Cutting Boys Hair with Clippers; The Way & Things to Avoid

by Lauren Gilmore
[ Hair Stylist and Educator ]

However convenient, cutting your boys hair at home can be quite a daunting task...

The key is practice, practice, practice! I promise it does get easier every time you do it.

Whether it is to save money, time or because you just want to learn, this article will give you all the necessary knowledge to complete a boy’s haircut.

Firstly, I am going to give you a little insight into some cutting theory:

  • Men’s/Boy’s hair is generally cut with a square shape in mind, whereas a woman’s cut is more rounded as it achieves a softer result.
  • Cutting on dry hair is best for clipper use and blending.
  • Cutting on wet hair is best for scissor cutting. (in case you want to read, How to cut men’s hair with
    scissors
    )
  • The occipital bone in the prominent bone at the back of the head.
  • If the hair around the crown tends to stick out, keep the hair longer in this area.

    Now you understand the basics, let’s get started.

Step by Step Guides for Cutting Boys Hair With Clippers

Step 1: Pick Your Tools

Having the correct tools are essential as they will determine how successful your haircut is.

You will need:

Clippers:

My favorite are Wahl Corded Clipper Color Pro, they are great as they are lightweight, easy to use, and they come with combs, neck brushes, clipper guards and cutting scissors.

Wahl Clipper Self - Personal Haircutting Kit
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No products found.

Scissors:

You can use the scissors that come with your clipper kit; however, these are also a great pick. The reason I chose these is because they are slightly sharper and cut the hair more easily.

Equinox Professional Hair Cutting Scissors
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Thinning Scissors:

You may want some thinning scissors to hand if the hair is fairly thick, they are also great to help you blend the hair.

You may also want a water spraytowel or neck collar and a hairdryer to hand.

Step 2: Pick your clipper guards

Clipper guards can tend to range from 1-12. See the table below for a rough guide on sizes and hair lengths.

This table is based on the Wahl Clippers and Guards.

Clipper GuardHair Length (In Inches)Hair Length (In MM)

1/2

1/16

1.5

1

1/8

3

2

1/4

6

3

3/8

10

4

1/2

13

5

5/8

16

6

3/4

19

7

7/8

22

8

1

25

10

1-1/4

32

12

1-1/2

38

If you’re not feeling that confident, I recommend starting with a longer length, you can always go shorter.

Step 3: Prepare

Make sure that the hair is freshly washed and dried to ensure that there is no product or oils in the hair, this will make the hair much easier to cut.

Wrap a towel or gown around your boy’s shoulders to prevent any hair getting on them.

It is ideal to get them to sit on a chair that you are at eye level with, this will stop you getting a bad back and make it a more comfortable experience.

Step 4: The Technique

  • Start at the back and sides. If you are unsure of the length you need to go on the sides, decide what length you want on the top, the back and the sides are typically shorter.

    Now if you have picked a 2 guard, also pick up a 3 & 4, this is going to help you blend.

    I always recommend starting at the centre back of the head, place your free hand on the head to give you some stability, then with your clippers at a guard 4 and at a 45-degree angle work up to the occipital bone. Repeat this around the head stopping at the same imaginary line.

    Once complete repeat the same technique working down to a 3 & then a 2, stopping 2 inches below the previous ‘line’.

  • To cut the top of the hair simply damp the hair down, and lift the hair as shown in the diagram and cut using a square line.
  • Comb the hair into place and dry. To help you dry you can use the comb to encourage the hair into place.
  • You can go over certain areas of the hair, with the scissors or clippers. If you feel like you need too, you can also use the thinning scissors to remove unwanted weight in the hair.
  • To remove unwanted hair on the neck you can remove the guard from your clippers, just be careful not to go up into your hairline.
diagram

To finish you can always style the hair with some products – two of my favourites are, Redken Rough Paste as it gives great hold without being too heavy and sticky, and it is also good to add texture to the hair.

REDKEN Rough Texturizing Hair Paste
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No products found.
milk_shake Lifestyling Freehand Paste
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No products found.

Congratulations! You will have now finished a boy’s haircut using clippers and scissors!

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