How to Cut Boys' Hair With Clippers?

Cutting hair at home is a convenient way to save time and costs on regular hair maintenance. While trimming your child’s hair at home might sound daunting at first, it’s easy to create great styles with the right hair cutting tools and guidance.

If you’ve never done this before, the Braun 9 in 1 trimmer is specifically designed with home haircuts in mind. Suitable for all hair types, Braun’s all in one trimmer is the easiest tool for cutting children’s hair for the first time. We’ll show you exactly how to use it in order to keep your child’s hair looking healthy and fresh between visits to the barber’s.

The video above outlines each step, and this useful guide tells you everything you need to know about cutting hair at home.

Step 1: The right preparation for boys’ haircuts

The fundamental first step to a successful young boy’s haircut is to make sure you’ve got everything prepared. Before getting started, make sure you’ve done your homework by reading this guide to how to cut a boy’s hair with clippers. Oh, and the same principles apply for a girl with a short hairstyle too of course.

To begin with, it’s important that you ensure your child’s hair is recently washed as this will make trimming their hair much easier. You should also make sure you’re set up in a room in the house where you won’t mind much mess on the floor. The bathroom is usually the best place.

Start by wrapping a gown or towel over your child’s shoulders, covering both their back and chest. This will stop any unwanted hairs falling down their neck and back, and also keep clothes hair-free. Make sure your child is sat comfortably on a chair or stool too – this should prevent any fidgeting and movement whilst you are trimming!

Once you’ve done this, use a comb to run through the hair, making sure it’s all flowing in the right direction of your child’s hairline. The right direction will be the way the hair naturally wants to fall, usually combing from the crown of the head outwards.

Step 2: Choosing the right hair clipper grade

To select the right hair clipper sizes, remember that the lower the hair clipper grades (in mm), the shorter the haircut. Each number on the clipper corresponds to the length of hair left on your child’s head after trimming.

Designed for boys with thick and thin hair, the Braun 9 in 1 trimmer comes with two adjustable combs so you can cut hair to the precise length you need, from as little as 0.5mm. If you’ve never done this before, for boy’s short haircuts, we recommend starting at 17mm for the first go so that there’s lots of room to go over it with smaller haircut grades later.

Starting at a higher grade will also help to prevent any unwanted lines in the hair and as your confidence builds, you’ll be able to begin at smaller grade lengths.

To make cutting your child’s hair safe and easy, the Braun 9 in 1 Multi-groomer uses AutoSense technology, which automatically adjusts the power of the trimmer motor to hair thickness.

Step 3: Cutting the back and sides

Gone are the days of bowl haircuts. With the Braun 9 in 1 trimmer, you have all the tools you need to learn how to cut hair evenly at home.

Because the back and sides are typically shortest, start by deciding how long you want the hair to be on the top of their head. Next, decide on an imaginary line to work up to before you begin trimming. The top can later be dampened and trimmed with scissors if needed.

Time to start cutting. It’s usually best to begin cutting boys’ hair at the side of their head, working your way around. After setting your trimmer to 17mm, place your other free hand at the front of your child’s head for stability. Beginning at the sideburns, keep your trimmer at a 90-degree angle at the bottom of the hair and move straight upward in scooping motions.

You will notice the attachment is flat with a curve towards the back. This helps the trimmer rest comfortably against the head, creating a smooth graduation. Setting your trimmer to 11mm, start further down the head, where your last line finished, then continue moving the trimmer up in scooping motions. Repeat this again using the 9mm setting over the same areas.

Follow this pattern right around the back of your child’s head, using the 11mm up towards an invisible line level with your child’s temple. Next use the 9mm, still at a 90-degree angle, but begin lifting upwards from even further down the back of the head. Continue this motion from a little lower down with the 7mm and finally with the 5mm from the very bottom of the hairline on the neck, up to a line level with the top of your child’s ears.

Step 4: Finishing off

If you feel you need to create any more graduation, you can always go over certain areas of hair again, making sure all lines are tidy and there’s no unwanted lines or marks. Once you’re happy with the trimming, you can finish by adding a hair taper for a smooth finish.

The video above shows how to taper hair and add detail using the Braun Precision trimmer attachment. To neaten up the neck and ears for a clean finish, gently pull back your child’s ear and use the precision attachment to trim the hairline around the ears. This works by resting the trimmer on your index finger, whilst using the end of the attachment to curve around the ear in a semicircle motion.

To clean up any stray hairs on the neckline, use the precision trimmer from the top of the ear down to the bottom of the hairline. Rest your middle finger against the neck to steady and place the trimmer on the skin, sliding it towards the left all the way down the hair on neck. Next, run the precision trimmer back up towards the ear for a smooth, tapered finish. For best results, avoid trimming along the bottom of the neck as this will create a blunt hairline.

If necessary, you can also finish up your child’s haircut by dampening the top of their head and cutting the front of the hair with scissors.

That’s it – you’ve completed your first child’s haircut! Next up, why not learn how to cut your own hair?