I keep my family well-groomed with a few simple tools
It’s time to get your cut on!
As we enter our fourth month of self-isolation, I’m noticing some very shaggy manes out there! Even the Handsome One’s coif was getting outta control, LOL. (He’s since had it cut.)
If you and your family are also looking a little scruffy, I’ve got good news: it’s the perfect time to DIY your haircuts! It’s easier than you think, and it’ll save you a good chunk of change.
I’ll show you how
I’ve been cutting my family’s hair for nearly 15 years, with no previous hair cutting experience. In this post, I’ll share everything I know about DIY haircuts, including:
- Why now is the perfect time for DIY haircuts.
- How much money we’ve saved (it’s shocking).
- Other savings and benefits.
- The tools you’ll need.
- How to get started.
By the end of this post, I hope to have you fully convinced and ready to jump on the DIY haircut bandwagon! Let’s start with six reasons you should try DIY haircuts.
6 reasons you should try DIY haircuts
If you’re uncertain about DIY haircuts, these six reasons may just change your mind:
Reason 1: If I can do it, so can you
I actually never wanted to try DIY hair cutting. It seemed so difficult, and the stakes were very high. (What if I made a mistake? What if the cut turned out funny?)
None of that fazed my husband. For some odd reason, he had complete faith in my non-existent abilities and really wanted me to try.
He told me that, as long as I took my time and used the guards that came with the clipper, it’d be pretty tough to make a mistake. As it turns out, he was right.
15 years of DIY hair cutting later, and I’ve yet to make a mistake. In fact, my guys often get compliments on their cuts! So, I’ll repeat it again: if I can do it, so can you!
Reason 2: It’s the perfect time
There’s never been a better time for DIY haircuts. Here’s why:
No one will see your mistakes!
Since we’re all physical distancing, no one can get close enough to see the minor imperfections of your early attempts. (Remember—if you use the guards properly, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll make a major mistake.)
It’s safer
Even if barber shops and salons are open, you and your family may still not feel comfortable going in for a cut. DIY hair cutting could get you by until things are safer.
It’s a good time to spend less
As all of us face continued uncertainty, it’s a wise choice to cut costs and save money where we can. I’ll show you just how much DIY haircuts could save you in the next section.
Reason 3: You’ll save a lot of money
Until I wrote this post, I’d never done the math to see how much DIY haircuts save us. Well, I’m sure glad I finally did. The numbers far exceeded my estimates.
Here’s how much we’ve saved on haircuts over 15 years. (Based on the conservative rates of $30 per cut for M and $18 per cut per kid, including tax and tip.)
- M’s cuts: $30 x 17 cuts/year x 15 years = $7,650
- Kid 1’s cuts: $18 x 17 cuts/year x 15 years = $4,590
- Kid 2’s cuts: $18 x 17 cuts/year x 12 years = $3,672
- TOTAL: $15,912
WHAT?! That’s crazy! But wait, it gets even better…
What if we invested the savings?
Since I’m a money nerd, I also did the math on the compounding of that money. Invested once a year at an 8% return, this is how the money grew (based on this calculator):
- M’s cuts: $510/year over 15 years = $15,465
- Kid 1’s cuts: $306/year over 15 years = $9,279
- Kid 2’s cuts: $306/year over 12 years = $6,578
- TOTAL: $31,322
That’s unbelievable! Over 15 years, our invested haircut savings nearly doubled! Compounding is truly magical.
For an even more amazing analysis of how much DIY haircuts could save, check out The Million Dollar Haircut by Matt at Financial Imagineers. It once again shows how a small expense, compounded over time, can become huge.
Reason 4: You’ll save in other ways
On top of the money savings, DIY haircuts also help you save in other ways:
- Time (since you won’t need to book appointments or leave the house).
- Gas (since you won’t need to drive to the hairdresser).
- Carbon emissions (since you don’t need to drive).
- Aggravation and stress (especially if you have kids).
Reason 5: Self-sufficiency
M and the boys hate it when their hair gets shaggy! During the pandemic, they’ve been very appreciative that their haircuts have gone on as usual. This was a completely unexpected benefit.
