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I haven’t talked much lately about boys’ haircare, so I thought I’d share my friend Connie’s method for cutting her AA boys’ hair. A bald fade is a good looking hair cut that is done by barbers a lot these days. For this haircut it is easiest to have two pairs of clippers.
Either you can buy a set of balding clippers or simply unscrew the standard clippers and reset the blades until the tips of the two cutting edges meet. Standard clippers also come with guard attachments. For the hair on the top of the head you may be able to use the #1 or #2 attachment, especially if the hair has a looser curl.
If the hair is kinky and tight, don’t worry about using the attachments at all. The second set of clippers are called fading clippers. They can be bought at a beauty supply store. They have an adjustable lever as well. Start with the modified standard clippers with the blade length as short as possible. This will allow the clippers to cut to a smooth balded look at the back. Begin by cutting from the nape of the neck up to the half crown. The half crown is midway between crown & nape of the neck. Cut against the way the hair grows.
At the half crown you need to move the lever slightly apart to create a smooth blended look into the rest of the hair. Gradually lengthen the space between the blades, so it fades to a longer cut as you move up to the crown. You may want to switch to the fading clippers part way up the back of the head. Then you will either continue using the fading clippers or switch back to the regular clippers with the guard in place for the top of the head.
For the top, you will cut forward from the bangs. The hair switches directions at the crown. You always want to cut against the way the hair grows to ensure an even cut. The sides of the head should be done with the fading clippers—shortest at the ears and slightly longer higher up on the scalp.
If the hair at the top lays down smooth and straight the cut is about right. If it is still kinky or curly, you need to cut closer. When you are done, someone looking from the outside should not be able to tell where the blending lines are and there should not be visible bumps or missed spots.
If there are bumps or lines, simply cut that section slightly shorter to get the look you need. When you are practicing and you are unsure how much length needs to come off, start with a guard in place or a wider space between the blades. You can always cut it a little shorter if it is too long.
The last step is to ‘line’ the hair. If your child has wispy, uneven edges, lining is the process of shaving these edges to make a straight smooth hairline. A good way to do this is with a Microtouch clipper or a mustache trimmer.
For ‘lining’ the child will need to sit very still so you can make straight lines. Cutting your little boy’s hair may seem intimidating at first. But it can save you a lot of money, especially if you consider that many AA guys have their hair cut and/or ‘lined’ every 2-4 weeks to keep it looking nice.
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Mary thank you for posting this, do you have pictures? I cut our other son’s hair with a flowbee and have gotten where I can do a decent job. But as I was cutting his hair yesterday, I wondered how I might be able to give our youngest a decent haircut – we’ve been to the hair dresser twice and they have just cut it really close all over. He’s still young not quite 2.
Thanks for the tips, Mary. So far, I’ve cut our ethio baby boy’s hair a few times. He’s not quite 1, so he does not understand about sitting still or keeping his hands away from the clippers. I use a 1/2-inch guard and just cut the entire head the same. He has tiny corkscrew curls in some places and softer curls in others, but I have had pretty good luck getting it to look even (sometimes I have to go over certain areas more than once). And I’m saving $13 each time I do it at home instead of taking the kids to Kids’ Kutz. That adds up to $39/month for my 3 boys – - well worth the $30 investment for the trimmer! [:-)
I’ll definitely keep your haircutting tips for when my little guy gets older and can sit still while I experiment.