How to Give a Buzz Cut to Kids
How to Give Kids a Proper Buzz Cut at Home, According to an Expert
With hair salons closed for the foreseeable future around most of the US, many parents are thinking about taming their kids' hair on their own. And if you have a child who likes to wear their hair on the shorter side, a buzz cut is likely the way to go (for a play-by-play, watch the video above!).
"Honestly, the first thing I'd recommend is not cutting your child's hair if you lack confidence," David Caivano, a master barber at High End Barbershop in Morristown, NJ, told POPSUGAR. "But that's not realistic; everyone's going to start getting antsy over the fact they can't get a haircut, and many of my clients have already tried a DIY version on their kids." If you are a parent considering one of these DIY cuts, keep reading for more of David's tips.
Tips For Giving Kids a Classic Buzz Cut
If you've never used a hair clipper or trimmer before, a good rule of thumb is the smaller the blade, the shorter the cut; so if you're going for a superclose buzz cut, use a number one or two attachment. If your child prefers to wear their hair a little longer, go for an attachment with a higher number on it.
"It might not be as pretty as a professional cut, but it would still give the contrast of having short hair on the sides and long hair up on top."
An undercut — where the hair is shorter on the back and sides of the head and a bit longer on top — is a fairly simple style as far as buzz cuts go. "Start with a four blade, then work your way down to blades with lower numbers to experiment," David suggested. "That's the idiot-proof way of cutting hair; I was even given the same advice when I was first starting out as a barber."
To begin an undercut, take the clippers with a shorter blade attached right up the sides of their head, but stop before reaching the top. For the top, switch out the blade for one with a high number to keep the hair longer. "It might not be as pretty as a professional cut, but it would still give the contrast of having short hair on the sides and long hair up on top," David said.
The Easiest Haircut to Do With Clippers
For parents who are desperate to give their kids a no-muss haircut, David recommends simply buzzing it all off. "The first and most simple way — which I even did myself! — is using the lowest setting of the clippers (around a one) and shaving their heads." Although this is certainly the easiest way to handle your kiddo's hair, David recognises it's definitely not for everyone. "Many kids won't want to do that, especially because shaving your child's head might be traumatizing for them. An undercut might suit them more; it just depends on the child!"
