Since my kids have been born, I have only paid for ONE haircut, for my middle son. It was at a cute kids place, where he could sit in a train and blow bubbles, while having his haircut. Super fun for him and a great overall experience, but the truth of the matter is that I’ve been able to save over $500 by cutting my kids hair myself.
I’m no professional hair dresser, that’s for sure (and my hair dresser readers are probably going to cringe at this post), but over the years, I’ve learned a few basics techniques that work for cutting my kids hair. Let me also say that while I do cut my kids hair and occasionally my hubby’s hair, I get my own hair cut by a pro! I’m not messing around with my own look.
I’ve let my youngest son’s hair grow slightly too long, to the point where it was always in his eyes. But his hair was so beautiful and I had a hard time with the thought of chopping it all off. But today, I decided, I couldn’t handle seeing it in his eyes any longer so I got out the clippers and scissors and went for it!
So to start, you are going to need a hair clipper set. You can find these at any major retailer or by clicking the link below. I would also recommend you buy a good pair of hair cutting scissors and thinning shears. The kits usually come with a pair of scissors but they aren’t very good (in my experience). That being said, it’s time for me to get a new pair of scissors!
So you might think that cutting an 18 month old’s hair is almost an impossible task, right? Almost. Make sure you set him (or her) up with a distraction. A toy to play with and a movie/show is perfect for keeping them entertained while you do what you gotta do to their hair.
Next, you want to strip them down to the bare essentials (ie: diaper or undies) and place them in a place where it’s not easy for them to get out (ie: high chair or exersaucer for younger babies). Having them almost naked makes it easier for clean up. And placing them in a secure spot, especially for wiggly babies, it makes sure they won’t fall or wiggle too far out of reach.
Now comes prepping for the cut. For my son, I didn’t want to go too short, especially because I was already struggling with the idea of loosing all of his hair. So I chose the #4 guard for the clipper (my kit has various guards from 1-6 and then side guards). Once you have it on, make sure it is securely locked in place, so it won’t slip off.
Then you want to section your child’s hair. For boys, you will want to use the clippers for the sides and the back. So I tie back the top of the hair (I will use the scissors on that) and then place the clippers against the head and start gently going upwards, making sure to stop before the crown of the head. Do the back and both sides, including gently pulling back his ears and getting the hair around there.
Sidenote: It is challenging to cut a very active toddler’s hair, by myself. So note, I didn’t get any other “action” pictures because as you can see, he was starting to get a little too curious and I didn’t want to make a mistake, for the sake of a picture! Ha!
So this is what it looked like after I was done using the clippers. I will try and post a video soon of me cutting my older son’s hair so you can better understand better how to do it yourselves, but it truly is not that difficult.
Before I move on to the scissors, I do usually take off the guard and “clean-up” the neck area. I will make a straight line with the clippers along the bottom hairline and then two diagonal lines, each going upwards towards each ear.
Then I move on to the scissors and thinning shears. Like I said above, I was home alone, so I couldn’t get any pictures of me cutting it. But combing the hair upwards, in between your index and middle fingers, take your scissors and trim. Always take off LESS than what you want and keep checking to see how short it’s going. You can always go shorter…you can’t go longer once it’s cut off.
To finish the look, I use the thinning shears on the ends, just to give it a little texture.
Here is the hair cutting video I took of doing my middle son’s hair to better show you all the techniques (or lack there of) that I’m using!
Clean-up is generally easy. It’s off the tub for the littles to get all the hair off their bodies. Then with the handheld vacuum, I suck up all the hair and give his high chair a good wipe down.
Come back tomorrow to see the finished look and for a little outfit of the day: toddler edition! I promise you that he’s the cutest thing and you won’t want to miss it!
Love & Blessings,
PS. I just had to share the cutest picture ever! This is post bath, in his Buzz Lightyear towel! Eeeps!
