How to Cut Your Own Children's Hair to Save Money

How much do you spend every four to eight weeks on haircuts for your children? Haircuts can cost anywhere from $10 to $30 each. If you have four children getting $10 haircuts that is $40 every month or two. Why not take one month of haircut money and invest it in clippers and scissors? If you learn how to cut your own children's hair at home it is a one time expense. You will save money for years to come. How do you cut your own children's hair to save money?

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Scissors
• Comb
• Cape or use a towel
• Clippers(optional)
• Clipper heads 1" to 1/8"
• Spray bottle (optional)

1. Have your child sit in a chair in the kitchen or a room without carpet. This makes the hair easier to clean up. If using clippers you will also need to be near a electrical outlet.

2. Place a cape over your child. If you do not have one use a towel and a safety pin or clothespin to hold it in place.

3. 
   Wet the hair

   Wet your child's hair slightly with water using the spray bottle. A spray bottle makes it easier to wet hair. However, if you do not have one put water in a cup and dip your comb and comb through the hair several times. Damp hair is easier to cut. Go to step 6 if using clippers.

4. Pull a section of the hair up straight towards the ceiling with the scissors. Clip the section of hair straight across. Pull some hair up right beside it and include a little of the hair you just cut.

5. 
   Pull hair straight up and cut

   Use the scissors to cut the new hair you pulled up to the same length as the section you just cut. You will know the length because you pulled part of it up. Go to step 9 if not using clippers.

6. Use clippers if your child wants short hair. This is easy to do. Put the one inch head on the clippers. Go over the entire head with the clippers cutting it all to one inch. Go front to back and then right to left to make sure you didn't miss any hair.

7. Put a smaller head on the clippers like the 1/4 inch. Now clip the sides and the back again but not the top. This makes the top a little longer and makes the sides look neatly trimmed.

8. Remove the head from the clippers and use the metal clipper head to trim the hair on the back of the neck. Once you get experienced using the clippers you can also use them to trim around the ears.

9. Use your scissors to trim the bangs 1/2 to 1-inch about the eyebrows. Use the comb to comb them down several times to be sure they are even. Now trim the back straight across evenly. Again, comb it down several times to be sure it is even. Cut small pieces at a time.

10. Carefully trim around the ears. Cut at an angle from the bangs towards the ears. Cut at an angle from the ears to the back of the neck. To blend the hair use a pair of blending shears.

11. 
    Braid long hair before cutting to donate it to Locks of Love

    If you cut off several inches of hair place it in a baggy. If it is over 10 inches, braid it before cutting. Now place the baggy in a padded yellow envelope. All hair donations must be mailed to Locks of Love at: 2925 10th Avenue N Suite 102, Lake Worth, FL 33461-3099. Go to the website for more information or to print a donation form. You only need a donation form if you want to receive an acknowledgement.

Tips & Warnings

• Do you have a value card? You may get discount at a beauty supply store making clippers and accessories cheaper than WalMart.
• Your hair cutting skills will improve with each attempt.
• Donate cut hair to locks of love.
• They make wigs out of braided hair 10" long, but accept all hair to offset expenses.
• Your child's hair will grow back if you mess it up.
• Use the clippers and cut all of the hair really short if you mess up.

Resources

• Donate hair
• You tube haircut
• How to Tell if Your Child Has Impulse Control Problems
• How to tell if your child has SPD Sensory Processing Disorder
• Parenting tips
• Foster care and adoption advice

[freword]

on 10/20/2009 I just forced My two daughters into very short boys haircuts Now My daughters has very short hair like a boy I will keep my daughter hair very short from now on

[sonni57]

on 3/10/2009 Good article on hair cutting I have one too!

[SarahRobinson]

on 3/7/2009 Great article! My kids have never had a "real" haircut, so I'm sure I've saved thousands of dollars by cutting their hair. I love your tip about sending hair to locks of love! 5*

[rissakay07]

on 3/3/2009 hey this looks firmiliar 5*

[elyria]

on 2/20/2009 Great instructions and doesn't look like an impossible task to do after reading your article! 5*