I've been cutting my own hair with clippers since i was 14 and have been hoping to do the same with a piece. I'm capable of cutting it with scissors also, just prefer clipper haircuts.

i currently have very advanced mpb, the top is basically gone save for a thin patch at the front. had planned on transitioning to wearing from concealers over the last year, but life events have delayed this.
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here's some personal details about my hair and haircut, you can skip it if you don't care:
my standard haircut for the last few years has been a 6-8 guard on top, styled in a way that is random and spiky on top towards the crown, more forward and a little to the side towards the front. the bangs cut even shorter almost exposing the hairline. a 6 guard is just long enough to allow me to spike it a little. an 8 guard is almost too long due to the wave etc of my hair, but anyway prefer the 6.


a couple of months ago i got a full on buzzcut for the first time in a few years. I went as short as a 1 on the sides and 2 on top. Oh boy, did i miss how good that looks and feels. I'd say the #2 all over buzzcut had mostly been my favorite hairstyle growing up.

after cutting it down this short on the sides, i see that i've now thinned out quite a lot at the nape, under the temples/above my sideburns and around the ears, and that hair in those places isn't growing back as fast as the rest. guess i'm headed for full cap territory and absolutely mortified at this given my extreme preference for very short haircuts.
No disrespect to the full cap guys. They look great from what i see here for the slightly longer styles.
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I've read through all the various sort of 'how short can you go' threads past, and although there doesn't seem to be a definitive answer yet i don't want to retread exactly.

I'm basically wondering if anyone cuts their system hair with like a 6 to an 8 guard.
I got the vague impression that a poster here, Xeon005, uses an 8 guard on system hair based on one of his posts? And had talked about buzzing down an old unit grade by grade until it looked unnatural as an experiment (anyone ever try this in the end)?

I'm eager to hear from Xeon and others who do cut their system hair to a #8 or shorter with clippers. I've heard of some using 10 and 12 guards on system hair, but i'm not as interested in that (i use scissors when i want my hair that long anyway).

I realize you do it with the system attached- i'm obv. more comfortable cutting my hair that way anyhow.

I get that theoretically your own hair can be however short but that it's tough to blend at extreme short lengths, and have seen some photos of toppers with short back and sides, and that's not really what i'm asking about.

Thanks in advance for any help. totally love this forum. I don't think i could ever make the jump without it.

*EDIT: kind of a different question, but i'm also curious to hear from anyone who already cut your own hair before you wore hair, especially short, on how it differs from cutting in your own system when attached to your head.

*EDIT 2: also, i assumed that anyone who uses clippers would already know this, but to clarify for anyone who may not know, the numbers 6, 8 and so on refer to the attachments or 'guards' you put on hair clippers, by 8th's of an inch, with a #1 guard leaving a uniform 1/8" length of hair on your head, a #2 guard leaving a uniform 2/8" and so on up to the #8 guard which gives a uniform 1" long cut. In the UK (and i think also the EU?) these are called 'grade 1, grade 2' and so on... here in the US it's usually called a "#2" or "2 guard"
Although the #8 guard is usually the biggest and gives the longest cut of the standard attachments there are supplemental guards available that cut the hair to 1.25" and 1.5" (#10 and #12 respectively). these are made of a softer rubber and bend more, and have to be used more gently and carefully. whereas the standard guards are very stiff and can be pressed down onto the scalp pretty firmly.
all this info has probably been posted on the forum a couple of times, this may or may not be a more comprehensive explanation of 'those numbers' than most, but thought i should add it here as a courtesy.

Well I cut my own sides and back every week with a #5 guard. I cut the top of my sides and back with a #12 and I fade from #5 to #12 by hand. I cut my own hair for 10 years prior to wearing so I'm quite good at the fade. Then I use scissors to give the longer hair that meets the piece a bit of a choppy texture. I have the topper cut professionally though and I recommend you do the same. I have a very choppy cut which makes the piece much easier to blend because it breaks up any straight lines. Choppy hair is much easier to keep blended as it grows out and the difference in length isn't apparent.

I know I keep posting this pic but I believe it's relevant to this thread.

Thanks for your reply, and your pic looks really great. but i realize that some guys here are cutting their own sides and back with clippers, and that it is possible to do. i was really hoping to hear from anyone who cuts the actual system hair that way.

That said, i'm very curious, if you cut your own hair for years before wearing, why do you get your topper cut professionally? How does it differ from cutting your own hair?

Thank you

Cutting in a system isn't quite the same as cutting normal growing hair. This is especially true when it comes to blending. A good stylist that has spent years cutting in systems knows the little tricks and idiosyncrasies of it. Sure there are people here who've had great cut in done by regular stylists and even themselves. For awhile a lot of guys were using Flowbes with great results. But in the end a good stylist who's experienced with systems ids going to have much better skills than i do. I have a trendy, choppy haircut that i just can't produce myself. With a piece you have one chance to get it right because that's the cut you're going to wear for 3-6 months. And if they mess up your piece then that's on them not you. For me it's worth the extra money to have a professional cut my piece.

YES, you have a much better haircut than most people who still have all their hair, it is clearly not an amateur haircut and when i first saw this photo in another thread i thought i'd probably look twice at it if you passed me in the street.
I wouldn't say that i'd have no idea how to approach doing a cut like yours, but it would be a stretch for me, it's definitely not something i've attempted.

My haircut is perhaps not as complex, but it is a little quirky and edgy and i've done it every few weeks for years whereas a stylist won't have nearly as much experience doing that particular cut. I do mess up from time to time but that's mostly just when i'm in a hurry and easily avoided with a bit of caution (and when i do mess up, it's usually carelessness doing something easy around the contours, like edging up the back and sides or tapering around the ears).
I really love my haircut whereas i've never once had a professional haircut that i liked... even when i've brought photos, they never seem to understand what i want and i feel the need to have more control over it than that.

Could i ask you to please elaborate a bit on the differences between blending a system vs. growing hair? You only get one shot, i know, but otherwise?
Anyone else on the "little tricks and idiosyncrasies"?
I gather from what you've said that if you wanted the exact same haircut you gave yourself for years, you'd still go to a pro?

thx again.

First, the blending. Even though you order say 65% density, the density will still vary from piece to piece. Additionally the actual thickness of the hair shaft can vary from piece to piece. Because of this sometimes pieces need to be thinned with thinning shears to get a good blend. Sometimes they need to be thinned a little, sometimes a lot.

Second, ventilation. ventilation isn't always perfect. Sometimes you get some spots where the ventilation doesn't follow the rest of the piece. This can make the cut a little more difficult.

If you have the comfort level, and the money if you mess up the piece, to do your own cut in your own pieces then I say go for it. I've seen some amazing self cut in pictures on this forum. So it can certainly be done.

If I could cut my piece exactly like I want it, at this point I would still go to a professional. I'm a fulltime and a half student. I work at an unpaid internship. I don't have the money to throw away on extra pieces if I screw it up. Once I finish my doctoral then I will most likely try my hand at cutting a piece or two. But even then I wouldn't attempt it without at least one professionally cut back up piece. Just in case.