Have you ever wondered how to cut boys’ hair at home? Unless you want to buzz your boy’s hair, you have to be prepared for haircuts at least once every other month. Their hair grows FAST! That many haircuts (multiplied by the number of kids you have) can add up to some serious cash. If you want to save money and try cutting your boy’s hair at home, read on! I set out to learn how to do it.

First, I contacted my friend Laurie who has five boys (and one husband) and she cuts all of their hair herself! She is not a trained professional but out of necessity has learned to do it at home. Her boys wanted similar styles so you’ll get to see how to cut the “trendy” style-long on top and shorn short below.

Step One:

Section off the hair on top to be kept long. Use clips that can be purchased on Amazon, at the drugstore, Wal-Mart or Sally’s. Clip this hair out of the way to be dealt with later.

Step Two:

Select the length you want for the short part and use the appropriate guard on the clippers. Buzz the underside of the hair, shaving close at the neck and around the ears.

Step Three:

Release the top hair. Start at the center and bring up a section of hair from the crown to the forehead and snip. Bring sections up on either side, using the section before to match the length. Continue until all the hair is snipped. *Insider tip: Use thinning shears to give it a not-freshly-cut look.

Next, I took my boys for a haircut and filmed my awesomely patient hairdresser, Kendra, while she cut my oldest’s hair. The haircut she did for Teddy is just a short boy cut. Unfortunately, I’m having trouble with the video.

To summarize what she did: Start with your margins, ie the bangs, behind the ear and back. Use upward snips for the bangs to avoid the Lloyd Christmas in “Dumb and Dumber” look. For the rest of the hair it’s basically the same as above except you do the same for the back as you did for the top. Use the clippers for the neck and behind the ears to clean it up. I’m going to do my boys at home the next time! I feel super uncomfortable doing it, but I think all I need is some practice.

I’ll let you in on a little quick tip that I do in a pinch-in between salon haircuts, I will snip bangs and the back of their neck to save a trip (and some money!). That can really only be done once in between cuts or else you’ll end up with the Dorothy Hammill. At least my boys will.

Hopefully, you’ve learned some tips to cut your boys’ hair at home!