I’m autistic, I’ve had one haircut since covid because I hate the sensory aspect of haircuts. I’ve been searching online of how to cut hair and it doesn’t look that hard, but a lot of people seem to advise against it. I think that if I fuck it up it’s not the end of the world, I can just go to a professional. But I have very long hair so I have a lot of opportunity for trial and error. I think that if I get some practice, it’s something I can continue to do going forward. I also don’t particularly care how it looks, I just want it to be shorter.

  • KoboldCoterie@pawb.social
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    8 days ago

    If you want a buzz cut (something you can do with clippers and a single length attachment), doing it yourself is really no problem at all. If you want something more complex, you probably want to see a professional.

    • LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.world
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      8 days ago

      Yeah, I’ve gotten 3 or 4 haircuts in the last 15 years that were from barbers. But I don’t care as much about what others think I guess. I cut the sides with a single length, then the top with scissors or buzz it to a longer length if I’m lazy. The only tough part is getting the back straight, which you learn tricks for. I’m so not bothered by it at this point it is the only time I use selfie mode on my phone. Turn away from the sink mirror, selfie mode on and trim it carefully. Blend the top with scissors if needed, but really it isn’t often needed for my hair.

      Edit: that said, if your are worried and you have a spouse, friend, family member, cleaning the back up only takes 2 minutes of their time.

    • SkaveRat@discuss.tchncs.de
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      8 days ago

      just be careful with the attachments. They sometimes can be easy to change during use.

      The one a friend used tended to change its length without much pressure. And suddenly he got a full lane of 2mm length cut

    • nomad@infosec.pub
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      8 days ago

      Last professional haircut when i was 15. Have been cutting my hair with a 30€ battery cutter from Amazon for years. Need a new one about every 10 years. Its awesome and you can even vary in length. ;)

  • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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    8 days ago

    For a guy:

    You’re not going to do anything well yourself except a buzz. And even then, there’s a learning curve.

    If you’re trying to keep it long, you’re going to fuck it up.

    For medium length, there used to be an “as seen on tv” product that was basically a shop vac that pulls hair into it, and cuts it a uniform length. I don’t know if they even sell them anymore, but that would be your only option.

    If you just don’t care, start buzzing it. Do it often, like buzz today, and then buzz again after taking a shower. You’re going to miss spots and a shower in between makes the hair stand up different and easier to make it uniform

    As you get better you can start doing it every two weeks or whatever, but at first do it really often to make sure you’re not leaving patches you can’t see.

  • kambusha@sh.itjust.works
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    8 days ago

    Go for it. There’s tons of Youtube videos. The difference between a bad haircut, and a good haircut? 2 weeks.

  • ClassifiedPancake@discuss.tchncs.de
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    8 days ago

    I’m doing it since Covid. No ideas about long hair but for me it’s simple:

    With a hair clipper 9mm on the sides and back

    12mm on the top (with the natural hair direction, not against)

    Now the lower back is the hardest and it will never be amazing but gets better over time. I bought a hand mirror and use it to find where to create the border. I hold my comb in a roughly 20 degrees angle over that line and cut everything below with 3mm. This way I can’t overshoot and the angle creates a decent transition. If I want to improve it, I start another line below for a 0mm cut.

    I would personally like to make an even shorter cut but my hair is pretty thin in some areas and then it looks spotty. At some point I might go full Heisenberg but there is still time.

    I use a Remington QuickCut for most of my head and a Phillips 7000 series for details, beard and down under.

    The only time I went to a professional since covid was for my brothers wedding.

    • Ephera@lemmy.ml
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      8 days ago

      Damn, are you me? I haven’t bothered with fading out the back yet, but I also cut 12mm on top, 9mm for the rest.

      Personally, I found that when I lean my head back, then there’s a pretty noticeable bend where my neck starts. And when my hair crosses that line, it looks bad. So, that’s where I create the border.
      And I just basically grab the back of my skull and move my hand down until it meets that bend to the neck, then I cut along the index finger.
      I feel like I’d probably create the fade above that, too, but your mileage may vary, of course.

      • ClassifiedPancake@discuss.tchncs.de
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        8 days ago

        I’ve also been using my hand to create the border in the past, it’s an even simpler solution that creates good results. It also has the benefit that you can feel where you are, while the comb is a bit more technical.

        I never thought I would continue this after Covid but I like working on improving my cut and it’s good enough now that I don’t feel I need someone else. Always found interactions with hair dressers a bit awkward so I’ll gladly leave this behind me.

        • Ephera@lemmy.ml
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          7 days ago

          Yeah, that is also my primary motivation, to not need to interact with hairdressers. 😅

          I do also like it a lot, though, that I can just cut it every 2-3 weeks. My hair is a lot easier to take care of when it’s short, and I look sharper, so I can just keep it short all the time.

  • Lexam@lemmy.world
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    8 days ago

    I started to go bald in my early twenties and started shaving it. I haven’t been to a barber in decades now. Even if they came up with the perfect baldness cure, I wouldn’t take it.

    • Tonava@sopuli.xyz
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      7 days ago

      I always strongly encourage everyone to try shaving their head bald at least once, just to feel how it is. There’s nothing like having your scalp finally not itchy at all. No hairs pulling in any direction. Chilly in a pleasant way. It’s amazing!

      The only downside for me is that I’m already visibly ill, so I look just like a cancer patient lmao

    • fodor@lemmy.zip
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      8 days ago

      Yes, shaving one’s own head with clippers on a short setting is not hard to learn and do well. It’s incredibly convenient although it does limit what you can do with your hair. But the time saved is so wonderful.

  • RBWells@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    I was a barber and yes, if your hair is long, you can trim it without training, as long as it’s not very straight it doesn’t matter if it’s precise. Short hair and straight hair are less forgiving.

