Men’s Home Haircuts: The Do’s and Don’ts from a Professional Stylist

You’re sitting at home running out of things to do. You walk around your humble abode, hoping that an idea will pop into your head of something that you can do to pass the time. When ambling past the mirror, something gets your attention. You ask yourself, ‘why is there a nest on my head?’, until you realise that it's actually just your hair. It's gone out of control since your barbers or hairdressers had to close. You then decide that it’ll be a great idea to get a home haircut. A lot of guys have either experienced this situation or know at least one friend who has felt like this. I wanted to get a hair professional’s view on the average person taking the scissors into their own hands. 
So, I caught up with hairstylist, Ryan Cullen for a chat. Ryan has been cutting hair for the past 15 years. Ryan’s love for art, fashion and people made hair dressing a no-brainer as a career choice. He specialises in men’s hair but also enjoys cutting women’s hair. When he’s not working at his salon (which is normally fully booked), he gets to travel around teaching his trade. 

​
​Q. What hairstyles would you recommend for guys who are in need of a haircut and just can’t wait any longer for the barbers or hairdressers to reopen?

A. “I would honestly tell them to wait until the barbers and hairstylists are back open. You never know, a longer hairstyle than they are used to may be unusual to them at first but they might actually find it works for them. If you do decide to cut your hair or someone else’s hair, I’d advise you to keep it simple, to avoid causing harm to yourself or others. I’d recommend that you use clippers with a 2/3 guard on the sides and either scissors or a 10 guard on the top.”

Q. What are the hair do’s and don’ts when getting a home haircut?

A. “Do not use a bowl. Look what happened when Mr Bean tried it. Do not follow the round of the head when using clippers on the sides. Do not tamper with hairlines. Do not try to do designs on the sides. Do not use kitchen scissors. I don’t have many do’s I’m afraid as I advise against it.”

Q. I’ve been seeing a lot of buzz cuts on Instagram recently as a result of a home haircut.  Would you recommend this hairstyle?

A. “If you think it will suit you why not. I mean it’s efficient and effortless. Some people I know actually suit a shaved head more than having hair.”

 Q. Do you think the current pandemic will affect the hairdressing industry in the long term?

A. “I feel the industry will come back with a bang after all of this. The salons will see a boom in customers needing haircuts and wanting some haircuts fixed. This will be a great chance for many stylists to concentrate on building a healthier clientele. I think it will affect traveling stylists/educators more so than the ones based in their salons. People may not want to travel as often and airlines may not have the flights to accommodate them if they did.”

​Q. You’ve made a name for yourself in the hairdressing industry. Where do you see yourself in five years?

A. “I’d like a larger salon with more staff so I can prioritise my family. I’d also like to travel the world as much as possible and I’d love to have my own product range.”

This is not a sponsored post. 

Find out more about Ryan @ryancullenhair on Instagram 

​