Here’s a real simple solution to save you money- Try cutting your own hair!

Some of you instantly hear alarm bells at this post and will see visions of yourself with shaved bald patches at the side, a mullet at the back and a sea of people pointing and whispering about the hack job you did to yourself.

I have been cutting my own hair for years. At first it wasn’t to save money, but more for convenience. I have a slight OCD tendency which prompts me to freak out at random points because my hair is too long at the sides. I don’t know when this freak out will occur exactly, but once it takes hold I am doomed to be irritated by this 7 millimetre protrusion above my ears until it is trimmed. My wife has learned to live with this deformity in my character and is accustomed to hearing the clippers going at erratic times throughout the day.

I used to love going to an upmarket hairdresser that knew me by name, never kept me waiting, had my favourite magazines on hand and served me lattés as I reclined in the massaging chair. That was about 10 years ago now. Back then it cost me $35 and would only look good for a fortnight. If I had continued at this pace of haircuts it would now have amounted to $9100 over 10 years! That’s a huge amount you could save!

When I moved to the country the drive began to seem ridiculous and I began cutting my own hair with a $40 pair of clippers. I don’t do anything too fancy but my technique involves interchanging between 4 comb lengths.

I would say that there is nothing complex about cutting your own hair. Try watching an hour of YouTube videos and be conservative in the lengths you cut at first. It may even be worthwhile to train up a family member or friend so you can help each other out. Hayley checks the back of my head for me but it can be easy enough for you to do yourself.

You then just vacuum it up, jump straight in the shower and you are done in a third the time it would take you to get to the hairdresser and back.

For those who don’t like your God-given hair colour, you can successfully dye your own hair too with a little practise. Hayley did try to train me but has now succeeded in doing it solo after a few of my bad attempts.

At the end of the day it is just hair. Some of you love the experience and the $9100 (approx.) is a therapy that keeps you sane. Others may have gasped at the sheer amount that could be saved and will be immediately running for the Remington’s.