How to Do Barber Cuts

Electric clippers make baber cuts simple to achieve at home.

Barber shops have been around since ancient Greek, Roman and Egyptian times, though they are becoming rarer. The iconic red- and white-striped rotating pole outside barber shops may be disappearing, but the clean cut barbers provide is still popular. With electric razors and clippers widely available for personal use, you can achieve the look of a barber cut without leaving your home.



Barber cuts range in styles from crew cuts to brush cuts, from ivy league cuts to Caesar cuts. Regardless of the style, barber cuts are always short, which makes them easy to achieve with electric clippers.

Things You'll Need

• Electric clippers with multiple length attachments
• Electric razor (often a setting on electric clippers)
• Hair scissors

Instructions

1. Decide on the style of barber cut you want. When you see one you like, pay close attention to the length of the hair on the sides and top of the head.

2. Comb hair carefully and make sure it is dry. Wet hair is more difficult to cut with electric clippers.

3. Attach the longest attachment length to your clippers. Starting in the section of the head that requires the shortest hair, glide the clippers gently across the head so that they cut the hair. Hold the clippers further away from the scalp for a longer cut, or glide them right against the scalp for a shorter cut. If the attachment is too long, try the next-longest attachment. Keep trying shorter attachments until you achieve the length you want on this section of the head.

4. Move on to the section of the head that requires the next shortest cut. Change the clipper attachment lengths as needed to achieve the style you want.

5. Use hair scissors to trim any section of hair that requires a longer cut than your clipper attachments will allow.

6. Cut around the curve of each ear using scissors. Be careful not to nip the ears.

7. Straighten the hairline at the nape of the neck using the electric razor. Trim this line as far up or down the nape of the neck as you desire.

Tips & Warnings

• Drape a towel over your shoulders and secure it tightly around your neck with a clothespin to make hair easier to clean up.

• Many electric clippers come with a vacuum device that collects hair as you clip. This also makes cleanup easier.

• Pause often during the cut to make sure the hair is even on both sides of the head.

References

• Hudson's FTM Resource Guide: Men's Short Haircuts and the Barber Shop