Never in my 15 years of hair cutting did I say to myself, “Boy am I glad I know how to cut my family’s hair… who knows when a pandemic will strike?” And yet, that’s exactly what we’re thinking right now.
This pandemic has helped all of us realize how important self-sufficiency is—whether by cutting our hair at home, growing our own veggies, or cooking meals from scratch. The more DIY skills we’re able to pick up, the more freedom we can potentially give ourselves, pandemic or not.
Reason 6: It’s rewarding
I don’t know about you, but when I manage to learn a new skill, I feel pretty darned proud of myself. DIY haircuts are rewarding not just for all the reasons above, but also because learning a new skill is a reward in itself.
It’s also satisfying to look at your work and know that you did that! Just yesterday, you thought you couldn’t do ‘X’ and today you can. That’s a pretty amazing feeling.
Who cuts my hair?
So far, I’ve only mentioned cutting my husband and kids’ hair… but what about me?
For many years, I went to a hairdresser with M’s mom. The hairdresser worked out of her house, and only charged $18 for a wash and cut. It was so affordable, but it was about a 40-minute drive away—not the most time or gas-efficient choice.
Last year, M’s mom realized: if all I needed was a trim, she could easily do it for me! She was doing an awesome job of cutting my hair, but then COVID hit. That means I’ve been left to my own devices with my hair—gulp.
Since going into lockdown, I’ve cut my own hair once, and (phew) it actually went okay! That’s good news, since I’ll likely have to do it a few more times before this pandemic ends.
Are you on board?
Alright, have I convinced you to at least consider DIY haircuts? If yes, great! Let’s get started with the tools and how-to.
Tools you’ll need for DIY haircuts
For the price of one expensive cut (or three to four inexpensive ones) you can get all the tools you need for DIY haircuts at home:
- Clipper
- Trimmer
- Scissors
- Comb
- Spray bottle
- Hair cutting cape
- Clipper oil (optional)
- Thinning shears (optional)
Disclosure: The product links below are affiliate links. That means I may receive a commission if you make a purchase after clicking through my links.
1. Clipper
You’ll need a decent clipper to trim short hair. I highly recommend the Wahl Color Pro kit that we’ve used for the last ten years. (Wahl is a quality brand, but not too expensive.)
Our Color Pro model seems to be sold out everywhere, but this Color Code model looks similar:
Wahl Color Code Haircutting Kit on Amazon
My two cents on clipper selection
Don’t go cheap
We previously purchased a cheap clipper, and it was terrible. It would sometimes snag a hair or simply not cut. It’s not worth saving $20 or $30! Get the slightly better clippers.
Go for corded
Whenever possible, I try to buy corded electronics. This is especially important with hair clippers. Here’s why:
- You get consistent power. (No drop-off in cutting speed when batteries run low.)
- No worries about running out of batteries when doing multiple haircuts.
- Less hassle and inconvenience. (No need to charge or change batteries.)
- Longer life. (Your clippers won’t die just because the batteries get old.)
- An overall better environmental choice. (No batteries to recycle and fewer replacements needed.)
Get the guards
Look for a clipper that comes with a selection of guards (aka guide combs). Clipper guards will make short haircuts nearly foolproof. They’re the reason why I’ve never made noticeable mistakes when cutting my family’s hair.
Bonus tip
Contact Wahl to request a number 1.5 guard (they might be kind enough to send it to you for free, like they did for me). Before I got this guard, I could never blend between the number 1 and 2 guards—no matter how hard I tried!
If you can’t get it from Wahl, you can also order it from Amazon.ca or Amazon.com.
2. Trimmer
A trimmer is basically a mini clipper that you use to clean up the edges. Trimmers are smaller and lighter, so they’re much easier to manoeuvre. I also find they cut much closer than clippers (which you need to get a nice, clean edge).
Unfortunately, good corded trimmers are really expensive, so I ended up settling on a battery-powered Wahl one similar to this one:
Wahl Mustache and Beard Trimmer on Amazon
*Don’t forget to use rechargeable AA NiMh batteries, to make your trimmer use more eco-friendly!
