worth the investment. I bought my own for 70 euros and it has served me well. I highly recommend you getting a hair clipper that operates at a cord. Batteries will run low if you don’t use the machine for a while so you always have to charge it before use. With time you might not even make it through one session especially with cheaper hair clippers. We used different hair clippers and beard trimmers throughout the years and landed now on the brand WAHL. It is an affordable semi professional option with excellent quality. If you already have a beard trimmer you can use it to see if cutting a man’s hair with this tutorial is working for you or not.

Using scissors to cut a man’s hair with this tutorial

Using scissors is more difficult but surely not impossible. Scissors can be a cheaper option than a hair clipper even though both can be bought at low prices and different qualities. I would advise you to buy scissors made for cutting hair. Normal scissors will harm the hair structure at the ends making it dry and breakable. If you use scissors you really need a comb. I love my metal comb but any straight comb will do.

scissors with comb and other hair dressers accessories in background on wooden table

How to cut a man’s hair with hair clippers step by step tutorial

If you only own scissors jump right down to the section ‘How to cut a man’s hairs with scissors’. If you have a trimmer or clipper, hang on, this is for you.

The theory behind hair dressing

Hair dressing is no rocket science but I sure would want this to know before I cut my husband’s hair for the first time. There are lines you should follow when you cut hair. They go horizontally around the man’s head bowing slightly down at the back of his head. Always trim the hair in layers in those lines.

Step 1: Shave the side from the bottom up

Take your clipper and shave the hair up until the first line or just above the ears. Use your 3 mm length adjustment piece and trim approximately half an inch upwards. Repeat the same with the 6mm and maybe even your 9 mm length adjustment piece.

Divide the space between the layers in such a way that you end up somewhere between the middle and the top line with the length you want at the top. You will start seeing some layers as in the pictures below.

close up of head where a part is shaved

Step 2: Blend the layers smoothly

In order to blend in the layers move your clipper in a rounding motion away from the head. You do this with every length adjustment peace. Just before you touch the next layer you move the clipper away from the head. This way you can blend in the layers smoothly.

close up of man's head with a hair clipper and a arrow pointing the direction the hair clipper should move

After you blended the layers fully to the top line you will be left with a result like this.

man wearing a barber cape looking into a mirror

Step 3: shave the top

The sides tend to grow faster than the top. I only shave the top every other time and catch up with the sides more often. But in this complete tutorial on how to cut a man’s hair I will show you how to shave the top now.

Depending on how long you want the top to be take the length adjustment piece you wish. If you want to have a longer top than 15mm you will likely need to use the scissors. Hang on as I will explain how to use the scissors some paragraphs down the line. You will need them because longer length adjustment peaces mostly don’t shave as exact, but also because you will have to blend more carefully from long to short at the sides when the length difference is bigger.

close up of hair clipper shaving hair from the front to the back of a man's head

Take the clipper and move it from the front to the back until all hair has the same length. If your man’s hair starts to thin out on the front and sides you can choose to use two different lengths for the front of the head and the back of the head. I would not use more than 3mm difference. In this tutorial I use a 12 mm length adjustment peace to cut my man’s hair. And believe it or not, after this step you are already done!

close up from the side man wearing a barber cloak with shaved head

Shaving short higher

You can choose to shave the sides up higher and of course also lower (as in my wedding picture). I will show you how to do a higher short layer. In this case your layers and transition to long hair will be closer together. But other than that every step stays exactly the same as mentioned above.

First you shave 1mm up to almost the highest line. That is a great option if you only have a trimmer without length adjustment peaces. From this step onwards it is easy to go further with scissors as I show you down in the next paragraph.

man wearing a barber cloak with shaved head up to top hear line

Secondly you blend it in, in layers. If you have such a short transition I usually only trim a little bit with every adjustment piece.

close up from the back man wearing a barber cloak with shaved head

And this is how the finished cut looks.

close up from the side man wearing a barber cloak with shaved head

How to cut a man’s hair with scissors step by step tutorial

If you only have scissors this is your section. If you have a hair clipper jump up to the hair clippers tutorial right above.

Step 1: the sides

If you have no trimmer what so ever you will not be able to cut the sides as short as in the pictures. However most man own a beard trimmer that goes down to 1mm. If you have one, use it to shave the hair until the middle line. But you can use the same strategy as I show you here without using any hair clipper.

Take your scissors and hold them vertically to the head. Cut the hair in a straight line along the comb. That way you will reach a similar result as with the clipper going all around the head. Scissors are coming in handy if you want to have a longer hair cut. If you don’t trim at the bottom try to go all around at the same lines as with clipping, going longer every line.

close up from a woman's hand holding a comb up to a man's head combing the hair in a vertical line

Step 2: choose the length of the top

At the top I use the comb first in a line from the front to the back of the head.

close up form the side of a women cutting the top of a man's hair

Choose the length and carefully cut one line down from the front all the way to the back. Then take the comb and hold it from the left to the right. Following your sample line and cut one row after the other to the back. Usually I will go back and hold my comb again from the front to the back to see if everything is even.

Step 3: smooth the transition between top and side

At the end you might have to go back to step one and adjust your sides a little bit in order to create a smooth transition between the sides and the top. Be careful though: man’s hair cuts are usually less rounded than a woman’s hair cut. Don’t make the transition round, but try to keep your comb either vertically for the side or horizontally for the top.

Some encouragement and tips for the beginner:

Here are my top 5 tips if you are a little unsure if cutting a man’s hair yourself is a good idea.

  1. Practice will get you there. Maybe your first hair cut will not look perfect (as mine actually never look 😉 ) but you will likely a steep learning curve. Don’t start with cutting the hair yourself right before an important event. Remember: if you fail an all 5mm hair cut looks really manly too.
  2. If you cut the hair for an event I would advise you to cut it one week before the event. That’s not because than you have a plan B it is an actual tip from a hair dresser. Especially shorter hair cuts are very vulnerable for little mistakes. Most of them will disappear within a few days giving you a softer look.
  3. If you do it for the first time go in with longer length adjustment pieces. Maybe start with 3mm at the bottom and blend it up to 15mm at the top of the head. Going shorter is often more difficult.
  4. The easiest way to cut hair is with a clipper rather than with scissors. If you have both – go for the clipper.
  5. It is easier to trim hair if you transition less. Start with a 6mm at the side, a 9mm in between and a 12 mm at the top. That way you can mess up even less.

My husband was very patient with me the first few times. But after a few times of practicing I got the hang of it. And no he is happy every time. And a happy husband is a happy life (or something like that) right?

Selfie of a man kissing a women at the cheek laughing into the camera

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