How to Give Yourself a Buzzcut
Need to save money but still want to look good? Try cutting your own hair. One great classic yet low maintenance style is the buzz cut. It's a great style for a man or woman and is easy because you can cut and maintain this style on your own. With a few tools, you can make sure that your hair looks fresh all of the time. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Electric clippers with guards (Wahl is a popular choice) Comb 1 handheld mirror 1 wall mirror Scissors Brush Hand towel Safety pin
Instructions
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Prepare the hair. Make sure your hair is clean and thoroughly dry. Hair that is wet, or sticky with mousse or gel will be harder to cut. While buzz cuts are short, there are some variations. Do you want your hair one length all over? Perhaps you want it shorter near the nape of your neck and around your ears, but longer towards the top. You can adjust the length by changing the guard that fits over the clippers. You can also raise and lower the level of the teeth of the clippers to cut closer to your scalp. Lay out the guards you plan to use. Put the guard that you'll use for the nape and sides on first.
Comb your hair to get rid of any tangles. If your hair is currently longer than about an inch, cut it shorter with a pair of scissors. This will make it easier for the clippers to glide through your hair.
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Pin a hand towel around your shoulders to prevent hair from falling down your shirt. Select a guard and put it on the clippers. You can always cut shorter, so be conservative. Clipping with no guard will give you a bald look, and clipping with a # 3 guard may leave too much hair. Try starting with a #2 and if it's too long, go over that area again with a # 1. Play with it until you have the length you like.
Facing a large wall mirror, point the clippers down, and start at the side of your head, near your cheek. Using an even stroke, draw the clippers from the side to the back of your head, ending at the nape. Continue that method to cut both sides and the back of your head. Use a hand mirror to check the back to ensure the hair is evenly cut.
If needed, change guards to cut the length on top. As with sides, begin at the front of the head and bring the clippers back. Check your work periodically by looking in both mirrors to ensure you are achieving the look you want.
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Complete the cut. When you use clippers with different guards, you may see a line in your hair where you changed from a smaller to larger guard. You'll need to blend this area. You can do this by gently clipping upward into the longer hair with a medium guard until that line is no longer noticeable.
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Add a professional finishing touch. Once you have finished cutting, you can create a tidy look by taking the guard off of the clippers and carefully edging around the ears and neckline.
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Once the buzz cut is finished, you may want to give yourself a nice shampoo. Don't forget to moisturize if your scalp is dry. Now, it's all about easy maintenance. Brush styling may be all you need, but you can still use mousse or gel if the top of your hair is long enough.
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Tips & Warnings
Don't forget to use sunscreen on any newly exposed scalp! Keep clippers away from water.