3. Scissors
You clipper kit might come with scissors, but if you find they aren’t ‘cutting’ it (they’re usually very cheaply made) I’d suggest upgrading to something nicer. Better-quality scissors not only cut better, but are more comfortable to use.
4. Comb
Your clipper kit will likely come with a comb. If not (and you don’t already have one) get a cheap, basic one like this:
Carbon Fiber Cutting Comb on Amazon.ca or Amazon.com
5. Spray bottle
You’ll need a spray bottle to wet the hair before cutting. Most of us have spray bottles kicking around, but if you don’t, here’s a nice one that sprays a fine, even mist:
Hair spray bottle on Amazon
6. Hair cutting cape
If you don’t want your ‘customers’ covered in prickly little hairs, you’ll need a hair cutting cape. For a budget-friendly option, a safety-pinned bedsheet, or even a garbage bag, will do the trick.
Or you can try our favourite hair cutting cape—an ‘umbrella’ style cape. We first found these at Daiso (a Japanese dollar store) but you can easily find them online as well.
These are great because they catch the hair, so you don’t get piles of hair on the floor. Unfortunately, none of the online ones have great reviews, so I won’t link to any, but this is what they look like:
7. Clipper oil (optional)
For best performance and clipper durability, it’s important to oil your clipper before every use. Your clipper kit will likely come with a small bottle, but when you run out, you should get a replacement.
8. Thinning shears (optional)
If your family doesn’t have thick hair, you may never need these. They’re helpful for thinning out thick hair so it lies flatter and is easier to manage.
If you ever use these, be sure to look up some videos on how to use them properly. It’s easy to cut too much off very quickly!
Thinning shears on Amazon
How to get started with DIY haircuts
Okay, now that you’ve got all the tools, it’s time to learn how to do the actual cutting! This is where YouTube, my favourite free educational resource comes in.
I suggest that you search for the hairstyle you’re aiming for, then watch a few videos. After watching two or three videos, you’ll get a feel for the technique and what you need to look out for when cutting.
It’s been a while since I learned how to cut my family’s hair, so I’ve long since forgotten which videos I learned from. However, I took some time to preview and find some good ones for you:
Short hair
- How To Cut Boy’s Hair With Clippers For Beginners
- How To Cut Men’s Hair With Clippers For Beginners
- How To Do a Fade Haircut At Home the EASY Way!
Long hair
- How to Cut Your Own Hair (no layers)
- How to Cut & Layer Your Hair at Home
- How to Do a Blunt Cut Like a Pro (thanks to reader Carolyn for sharing this one!)
Be brave!
If you’re like me, you may feel the need to keep watching videos until you feel 100% confident! But videos will only get you so far. Eventually, you’ll just need to be brave, dive in, and try.
Just remember that each time you do a cut, you’ll learn and improve your technique. It used to take me over an hour to do a single cut. But these days, I can usually finish a cut in less than 30 minutes. Practice makes better!
Extra tips
Here are some additional tips to help you ease into DIY haircuts:
- Give yourself plenty of time (60–90 minutes for your first attempt).
- Try to relax.
- Go slow and take your time.
- Use those guards!
- Cut a little at a time. (You can always cut more, but you can’t undo it if you cut too much!)
- Step back often to look at your work (it’s easier to spot mistakes from a distance).
- Pause as needed to refer to your favourite videos.
- Enjoy it and try to have fun!
Other suggestions
After all that, and you still decide that DIY haircuts aren’t your thing, Family Money Saver shares a list of other suggestions to save money on haircuts, including changing to a lower-maintenance hairstyle and stretching out your time between cuts.
Personalized help for those who need it
If you’re still feeling too nervous to try hair cutting on your own, why not pay a pro to coach you? You Probably Need a Haircut* is a website that “pairs you with a world-class hair stylist or barber via video chat to get your hair through these hard times”.
I love that this service exists, and I think it’s a win-win for all involved. If you decide to try it, let me know how it worked out for you!
*This is not an affiliate link! I heard about this service on a podcast and just wanted to share it.
