Category: Pictures

written 12/29/25, updated 12/29/25

Materials and Cost

Bought Supplies

Highly Recommended: Hair Scissors

*Note: I don’t recommend this trimmer. The button is impossible to slide easily. Should’ve sprung for a more expensive one

Owned Supplies

Process

• Gather supplies and clear any rugs or anything else in the cutting area. Little hairs will fly! Keep everything within easy reach

• Secure the cape

• Follow manufacturer’s instructions on oiling the clipper. The thing I read beforehand said to put one drop on either side of the blades and then back

• Grab the spray bottle and comb, then mist the hair so that it’s mildly damp but not sopping wet

I couldn’t find a spray bottle, so I used a wet comb and that does not work very well

• Then comb straight so that all the hair lays flat

• Know the gameplan. The rule of thumb for close cuts is to do the sides then the back first. Because I wanted to keep the top a bit longer, I needed to alligator clip the hair there out of the way so I could deal with it later.

• Starting time!! The recommendation is to use the clipper guards and to go more conservative first. You can take away hair but not put it back.

To start, I used a #4 guard to address the sides. The technique is cut straight into the air and to NOT follow the curve of the head just yet.

Deep Breath! LET’S DO THIS!

Right Side

Hmm… Didn’t wet the hair enough, so it was really difficult to cut the strands

Left Side

Wet it more this time and it was easier. The only hard part was using my left hand instead of my right

• Now for the trimmer! Using the trimmer and/or the corner edge of the clipper (no guard), fold the ear and trim around the contour

This trimmer was TERRIBLE. The on/off switch was literally impossible to flip and for the number of times you need to do that, it was super obnoxious and hurt my fingers. That’s what happens when I decide to go cheap

Interestingly, my hair is different on both sides. In the end, I knew I’d need the help of scissors to polish it off

• Now for the back. I stuck with the #4 guard to take the bulk off. Utilizing the side mirrors by turning either left or right to see more (you have to use the mirror in the mirror effect), I was able to take off the bulk of the length. The straight back, I used a two-handed motion similar to that dumbbell exercise

• Now there are those little strands in the back. I decided to use the trimmer again. This part was super hard because I couldn’t see anything and no amount of phone or mirror could help me. In the end, I just used the comb as a straight edge. I knew I’d want another person to help me out later.

They sell these back of head guides that you can secure around your forehead

• And for the riskiest part: Fine tuning. With the bulk gone, it was time to do detail work. If the length was good for a trim, I would’ve been fine, but I didn’t want that. I want shorter!

Stupidly, I went straight from the #4 to a #1 for whatever dumb reason. If I was seasoned, it’d be fine, but I was brand new to this!! So, of course, I made a mistake.

Whoops. Too much, too fast

• After laughing nervously, I decided to fix it. Slowly this time. I went from a #3, to a #2, then a #1. Each guard number I went all over with until I got used to wielding the clipper. I actually wasn’t intending to ever go back to the #1, but I did in the end because it was natural, and the only way to get the bottom of the back to hug the skin and look more natural.

Helpful: Just because you use a guard doesn’t mean you’re limited to it. On the side of the clipper is a lever that further controls the length. So, using a #3 plus the lever effectively gives you #3.1 – 3.9. This allows more control to fine tune and is how I ended up fixing the hair and feeling comfortable with the rest of the fine-tuning process. It ends up being a trial-and-error/practice thing.

• After fixing everything, I felt much better and things were looking good as a whole. Now for the mid-tier! I swapped to the #6 to do the curve of my head, then the #4, and eventually #3 (only a little)

• For the other side of my head, I removed the clips, combed, then added the clips the other way this time. Time to cut!

• More fine tuning all the way around. This is where I finally figured out how to properly use the tri-fold mirror.

The female head has a much more pronounced dip/roundness in the back than a typical male head, so I had to take that into account

• Happy with the sides and back, normally, this is where Hair Scissors come into play. Alas, I did NOT have any. I also knew better than to use regular scissors or the clippers. I would have thinned and layered the top using a 2-finger hold and cut method, then fine-tuned the contours of the ears.

And DONE!

Go clean up and take a shower!

Before and After Pictures

Notes:

• I needed someone else’s help for the scissor-work and contouring of the back and ears, so I have yet to try that myself. Shouldn’t be too hard. I’ll update whenever I do that in the future.
• While the longer top style-wise wasn’t too bad looking, I can’t staaaaand hair in my face, so it just got annoying
• If using the large hair clips, make sure to push them way up high or they’ll get in the way of the clipper
• Definitely use a spray bottle
• I didn’t realize the back of my head is so bumpy. If the pictures look like I chopped to much in some places, it’s actually because of my head structure

1st Cut 12/27/25: Very freeing and so much easier than I thought it would be! A few hiccups in the learning process, but overall, I can see myself doing this for years to come. The tri-fold mirror was instrumental in all of this! I would highly recommend it! I’m already imagining other styles I can try in the future! It’s nice to not only save money, but do this at my own leisure, in my own house!