How to Give Yourself a Short Haircut

When money is tight, sometimes you can find extra cash in unlikely places. Many people pay twenty, thirty, or even fifty dollars or more for a single haircut. While such expense may be worthwhile for women that require intricate styling, shelling out a lot of cash for a haircut doesn't make sense for men that just need a simple short cut. Investing in a hair trimmer with cutting extensions for ten to twenty dollars can save hundreds of dollars a year, and will allow you to fit haircuts into your schedule.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Hair trimmer with trimming extensions.
• Mirrors
• Large counter top or table

1. Decide how long you want the front and top of your hair. Most hair trimmers come with several plastic extensions which allow you to cut hair to a given length. Oftentimes one inch is the longest extensions available, that can be a good place to start.

2. Apply the first extension the the trimmer and use it on all of your hair.

3. Apply the extension one step smaller than the first and use it to trim the back and sides of your hair, but leave the front and top alone.

4. Continue applying smaller extensions and trimming less and less hair on the back and sides of the head, sculpting the hair so that it tapers off naturally. Use a couple of mirrors to check your hair to make sure it lays naturally.

5. Use the shortest extension to trim the hair at the very bottom of the neckline and above the ears. It can be helpful to get a friend to quickly trim and level the hairs on the back of the neck.

Tips & Warnings

• Cutting your own hair takes a little practice but after a few cuts it will go fast and save you time. With trimming extensions you can't go too far wrong.
• Cleanup is relatively simple if you lay down some newspapers or use a damp paper towel to sweep hair into a trash bag.