Summing it up
DIY hair cutting may not be for everyone, but for those who are keen to try, there are numerous benefits to be gained:
- It’s fun and rewarding to learn a new skill.
- You’ll save money, time, gas, and stress.
- You and your family can tidy up your looks!
- You’ll become more self-sufficient.
The tools you’ll need are relatively inexpensive, and you may have most of them already. Finally, learning how to cut hair is free (thanks, YouTube)! And if you still need extra help, it’s just a video call away.
What do you think?
Are you game to try DIY hair cutting yourself? Have you attempted it already? How did it go? I’d love to hear your stories! Or, if you have any hair cutting tips to share, please comment below.
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44 Comments
Court @ Modern FImily
July 29, 2020 at 6:55 amWe’ve been cutting each other’s hair for years and no regrets! The first time was a bit of a disaster but it’s gotten easier with each try. We do it after as shower so our hair is wet and then it’s just a simple trip with scissors and an occasional thinking shear for my hair which is super thick. Since we keep it up most of the time even if there is an oops no one notices it. Love how you showed the dollars involved PLUS the compounding of those dollars!
Chrissy
July 29, 2020 at 9:00 pmHi Court—it’s so funny that this post brought so many DIY haircutters out of the woodwork! I should’ve known I was preaching to the choir with this post. 🙂 Such a great idea to do it right after a shower, especially for long hair. It’s so gratifying to finally do the math and see how much we’ve been saving all this time.
Kate
July 29, 2020 at 7:25 amI love this post! (And thank you so much for using the correct spelling “fazed” not “phased” in the first section!) My husband has been doing our boys’ haircuts from the start, with the exception of one terrible chop job on the 5yo by my mother-in-law over Christmas, (which she did without our permission, by the way). It’s been so nice to avoid the hassle and cost of going out for haircuts. I do my own haircuts as well, although I probably need to go through all of your tutorials here to actually do a decent job. I don’t care too much while working from home, honestly. Thanks for doing the math on all you’ve saved over the years; it’s fun to see those numbers!
Chrissy
July 29, 2020 at 9:06 pmHi Kate—I make grammatical errors all the time, but I do try to be accurate! Small inaccuracies like “phased” irk me as well!
My husband also did some of our boys’ cuts when they were little, but once their hairstyles advanced beyond the single-length crew cut, he left it to me! That’s a funny story about your MIL (though I’m sure it wasn’t funny at the time). Grandmas just want to be helpful!
Long hair like yours and mine is pretty forgiving, which is fortunate. I’m still not great at it myself, so I’ll be practising and watching those videos with you! Thanks for reading and commenting.
Teresa - MIL
July 29, 2020 at 11:26 amI can attest to Chrissy’s “men” sporting great haircuts all the time. I have been cutting hair since I was 12 – starting with my favourite aunt, then my dad and 4 brothers when we immigrated to Canada (1968) to save money. Since we all grew up, I have just been doing hubby’s hair for over 50 years and I have not stopped to tally up the savings. I may start trying to do my own which has grown out since C-19 hit and I think once it gets down past shoulder length, it may be safer to start. I will time it for Halloween so if it looks bad, I can say it is part of my costume. Thus more savings…… Thank you Chrissy for sharing so much!
Chrissy
July 29, 2020 at 9:11 pmHi Mom—you are an expert DIY hair cutter (amongst many other DIY things). Knowing you’ve cut so many family member’s hair helped to motivate me to do it too. You are so funny about timing it for Halloween! We’ll get better at cutting our own hair—it just takes some time and practice!
Sam
July 29, 2020 at 1:21 pmChrissy, thanks for the great post. At the beginning of lock down Mr Simple managed to buy some clippers. So far I have cut his hair twice and it’s due for another cut. The first time I was really nervous as I thought that I might cut his head, but with the guides that isn’t possible. On the next occasion I just got on with it and it was done really quickly and looked great. I have long straight hair and so I asked Mr Simple to cut mine. We ended up with it a bit shorter than I planned and some of it was slightly uneven, but as you say, with social distancing no one has noticed. In fact my work colleagues, who saw it via video, thought that I had broken the lock down rules and got a professional to cut it. I’d always wanted to try home haircuts after I saw that Mrs Frugalwoods does this and lock down has given me the excuse. As for dying (when you get to 50 that’s a necessity) I’d been doing that myself for a while anyway in order to save money so there’s been not change there.
