To cut hair at home without hair getting everywhere, pick a spot with a hard floor, cover the person and the floor before the first snip, and contain the clippings as they fall with a cape or a catch cloak. Then clean up dry: sweep or vacuum first, and wipe with a damp cloth only at the end. Most of the mess from a home haircut comes from skipping the setup, not from the cutting.
Where is the best place to cut hair at home?
| Location | Advantages | Drawbacks |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchen | Hard floor, good light, room to walk around the chair | Clear food and dishes away first |
| Bathroom | Mirror and easy-to-wipe surfaces | Often cramped. Damp surfaces hold on to hair |
| Outdoors | Daylight and the simplest cleanup | Wind blows hair onto clothes and into eyes |
| Carpeted room | None for this job | Clippings work into the pile. Avoid |
How do you set up?
- Choose a chair without upholstery. A stool or a wooden or plastic chair wipes clean.
- Cover the floor. Spread an old sheet, a shower curtain or newspaper in a wide circle around the chair. Hair travels further than you expect.
- Clear the area. Move anything fabric, and close nearby drawers and cupboards.
- Lay out your tools on a tray or towel: scissors or clippers, comb, clips, spray bottle, and a soft brush for dusting off.
- Keep the bin and a handheld vacuum or dustpan close.
How do you keep hair off the person?
- Use a cape or cloak, fastened snugly at the neck. A gap at the collar is how hair gets down a shirt.
- Tuck a strip of tissue or a thin towel under the neckline for extra protection.
- Have them wear a smooth top. Hair clings to knits and fleece.
- Lightly dampen the hair for scissor cuts. Damp clippings fall in clumps instead of floating. Clippers are the exception: they work on dry hair.
Cape or catch cloak?
A traditional cape drapes over the shoulders and lets hair slide off onto the floor. It protects clothing, but the floor still needs sweeping. An umbrella-style catch cloak opens out into a wide rim around the shoulders and holds the clippings, so most of the hair never reaches the floor at all.
The Uexim foldable umbrella haircut cloak has an umbrella-style design that catches clippings during cutting, at home or in the salon. It is foldable and portable, made of plastic, 60 cm (approximately 23.6 inches) in size, and comes in silver. One cloak is included.
Habits while cutting that keep things tidy
- Cut in small amounts. Short snips fall straight down. Long lengths swing and scatter.
- Drop long pieces into the cloak or bin by hand instead of letting them fall.
- Comb downward before each cut so loose hairs leave the head in one go.
- With clippers, work upward and flick away from the head toward the cape or cloak.
- Empty a catch cloak partway through if a lot of hair is coming off.
- Keep the person still. Every turn of the head shakes clippings loose.
How do you finish without spreading hair?
- Before removing the cape or cloak, brush loose hair from the neck, ears and face with a soft brush or a dry towel.
- Unfasten the cape slowly and fold it inward so the hair stays inside.
- Carry it to the bin or outside and shake it out there.
- Ask the person to stand up carefully and step off the floor covering.
- Fold the floor covering inward from the edges and tip the hair into the bin.
What is the right order for cleanup?
- Dry first. Vacuum or sweep the floor and the chair. Wet hair smears and sticks.
- Tools next. Brush hair out of clippers and off scissors and combs.
- Damp wipe last. One pass with a damp cloth picks up the fine hairs that remain.
- Laundry. Shake the floor sheet outdoors before washing it, so hair does not end up in the machine.
Cutting your own hair
The same rules apply, with two adjustments. Stand or sit over a hard floor with the covering already down, and use a second mirror so you are not twisting and shaking hair around. A catch cloak is especially useful here, because you have no free hand to manage falling hair.
Frequently asked questions
Should hair be wet or dry for a home haircut?
Lightly damp for scissor cuts on straight or wavy hair, which also keeps clippings from floating. Dry for clippers. Curly hair is often cut dry so you can see its true shape.
How do I get tiny hairs off skin afterward?
Brush them off while the skin is dry, then rinse or shower. A soft brush or a dry towel works better than a wet one.
Can I vacuum up hair clippings?
Yes. Empty the vacuum afterward, since hair can clog filters if it builds up.
Is a catch cloak suitable for long hair being cut short?
It helps, but drop the long lengths into a bin by hand as you cut them. The cloak is best at catching the smaller clippings.
The bottom line
Hard floor, covered floor, snug cape or catch cloak, small cuts, and a dry cleanup before a damp one. Contain the hair as it falls and a home haircut leaves very little behind.
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