After spending a lot of time indoors, most of us are finding that we need to take on a new skill: haircutting. But if you haven’t cut your own hair before, you may find you don’t have the right scissors. You may not even know what the best kind of scissors are! In fact, there are quite a few tools that you can use to trim your hair.
We’ve pulled the top examples of each haircutting scissor (or trimmer) and we’ll walk you through what to do with each of them. By the end, you’ll be ready to whip out your haircutting scissors and deliver the best trim of anyone in quarantine. Or at least you’ll feel confident enough to give your family members a trim.
All in one
If you want a solid kit that gives you just about everything you need for at-home haircutting, this is your best bet. It comes with cutting shears, thinning shears, a comb, hair clips, and a hair razor comb.
I especially like that they include the hair clips so you can easily section the hair while you work.
Cutting shears
But if you’re not in the market for a kit, you can also look at individual products. Cutting shears are a great place to start. Shears are scissors that are sharp enough to give you a good cut, and they’re what you’ll use to take off most length and create the general shape of your haircut.
These (incredibly cute) shears are a great option if you don’t want to break the bank.
Use this tool to guide your cuts
If you’re nervous about cutting too much hair off or getting an uneven trim, this little device is incredibly helpful. It gives you guides that show you how much to cut and when to stop. I was uncertain at first, but this review sold me:
“I have never taken the time to write a review but this product warrants one. Because we can not go to a salon due to the pandemic, I ordered this hoping to buy some time until Salons open. My 14 year old daughter cut my hair with it after watching the YouTube video. The cut is perfect. Maybe even better than the salon. I am so impressed with how easy it was to use and how well it worked.”
Hair Cutting Razor
If you’re ready to take things to the next level, a haircutting razor may be right for you. Razors help create layers and and texture in your hair, and are great at removing bulk. This set of two is a great place to start at trying your hand on a razor haircut.
It has plenty of replacement blades so that you can keep using it over time, and a comfortable handle so you can easily get the control you need.
The Basics Plus
We’ve already shared one kit option, but this one takes things up a notch. It’s all stainless steel and high quality, and gives you the same cutting shears and thinning shears as the first.
But this kit also comes with a classic shaver and oil. It’s a great option for a man who wants to get the best care for his beard and also try out cutting his own hair.
Yes, it’s called the Tinkle
The brand name of this tool is Tinkle and that means you’ll laugh every time you use it, but on top of that it’s also an incredibly effective haircutting tool. You can use it for thinning and texturizing your hair.
It’s got two sides that work with different types of hair, and all you have to do is comb it through your hair to trim and thin the cut. Easy as pie!
For the short haircuts
If you’re giving a short haircut, having a pair of clippers is incredibly important. This is the best way to trim along the edge of the neck and around the ears, and can even easily do the whole cut if you’re shaving down the whole head.
This clipper is delightful, because it’s handheld. Getting a full size clipper around your head can be a serious challenge, so the small size of this one helps you to maneuver and reach all parts of the head.
The classic clipper
This clipper is what I use to cut my hair, and it’s a solid choice. It comes with a wide variety of clipper guards so you can choose your length, and they’re color coded (which helps my bad memory).
If you treat it well, this clipper will last for years and years, and get you through hundreds of haircuts. You can use it for undercuts, for shaves, to trim edges, and for shorter cuts too.
Texturizing Comb
At first glance this might look like a simple comb, but it’s actually a comb that you can use to cut your hair. If you’ve got a pixie cut, a texturizing comb is going to be your best friend. It also works wonders if you want to trim your bangs or add some texture and layers to your hair.
If you’re not sure how to use a texturizing comb, many of the reviews suggest checking out Youtube tutorials first. A few lessons and you’ll be getting amazing cuts.
Thinning Shears
We may have put the thinning shears last, but that does not mean they’re the least important. In fact thinning shears are one of the best go-to haircutting scissors around.
They have one blade with teeth and one blade without, which lets you add texture to your hair and remove some of the bulk. Generally you’ll want to employ your thinning shears after you’ve done your main cut, but they can absolutely ramp up your haircut from “meh” to “YES”.