I would really encourage anyone reading this to just have a go. What’s the worst that can happen? No matter how bad it looks it will eventually grow out and you could save yourself thousands!
Chrissy
July 29, 2020 at 9:17 pmHi Sam—Mr. Simple is lucky that he bought clippers early. They’re not easy to find right now! I know of the nervousness that you had. It took me YEARS to get over it! It’s kind of magical when you finally get it and it and it’s no longer scary and hard.
I love that Mr. Simple cuts your hair for you too! My husband also tried to do it once as his mom supervised and it went well. But I think he’s too nervous to do it again without her guidance, ha ha. Doing your own dyeing is a great idea. I am lucky to not have to do it yet, and I hope I have my mom’s genes and retain my black hair well into my 50s. Time will tell!
Thanks for the advice to just give it a go. My husband also said the same thing—it will always grow out eventually. That takes a lot of the worry away!
Family Money Saver
July 29, 2020 at 2:58 pmNow is a better time than ever to give it a shot. If you mess up badly you can just say you have to quarantine =) Cutting it yourself can be time consuming, on the other hand if you mess up at least you can only blame yourself!
Chrissy
July 29, 2020 at 9:24 pmHi Family Money Saver—LOL, that’s a great excuse if you mess up! I just came across your article about haircuts. There are some good tips there! I’ll add a link to your article when I have a chance. 🙂
Family Money Saver
July 30, 2020 at 4:41 amThanks! Appreciate that.
Latestarterfire
July 29, 2020 at 3:43 pmI started cutting my fringe recently during lockdown but haven’t attempted a full hair cut yet. Like you, I go to a hairdresser who works from home – I pay $15 for a cut every 4 months or so. But from now on, I’ll continue cutting my own fringe and visit less frequently. Even though hairdressing salons are opened during this second lockdown, I’m still too scared to visit.
Chrissy
July 29, 2020 at 9:28 pmHi Latestarterfire—fringes are not easy to cut! If you did that successfully, bravo to you! With the right instructions, I’m sure you’ll be able to manage the rest of your hair just fine.
Tawcan
July 29, 2020 at 8:14 pmMy wife has been cutting my hair for 9 years now. This little DIY has saved us a lot of money over the years. 🙂
Chrissy
July 29, 2020 at 9:30 pmHey Bob—I should’ve guessed that you were already on the DIY haircut bandwagon! It seems many (maybe most) in the FI community are. That’s pretty cool.
Joe
July 30, 2020 at 7:41 amUsually, I give myself and son a buzz cut. It’s so easy. I should try blending it better. 😀
My wife really needs a haircut. The last time she got a haircut was in Thailand, November…
Chrissy
July 30, 2020 at 1:05 pmHey Joe—buzz cuts are so easy and they look great on you and RB40 Jr… probably not so much on your wife! Any plans to learn how to cut her hair?
Ana
July 30, 2020 at 9:27 amGreat DIY project! Like you, I started cutting my husband’s hair without any idea what I was doing. And, honestly, I don’t think I’ve given him a bad cut– no “I can’t go out in public looking like this” cut. Or he’s just a good sport. Either way, we’ve saved lots of money. Thank you for doing the math. It’s an eye-opener.
I also trim my kids’ hair but I still haven’t ventured to cut my own. I need to check out your YouTube suggestions. It’s gotten quite long and I’m still not comfortable going to the salon.
Chrissy
July 30, 2020 at 1:09 pmHi Ana—it’s so true. With the guards, it’s basically impossible to make an “I can’t go out in public” mistake! Sure, the cuts aren’t 100% perfect, but they’re good enough and save so much money.
If the two videos I linked to don’t work for you, I’m sure you’ll eventually find on that does. There are a ton of videos for every type of hair/hairstyle and every imaginable hair cutting method!