    Basically you just want to make sure the two sides left and right are the same length and there are no “points” - no sharp length changes.

    I’d just look for videos with people who have hair similar to yours, showing how they cut their own hair. You can do it!

  • laranis@lemmy.zip
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    8 days ago

    Been cutting my own hair for a decade. It wasn’t pretty at first, but I got better. Have done several different styles over the years, too. Now it is easy, quick, and looks good.

    I’ve saved so much money and, more than that, time and stress. I can cut my hair first thing on a Sunday morning or late on a Monday night. No appointments, no idle chit chat, no leaving the house… just 20 minutes and a shower and I’m good for another 3000 miles.

  • Am Asian. Literally never went to a barber lol. I mean except that few times when I was a kid. My dad then learn how to do barber stuff. I think he might’ve worked as a barber for a short time, but not sure. Then I got older and just did haircuts myself. I keep it like very short, like the shortest trimmer guard (is that what it’s called?). Idk why but hair gets veerry annoying when it gets long.

    Saves a lot of money, you know… average Asian frugal tricks that parents teach you 😅. I never admitted that fact in front of classmates in the US since that’s kinda embarassing. People love to poor-shame.

    (For context, I’m a dude, idk how girls/women does things, but my mother also never went to a barber, not to my knowledge anyways)

    Idk why, but like I think many Asians just don’t really take haircuts that seriously, I remember a Malaysian-American classmate just joking about his mom doing haircuts for him… so relatable lol. I hear like white kids or black kids talk about haircuts and “hairstyles” and I’m like… 👀

    [Insert awkward monkey puppet meme here]

    • shalafi@lemmy.world
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      8 days ago

      My Filipino wife and her friends pay each other a few bucks to do each other’s hair. Works great!

  • SlurpingPus@lemmy.world
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    8 days ago

    With long hair, you have two particular easy opportunities:

    • Just trim only the temples with a trimmer, and let the rest grow as it pleases. Or cut the ends to some length that makes sense. This way you can have a ponytail, or loose hair if that’s your style, and look okay.

    • Or, get a ‘long mohawk’: have a barber buzz the sides so that you have the back and top in a straight wide stripe, then tie a ponytail and shave the sides with a trimmer once every week or two. This is more fit for dudes, though there are photos of gals in image search too. The benefit of this style is that it’s more chilly than a full head of hair, while also being low-maintenance.

  • dryfter@ani.social
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    8 days ago

    I do my hair once a month because I’m lazy and I don’t care about my hair. #3 all around (cold) or #2 for summer.

    I know plenty of stylists that cut their own hair. It’s just like anything you start doing, you’ll probably suck at first but you’ll get better.

  • TonyTonyChopper@mander.xyz
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    8 days ago

    Mine is 30-40 cm (man) and I do it myself with scissors. Forget all the “hacks” and just do whatever u think will look good freehand. I do recommend getting good scissors intended for cutting hair. Normal ones are not sharp enough.

  • AA5B@lemmy.world
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    8 days ago

    I’ve been wondering this too, but out of sheer convenience. I even already have a trimmer for my beard. I like my hair short and usually describe it as “number 3|6 trimmer on the sides and back ….” And I should be able to do that.

    Why do I need to use my time to find a barbershop that hasn’t shut down, go sit in a waiting room for 30-60 minutes, have to describe to someone new how I want May hair, and end up with something inconsistent anyway. I can be inconsistent on my own, thank you

    • Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world
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      8 days ago

      Your cut sounds a lot like mine. I’ve clipped the back and sides on my own many times without problems, but if you typically like them to scissor cut the top, I HAVE messed that up doing it on my own.

    • sbv@sh.itjust.works
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      8 days ago

      Go for it!

      I do something similar a couple days a week. It looks just as good as a similar cut I’d get from a barber.

    • Boozilla@lemmy.world
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      8 days ago

      Go for it. I was very reluctant to try DIY haircuts. But once I did…I immediately wondered why I paid for it with time, money, and hassles for all those years.

  • ZERONOVABLOSSOM@sh.itjust.works
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    8 days ago

    Similar situation for me here.

    I’ve cut my hair a few times before and from what I can discern, a hairstylist or someone particularly interested in hair/beauty will notice if you’ve cut it yourself. Whether that matters to you is another thing.

    I’ve noticed if you have long hair (past the shoulders) and there is a lot of it then you can hide any mistakes easier. Curly hair is also better at hiding mistakes. If it’s straight, short and more sparse then any cuts made will be more noticeable and thus any mistakes will be more obvious. If you go very short and have to use a shaver to get closer to the skin then it can be tricky to keep everything even.

    The more you do it the better you will get of course. At this point I feel fairly comfortable trimming my length but the first few times did not look very good. If your situation is such that appearances aren’t scrutinized severely then I don’t see the harm in trying to do it yourself.

    Just make sure you cut your hair a little longer than you might want, that way if it looks really bad then you can go to a hairstylist and they have some length to work with.

    Oh and something to note, my hairstylist knows about my sensory issues and they’re very accommodating. I was rather upfront about it, telling them something along the lines of “Hey, I just wanted to let you know that I have some sensory issues with haircuts. Is it possible we can address them before we get started?” I ended up sticking with the hairstylist that was the most understanding. It took a few tries but they’re great! We use unscented hair products, no heat styling (blow dryer or hair iron), tv’s are turned off, and we only really talk when it’s about the haircut.

    The only reason I don’t see them that often anymore is the cost of services in general.

    • nova@lemmy.wtfOP
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      7 days ago

      Thank you for the info, I will have a go tonight as I have a lot to work with, and worst case I can go and find a professional who can help accommodate :)