Clip It, Don't Cut It

What’s Wrong with the Hair Stylists?
After watching local hairdressers for the past ten years grab the clippers for cutting the hair on the back and side of my head, I started getting tired of shelling out $15 every couple of months. Not all of my haircuts were good, so why was I paying for them.

My only fear of clippers was the top of my hair – could a clipper make me look presentable when professional hair stylists only used scissors? About a week ago I was ready for another haircut and decided it was time for me to take a big risk and try to do my own hair.

Lots of Options
Is this really a product someone researches before purchasing? I know I didn’t. I went to my local Wal-Mart store and looked at all the clippers available under $25. A couple of cheap Norelco’s, a GE and about four different Wahl’s all fell in my price range. I went for the Wahl Hair Cutting Kit 79300-500
because it came with the most size attachments and the longest warranty (five years compared to two for the GE and one for the Norelco) for the price.

Getting Started
I read the instructions, but you don’t have to. The clipper is pre-oiled, so the only thing you have to do before plugging it in is check the cutting blades against a chart in the manual to make sure they are aligned properly (mine were).

Cutting
Make sure your hair is dry and remember, this isn’t a one man job! My wife did the cutting and was very skeptical at first, but I insisted I wouldn’t get mad if my hair looked horrible. I like my hair short and did the sides like my last four haircuts, with a size four attachment. It cuts hair very well. The clumps of hair fell before me and my wife began enjoying the job – “I always wanted a girl!”, she said. The right and left ear blades are helpful for getting the cutter to blend around the ears, but with a little practice they can be ignored.

Blending
My greatest concern was blending the length from the top with the sides and back. With a five blade my wife sheered off the hair just above the previously cut section. Then with a six completed the top. I like the concept of going with the shorter cuts first and then the longest, because it is easier to see how its all going to come together in the end.

The Wahl comes with special cutting sheers (scissors), but for those who don’t know how to use them they will likely be used for trimming and not for fancy hair styles. I used them to clip the front of my hair straight.

Results
Results are not typical. I like my hair short, but for those who have longer hair clippers just won’t cut it (pun intended). As my wife said after I was done, it’s a nice hair cut, not the best you’ve had, but close. I concur with her.

Bonus
No more waiting for the day when my hair becomes unmanageable to start planning for a haircut. No more “Sorry we’re booked until after Easter” and no more expensive cuts for me. After just this one haircut, the clippers have almost paid for themselves and I can always keep the look I like.

Conclusion
I will attempt to cut my young boys hair, but I am pretty sure that when their older enough to want a “styled” cut, Dad and his clippers will not be the one cutting their hair. Clippers serve a purpose, and I’m just lucky enough to fit them.