How to Cut Boys' Hair

SHORT HAIR

You will need hair cutting scissors, a comb, and a hair clipper.  My beautician friend taught me how to cut boys hair by demonstrating it on my boys.  Here's what she said to do. 

The BEFORE shot.  Now is the time to put on your child's favorite cartoon.

1.  Attach the size 2 or 3 clip guard to the clipper, depending on the length of the hair and the length you want.   

Turn on the clipper.  Starting below the hairline, pull the clipper through the hair toward the crown.  As the clipper nears the crown, slightly pull it away from the head to blend the hair.  DO NOT WET the hair.  I forgot with the hair cut pictured and it clogged my clipper!

Clip the same section at least twice, first going one direction and then crossing back the other way to ensure an even clip.

2.  Remove the clipper guard.  Instruct your child to sit very still because otherwise, he could get clipped!  Carefully shave the hair to make edges where you would like.  I do traditional sideburns and then edge over the ear and down to the back of the neck and across the neck.   

My friend used an edger and I intend to get one someday.  They are much easier to use and make a nicer edge.  Plus, they won't hurt if you or the child slips! 

3.  Done with clippers.  Wet the hair.  Using a comb and scissors, comb the crown hair and hold it in your fingers to cut STRAIGHT UP.  Go all the way around the head, cutting perpendicular to the floor.  This will blend the crown hair with the clipped hair below.

4.  If you want bangs, comb them down.  Starting with the section of hair directly behind the bangs, cut sections of hair using the previously straight up cut hair as your guide.  For example, when you pull out the hair, you will see that the hair is shorter near the side of the head where you have already cut.  Cut the rest of the hair to the length of the shorter hair.

If you want a longer crown, when you cut the hair straight up, pull it out a little.  Then, when you cut from behind the bangs back and around the head, you still use the previously cut hair as your guide but it's a little longer than if you had cut it right next to your knuckles.

Here, you can't really see the previously cut hair because it's tucked in my fingers, but I am cutting towards it to even out the hair. 

This is the aesthetic part of the cut.  After going all the way around the head, cut the middle section using the around the head cut hair as a guide.  I end up going all over the head again after the initial round and middle, making sure that the hair is all even.

5.  Cut the bangs straight across.  I don't have a picture of this.  If you don't want bangs, you can cut the bangs the same way as the hair behind the bangs by pulling out sections and matching them to the previously cut side hair. 

6.  Finished.

LONGER HAIR

My friend did not show me how to cut longer boys hair, but this is how I do it.  Please post if you know how to do this better.

I don't use a clipper, just scissors and a comb.  I wet the hair and then comb all hair forward or down around the head.  I pull sections to the length I want and cut around the head uniformly to make a hairline.
 
Next, I start at the top of the crown and put in layers by pulling out hair to the same length all around the head.  I work the layers down towards the hair line.

I'm not sure whether I am doing the longer hair cuts correctly, but my son doesn't care (yet) and it's fun to experiment with different cuts!

Now . . . does anyone know how to cut girls' hair?