AnotherLoonie
July 30, 2020 at 11:01 pmThis is an excellent little tutorial. I wish I read this before visiting my barber this month. I wore a mask and gloves and yet still felt like it was a risky thing to do.
Chrissy
August 1, 2020 at 11:40 pmAnotherloonie—that’s the tricky thing with this virus. It’s likely safe, but we just don’t know! If you’re worried about going for another cut, I say go for it and try giving yourself a cut. If it doesn’t work out, you can always go to your barber to have it fixed. 🙂
Tara of Four Take Flight
July 31, 2020 at 1:32 pmFunny you mention this … my son (who had beautiful long curls and was growing them out during COVID-19 (he usually gets a summer cut in May / June)) wanted and got a hair cut yesterday (buzz cut from my husband). My husband has been cutting his hair … and my son’s hair for yearsssss. I think my son had maybe 1 or 2 cuts when he was a toddler in a salon. I guess we were cutting edge on this before COVID-19! Now my daughter and I – that worries me more to try. We get ours cut in a salon (although she also has beautiful curls and has had less than 5 haircuts in her life – she is 7). I don’t feel comfortable going to a salon because of COVID-19 spread in Houston, so I think I may have my Mom trim the ends soon. Still saves!! I need to bookmark this post in case I get brave enough for the female hair one day.
-Tara of Four Take Flight
Chrissy
August 1, 2020 at 11:44 pmTara—I’ve been pleasantly surprised that so many of my readers are already DIY hair cutters! It’s great that your husband has been doing the cuts for himself and your son for so many years. That’s a huge savings.
Moms cuts are the best! But growing your hair out is also an option. I’d love to hear if you ever decide to try cutting your or your daughter’s hair!
Tara of Four Take Flight
August 2, 2020 at 10:30 amThanks! Yes, I guess those haircuts can add up. We are in Houston where it is hot, hot, hot …so this time of year my hair is up a lot (and it is dark so makes it worse w/ the heat). But I do need a trim soon! So does my daughter. I’ll let you know. I’m more comfortable with my Mom trimming our hair than me! Hah… I would say that as far as money goes… even without COVID-19, we don’t spend too much on hair cuts over the course of a year for us. I should actually probably cut it more than I should!
-Tara
Bri, Frugal Minimalist Kitchen
July 31, 2020 at 1:40 pmI’ve been cutting my boyfriend’s hair for a couple years now. It took him a lot of convincing at first, to be honest, but now he says my haircuts are the best he’s ever had 🙂 I’ve also convinced him to trim my ends for me too 🙂 I used to do it myself but it wasn’t that good since my hair is longer than my arm length so it was a challenge to get it all even! Now we both have great hair cuts!
Chrissy
August 1, 2020 at 11:48 pmHi Bri—I admire your and your boyfriend’s bravery, LOL! But what a great success story you have to share now. My self-cutting skills will soon be put to the test, when I have to actually cut my hair instead of just doing a little trim. My hair is almost longer than my arm, so I may need to also enlist my husband for help!
Maria @ Handful of Thoughts
July 31, 2020 at 2:37 pmI have never ventured into the DIY hair cutting realm. But I usually only get my hair cut once a year (and missed this year so I guess I’m just going to grow it out). Hubby cuts his hair even less frequently than me – half of the time his hair is long enough to braid and the other half of the time he looks like he just enlisted in the army. It’s very drastic when he goes for a hair cut – but I guess he’s getting his money’s worth.
Thankfully the little one hasn’t needed a haircut yet either, we are going to just let her hair grow.
So even though we haven’t done DIY haircuts our hair cutting bill will still be $0 for 2020 – haha.
Chrissy
August 1, 2020 at 11:51 pmHi Maria—I have a friend who does the super-long/buzz cut thing too! It’s funny because he looks like a totally different person with each style. That’s definitely a good way to save on haircutting costs! I also don’t cut my hair often, so it’s not a huge savings for me either.
GYM
August 18, 2020 at 11:32 pmMy husband cuts his own hair and has been doing it for a few years, he just did so tonight! He has been cutting our toddler’s hair too but not with the clippers, I think our toddler would freak with the clippers but we should get him used to it.
