How to Shave a Mohawk

Mohawk hairstyle.

Although most people see the mohawk as a symbol of the punk rock culture of the '70s and '80s, this hairstyle actually dates much farther back, and comes with a very interesting history: The indigenous people of upstate New York wore this hairdo during wartime to intimidate the enemy. That tradition has since been carried on by people all over the world -- of all ages -- who enjoy making a statement with this aggressive, intimidating style.

Things You'll Need

• Hair clippers
• Scissors
• Shaving cream
• Disposable razor
• Rat-tail comb
• Hair clip or rubber band

Instructions

1. Comb the hair. Using a rat-tailed comb, section off the strip of hair you would like to keep in the middle by drawing two parallel lines down the center of the head, from the nape to the forehead. The mohawk can be as wide or as narrow as you want. Comb this section forward and hold it together with a hair clip or rubber band.

2. Use the scissors to snip off all the hair that is not in the middle strip held together by the clip or rubber band. The goal is to make the hair short enough to shave easily; getting the length to less than an inch is best.

3. Shave the clipped part of the hair with the hair clippers. Use a low-gauge guard (1/8-inch), or no guard (provided your clippers will work safely without a guard). Shave in even rows that run from front to back or back to front. Alternate between sides by shaving a strip from the left side of the head, and then from the right side. Go over the entire area a second time to remove any hair you missed.

4. Apply a generous layer of shaving cream to the shaved area of the head. Shave the area with the disposable razor. (Skip this step if you don't want to lose the layer of fuzz.)

5. Remove the clip or rubber band and comb out the mohawk. Cut it to the desired length by incrementally taking sections of hair between your fingers, holding them up and trimming them with hair snips. Make all of the hair sections even with each other. Imagine the mohawk standing erect: Are there any sections of hair that protrude above the others? Tend to those areas. Repeat this process until the entire mohawk has an even length.

6. Style the mohawk as desired. You do not need to use expensive products to style it; you can use strong-hold hair gel or hairspray. Some people even use Elmer's glue.

References

• Bolt Barbers: History of The Mohawk
• Canku Ota: Who Really Sported the First Mohawk?; Mitchel Raphael; June 13, 2001