How to Buzz Cut
Your Own Hair at Home

What Do You Need to Buzz Cut Your Own Hair?

To buzz cut your own hair you need clippers with a full guard set, a #3 or #4 guard for the first try, a hand mirror plus a wall mirror, and good light. A guard is the plastic comb that clips onto the blade and sets the length: a #3 leaves about 3/8 inch.

If you want to go past a buzz to bare skin, follow our guide on how to shave your head for the razor stage and aftercare.

If you still need a tool, see our best hair clippers for men guide for guard kits and cordless models suited to home buzz cuts.

• Corded or well-charged clippers: cordless is easier to manoeuvre.
• The right guard: a #3 or #4 is a safe first buzz; you can go shorter next time.
• Two mirrors: a main mirror plus a hand mirror for the back.
• Good lighting and a bit of patience.

Which Guard Number Should You Use for a Home Buzz Cut?

Our clipper guard numbers chart lists every size, and the mm conversion chart helps with metric clippers. For finished looks at each length, see the buzz cut styles gallery.

How Do You Buzz Cut Your Own Hair Step by Step?

1. 1

   Start dry and clean

   Buzz on dry, clean hair, since wet hair clumps and reads shorter than it cuts.

2. 2

   Pick a guard and commit

   Attach your guard. Start longer than you think. You can always go shorter, never longer.

3. 3

   Go against the grain

   Run the clippers against the direction of growth, using slow, overlapping passes.

4. 4

   Work in sections

   Do the top, then each side, then the back, overlapping so you don't leave lines.

5. 5

   Do the back with the hand mirror

   Use the hand mirror to see the back; go slow and feel for longer patches with your free hand.

6. 6

   Check and even up

   Feel all over with your palm for missed spots, re-run any patches, then tidy the neckline lightly.

What Mistakes Should You Avoid When Buzzing Your Own Hair?

• Going too short the first time: start with a bigger guard.
• Rushing the back, since that is where uneven patches hide.
• Pressing too hard or going too fast: let the clippers do the work in slow passes.
• Over-shaping the neckline. A light natural line is safer than a hard shaved one you can't see well.

How Long Does a Home Buzz Cut Last?

Hair grows about half an inch a month, roughly 1/8 inch a week, which is about one guard number per week. A #2 buzz looks like a #3 after a week and a #4 after two.

That puts a home buzz on the 1 to 3 week cycle in how often you should get a haircut. If you decide to grow it out instead, see how long hair takes to grow back after a buzz cut.

How Do You Buzz Curly or Coily Hair at Home?

Curly and coily hair shrinks as it is cut, so a guard length that looks right on straight hair can end up shorter than expected once curly hair springs back after the clippers pass over it. Go up half a guard size from what you would normally choose on straight hair, check the result after one section, and only size down once you can see how much the hair in front of you actually shrinks.

Coily hair can also grow in different directions across the scalp more noticeably than straight hair, so slow down around the crown and check that area from more than one angle before moving on, since a rushed pass there is where uneven patches usually show up first.

How Do You Look After Clippers for a Home Buzz Cut?

A buzz cut only looks clean if the clipper blades are sharp and moving freely, so a few minutes of maintenance before you start makes a real difference. Brush out any trapped hair from the blades after every use, and apply clipper oil to the blade teeth so they glide instead of tugging or pulling at the hair, which is what causes an uneven, snagging cut.

Dull or dry blades tend to leave faint tram lines where they drag rather than cut cleanly, especially on a second or third pass over the same area. If your clippers start pulling hair instead of cutting it smoothly partway through, stop and oil them rather than pushing through, since a dry blade will only get worse and can leave visible unevenness by the time you reach the back.

When Should You Let a Barber Fix a Home Buzz Cut?

A buzz is forgiving, but two problems are hard to fix alone: patchy spots at the back and a crooked neckline. If the back looks uneven in photos, a barber can level it in a few minutes. Our guide to why a fade looks patchy explains the same problem on blended cuts, and how to trim your own neckline covers the neck edge.

What to say in the chair

“I buzzed it myself with a #3. Can you even out the back and clean up the neckline without going shorter?”

A barbershop buzz usually sits at the low end of the $25 to $45 range in our haircut cost guide, so a clean-up visit now and then still saves money over a full cut every two weeks. Our DIY haircut statistics and buzz cut statistics show how many men cut their own. For wording at the shop, read how to talk to your barber.

Frequently Asked Questions