Chrissy
August 19, 2020 at 12:08 amHi GYM—I’m impressed that your husband has been cutting your toddler’s hair with scissors! That’s not easy, especially when they’re little and squirmy, hee hee. We used to find that iPads and a favourite TV show were very good distractions when bringing out the clippers. 😉
Carolyn
August 21, 2020 at 3:06 pmYou have a lot of really great point here. Invest in good quality tools and supplies and maintain them, keep them clean and the cutting tools sharp. Hubby is the family barber and stylist, he bought a set of pro grade Japanese steel Hair shears, Wahl Designer clippers, peanut clippers, hair clips, wide tooth, sectioning and clipper combs, plus we have multiple capes. A child size, barber, stylist and a coloring cape are in our hair hair kit. CLIPPERCIDE is what he uses to lubricate and disinfect the clipper blades between haircuts, not optional. I get my long hair trimmed every couple months, not hacked..here is a great tutorial on how he does my hair.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=36Ry3Dpm3lQ
My two teen boys get their haircuts every three weeks, they are very picky about their hair. Hubby does his own monthly. I calculate that we have saved over 10 grand, so far. No interruption when hair shops were closed. I had texts from friends asking to visit and get haircuts. I agreed to have my two best friends visit to grill on the deck, and hubby gave my best friend a trim, the other a very short summer pixie cut, with the clippers. Hubby loves the compliments, so he does not turn down a request, and I love seeing my friends looking their best, I would feel bad to see them with a badly hacked haircut, and my friends bring wine 🍷.
So it becomes a great social activity.
Chrissy
August 21, 2020 at 9:21 pmHi Carolyn—I’m so impressed with your husband’s tool inventory and skillset! Your comment is packed with tips—wow. It sounds like you’re every bit as knowledgeable as him.
I watched the YouTube video and will add it to my post—it’s really good! I’m due for a trim, so I’ll get my husband to watch it and give it a shot. (It looks simple enough!)
Over $10K in savings is impressive. I love that you’ve also turned your hubby’s haircutting into a great excuse to socialize safely. Thank you for sharing your tips and DIY hair cutting story!
Carolyn
August 23, 2020 at 6:03 pmI was the one who took the initiative to give my boys their haircuts when they were quite young because I was tired of paying for bad haircuts at the barbershop for them. I did the research on the clipper sets online and I watched the videos on how to give boys their haircuts. My guy watched them with me and we used his Amazon prime account to order the clipper set of the designer and peanut clippers combined plus the kids green cape with little alien bugs on them. I was looking forward to doing the haircuts, it was going to be my thing, I was going to be the cool mom who gives her boys haircuts. But I got flustered and had to hand it off to him. He finished up with each with shears, before he got all the practice with clippers and the results were really good. Next time my older son refused, said he wanted my guy to cut his hair, my younger son followed suit. I was fired! It was his job. I always wanted to cut hair, but no one would let me. So he checked out videos and as my boys got older, he watched more videos on technique and I watched them too. I would direct how I wanted their haircuts done until they became teens, then they wanted it done their way, but they still would not let me. I have offered to cut my mom’s hair, but she won’t let me, but I do her color. Whenever hubby does a haircut for a friend, I am there and watch, I really think I could get good at it, but hubby has already established his “loyal” following among my friends. Who knows? Maybe I can win over grandchildren. His daughter had him show her how to give her husband (in the military) his haircuts with clippers and she will give her children their haircuts, so I think the children of my boys will be my best chance.
Chrissy
August 23, 2020 at 8:37 pmHi Carolyn—well it all makes sense now! That’s why you’re so knowledgeable about DIY haircuts. You have all the know-how and tools, but no one’s giving you the chance to practice! Your family is clearly very loyal to their favourite barber. 🙂
I hope you’ll one day have a willing grandchild or friend who’ll let you cut their hair. If not, you’re always welcome to cut mine! Your story made me smile. Thanks for sharing!
