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    Should I get a buzz cut? Why and how to buzz cut your own hair

    Reading time: 4 mins

    A man in a white tank top looking at his freshly shaved at-home buzz cut in the mirror.

    Considering a new hairstyle, something radically different to the one you have now? The buzz cut might the hairstyle for you. But what is a buzz cut, and is it a hairstyle worth having? Our buzz cut guide is here to answer your questions, from the benefits of a buzz cut to how to buzz cut your own hair.

    What is a buzz cut?

    A buzz cut is about as short a haircut as you can get. There are a few different variants, but it normally involves taking your hair down with clippers until it’s less than an inch long. Typically, electric clippers make a buzzing noise, hence ‘buzz cut’.


    The classic buzz cut is a uniform length all over, making it the easiest at-home buzz cut to get, but you’ll also sometimes see a taper or fade. This is when the hair gets shorter as you go down the sides.

    Should I get a buzz cut?

    This is completely up to you! The fact that you’re asking ‘Should I get a buzz cut?’ in the first place suggests that you’re at least tempted. To help you decide, here are some of the benefits of a buzz cut:

     

    • Buzz cuts are simple to maintain. Washing your hair becomes quick and easy, and it’s hard for a buzz cut to look messy.
    • You won’t get hair in your eyes on windy days or during sports.
    • A buzz cut doesn’t just make you look cool; it makes you feel cool. On hot days, a buzz cut will help keep you stay cool.
    • If you’re losing your hair, you can take control and get a more even look by going for a buzz cut.
    • Clipping your hair down allows your facial features to take the stage, without any distractions.

     

    Still, there can be some downsides to getting a buzz cut. Here are some points to consider:

     

    • There’s one area in which buzz cuts need regular maintenance: you’ll want to buzz it back down every week or two. If you don’t want to visit the barber that regularly, you might want to look into cutting your own hair.
    • A buzz cut keeps you cooler on hot days, but bear in mind that you might miss that extra insulation when winter rolls around.
    • A buzz cut doesn't leave you with much hair to style. If you like wearing your hair in different ways, a buzz cut can limit you. That said, there’s a whole world of hats, wigs and accessories out there, and the regular regeneration of hair on a buzz cut means you can experiment freely with hair dyeing.

     

    If you’ve decided against getting a buzz cut and want to experiment with some other hairstyle but you’re not quite sure which one to pick, take a look at our guide to finding the right hairstyle.

    How to give yourself a buzz cut

    As mentioned, buzz cuts need touching up regularly, so it’s worth knowing how to buzz cut your own hair. Fortunately, it’s a pretty straightforward hairstyle to get. Here’s how to give yourself a buzz cut:

     

    1. Wash and dry your hair.
    2. The shorter your hair, the easier your at-home buzz cut is going to be, so trim it down with scissors if it’s on the longer side. The hair’s all going to go, so you don’t have to worry about even trimming at this stage.
    3. Grab your hair clippers and set the length you want. If you’re not sure what length you want, remember that you can’t un-buzz your hair, so start on the longer side and see how it looks before doing a pass on a shorter setting. The Philips Hairclipper Series 9000 lets you choose a precise length in 0.1 mm increments.
    4. Side note: if your clippers need you to attach a guard to choose the length, the guard number refers to how much hair the guard will leave behind, so a guard of a lower number will get you a closer shave. A #1 guard will get you a 1/8-inch haircut, and each increasing number adds another eighth of an inch to the length.
    5. Make sure you have access to a mirror. It’s useful to have a handheld mirror as well, so you can get a good look at the back of your head.
    6. Clip your back and sides with steady upward motions, then tackle the top of your head. You’re cutting against the grain here.
    7. Check how it looks in the mirror or ask someone else to check for you. If you find any uneven spots, go over them again with the clippers.
    8. Tidy up the edges and don’t forget about the back of your neck. You won’t see it while you’re walking around, but other people might!

     

    That’s all there is to it. Enjoy your new low-maintenance hairstyle.

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    Buzz cut guide for the barber

    If you decide to get your hair cut by a barber instead, it’s easy to request a specific length of buzz cut. Remember how we mentioned that clipper guards are numbered by how much hair they’ll leave behind? If you ask for a ‘number one haircut’, you’re asking for a haircut using a #1 guard, which means your hair will be an eighth of an inch long.

     

    A number two haircut is an eighth of an inch longer than that, making it a quarter-inch. A number three haircut adds another eighth, and so on up to number eight, which is an inch-long haircut. Once you find the perfect length for your buzz cut, make a note of it, and it’ll be easy to touch it up.

     

    If you decide to grow out your buzz cut later on, it can look a little wild in the in-between stage. To get it under control, keep the back and sides short to start with while the hair on top grows back.

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