Watch This Barber Demonstrate How to Give Yourself a Great Quarantine Haircut
We're now two months into lockdown, which means that you've either taken the plunge and shaved your head, or you're in the midst of figuring out how to do a DIY haircut.
In an IGTV post, Austin, Texas-based Bob the Barber filmed himself cutting his own hair in a "slightly shaggy" style inspired by Diego Luna in Narcos Mexico, and offered some commentary on how anyone can give themselves a simple "self-care cut" to keep their locks in check while in isolation, using just a comb, clippers, and scissors.
"First and foremost, make sure you hair's nice and wet," he says. Once he's got the longer hair on top out of the way with a clip, he use the clipper and number 8 guard attachment (about an inch) and goes to town on the back and sides. "Just follow the shape of your head and buzz on through."
Then he has to determine how much length he wants to take off from the top, based on what's right for his particular hair texture. "If you've got a standard comb with numbers on the side, those are inches, and you can use it to measure how long you want to cut your hair," he says, deciding on somewhere between 2.5 and 3 inches. "That's usually a good length to use as far as being able to style it, being able to comb it, leaving it kind of loose."
Bob combs his hair down over his face, and once he's measured it, begins cutting. "Trust your measuring, and just chop right through, guys!" As he makes his way further back across his head, he uses his ring finger as a guide, to keep the length and cut consistent — which becomes necessary right at the back, where he can't see as well.
"Once you've taken off a lot of that weight, you're going to want to start looking for little points in the haircut," he says, and advises following the same method to take the bulk out of the sides.
He then uses a hairdryer and comb to "stretch" the hair out and see if there are any uneven areas (useful if this is your first haircut since lockdown began, as your hair is likely thicker and curlier than usual), before going taking the clippers to the back and sides again, moving them in a few different directions to ensure an even finish.
Rather than giving himself a tight fade or a hard line around the back and sides, Bob just tidies things up a little so as not to appear too overly groomed, which, fair. This is maintenance, after all, not a makeover. Bob's trick for grooming your hairline: run your hand up into your natural hairline, push your hair all the way up, and stop just before your index finger touches your hairline, then use the trimmer to just butt up against your fingers. "You can do this in between haircuts, too," he says, "just to keep everything nice and tidy."
The final touch is to tidy up his facial hair, something that a lot of guys will have learned about during the process of growing their quarantine beards. "Make sure you blend those sideburns in nicely with the rest of the haircut," he says.
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