Kris
August 31, 2020 at 12:08 amI’m all for DIY haircuts. MwC has been cutting my hair since we got married. We even got the same Wahl clipper set as you, the color coded guards. Btw, nice tip about the requesting the 1.5 guard from Wahl, I didn’t know you can do that. I might request one for us.
MwC has been getting better cutting my hair as she gets more experience in doing it and even cuts both of our boys’ hair. I usually have my hair short or even get a buzz cut like I have been getting lately to make it easier for her.
So many perks i going that route like you mentioned: no trips to the barber, save money and have your haircut at home.
Chrissy
August 31, 2020 at 8:59 pmHey Kris, it’s nice to hear from you! I love that MwC cuts everyone’s hair. It really is a huge time and money saver.
I still can’t believe how it seems everyone in the personal finance community is basically like, “Umm, yeah… we’ve been cutting hair at home forever!”
And here I was thinking hardly anyone did DIY haircuts! 😆
Carolyn
September 9, 2020 at 2:15 pmWe are also big into gardening, preserving food and cooking nearly all of our family meals at homes with single ingredients rather than eating out and living on expensive processed foods. We also share hand me down clothes with family and friends. That is what our parents and grandparents did. We don’t blow our paychecks on fancy brand new cars every couple years or spend tens of thousands on a vacation. That is who we are.
Chrissy
September 15, 2020 at 11:23 pmHi Carolyn—sorry for my late reply to this comment. Who you are sounds very much like who we are (and who our parents are too)! I think we’d get along really well if we ever met in real life. 🙂
Carolyn
September 22, 2020 at 12:45 pmWeather is cooling down and being the temps are getting down near freezing, hubby is talking about Saturday night pizza night. We made sauce from the Roma tomatoes in the garden, added onions, garlic, basil and let it cook down outside for hours as we don’t like a watery sauce. We do taco night, as well as batches of sausages/onions and peppers. On pizza night, hubby cranks up the oven to over 500 degrees to pre-heat the pizza stone, definitely not a summer activity. He is looking to step up his game this year by making the dough three days in advance and he is going to get a chunk of plate steel, as he saw the pizza steel videos. I think the pizza nights will include additional family and friends as if he is going to all that trouble, he better be making more than 3 or 4 pies. Combine that with a family board game night and it will be a great frugal family gathering. My teen boys and my niece are interested in doing the pizzas. I think it will be great if they can carry it on to their future families. ☺️
Chrissy
September 24, 2020 at 8:32 pmHi Carolyn—can I move in with you? 😂 It sounds like your family lives well, eats well and has a ton of fun together! We’re going to make homemade pizzas tomorrow too. My MIL loves cooking and supplies us with the homemade dough, then we supply her with the toppings. It’s a good trade for us since we aren’t great at making bread-like things and she’s such an expert at it!
My husband would love to get into serious pizza-making one day. I’ve never heard of pizza steels! I’ll have to mention it to him. Thanks for the comment… now I’m getting hungry!
Financial Fred
October 30, 2020 at 2:43 pmGreat points, Chrissy! I grew up with my mother cutting my hair and now my wife cuts my hair and our children’s hair. There are so many benefits to your point and I would recommend it to everyone! 🙂
Chrissy
October 30, 2020 at 3:28 pmHi Fred—I’m beginning to see a pattern… it seems that just about everyone who writes or follows personal finance blogs is also a fan of DIY haircuts, ha ha. Thanks for stopping by to read and comment. 🙂
Rommel
February 24, 2022 at 8:27 pmAwesome article and excellent moneysaving tip Chrissy. I have been cutting my hair sometimes with the help of my wife for over 15 years! I usually cut my hair every two weeks. I have been using Wahl clippers for a while. I have been using #1 or #2 depending on the season. Good tip on #1.5 I never thought about that. I will try to email them if they can send me one for free. You could just imagine the savings we made over these years.
Chrissy
February 24, 2022 at 10:21 pmHi Rommel—funny that so many people have told me that they also cut their own/their family members’ hair! I had a feeling some people did, but it seems it’s more a question of who DOESN’T do this! 😆
Wahl clippers are the best! They last forever and are very affordable to purchase. Good luck with getting the #1.5 guard!