last week i came to the conclusion that with the heat my hair was just to long. didn't want to spend the $8 for a haircut so started thinking. those of you who have read some of my posts know it is dangerous when i think.

well i remembered about the old time method of cutting hair with a bowl placed over your head then cut off what sticks out. i was having trouble as all my bowls were either to big or to small. so i kept thinking and the solution i came up with was a baseball cap. it worked i put it on the old way (you know the bill in the front) and started cutting. then i turned it around and cut the front.

it felt pretty good and what i could see was an impovement. i went to town a couple of days later and one of my friends comented that i must have been to see john doe (didn't think i should use real name) for a haircut. he is the local barber so i have come to the conclusion that either i must have done a good job or the local barber doesn't do a good job.

at any rate i now have a haircut that is acceptable and feels a lot of better but i also still have my $8. gail

-- gail missouri ozarks (gef123@hotmail.com), August 23, 2000

Answers

I'm with you!! Funny how when we're young we're SO self-centered, a few hairs out of place felt like the end of the world. If I need a trim, I hand the sheers to whoever is around and voila! a free

-- Cathy Horn (hrnofplnty@webtv.net), August 23, 2000.

I'm with you!! Funny how when we're young we're SO self-centered, a few hairs out of place felt like the end of the world. If I need a trim, I hand the sheers to whoever is around and voila! a free trim. I tried doing it myself, I'll never do that again!!

Sorry if this went thru twice, finger slipped.

-- Cathy Horn (hrnofplnty@webtv.net), August 23, 2000.

IMHO anything we can do ourselves is best. My husband trims my long hair and I've been cutting his hair for a few years now. Most of the time it's good.

-- Cindy (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), August 23, 2000.

My ex does his with electric dog clippers one a week. Looks pretty darn good, too - thinking about buying a pair for the current spouse. Gee, then I could trim up the sheltie, too!

-- Polly (tigger@moultrie.com), August 23, 2000.

I cut my own hair & my hubbies hair but I'm a cosmetologist! I for years made really good money on all of those at-home-hair cuts---not ever one is as good at cutting as you Gail or don't have good eye sight. I for one would rather do without most anything else & have a GOOD hair cut! If I have a bad haircut it effects everything else about me until it is corrected or grows out--I wear my hair really short---but it better be even!!!!!!!!!! Sonda in Ks.

-- Sonda (sgbruce@birch.net), August 23, 2000.

As I sit here on a rainy morning I am laughing my butt off thinking of you with several different bowls on your head ! LOL. I cut everyones hair in the house and have for years .Hubbys is getting easier as it falls out haha .

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), August 23, 2000.

I've been cutting my own, my husband's & children's hair for years. We haven't gotten funny looks. It really helped through those very lean times! Now it's just habit. Does anyone have any tips for cutting a young boy's hair? He likes it on the short side, but I'd like it to have more shape than the same length all over.

-- Jean (schiszik@tbcnet.com), August 23, 2000.

I give all the boys buzz cuts, same clippers for years. I trim my daughters and give her cute bob cuts. Mine is another story, since there isn't another adult here. I haven't had it cut for six months, and it is long! Gail, where are ya when I need ya?

-- Rachel (rldk@hotmail.com), August 23, 2000.

Because it was difficult getting an acceptable haircut and because I now seek simple solutions to self-sufficency and hate spending money, I let my hair grow and now wear a simple braid and trim my own bangs. I buzz my husband's hair (what's left of it) with clippers I got 37 years ago with green stamps. We like to do this outside so there's no mess to clean up.

-- Sandy (smd2@netzero.net), August 23, 2000.

My husband cut off his ponytail about 6 months ago, so now he's paying for haircuts. At about the same time, I stopped getting mine trimmed, so I guess it's a wash. He gets his hair cut really short so he doesn't have to go more than once every 3 months or so. Mine is getting really long again, but I confess, this thing about me staying blonde is going to put us in the poorhouse! My vanity, I confess!

-- sheepish (rborgo@gte.net), August 23, 2000.

Jean,

One of the Tightwad Gazette books had good instructions for cutting a young boy's hair. I have used that method for two years on my young son's hair, works and looks great!

-- Gina NM (inhock@pvtnetworks.net), August 24, 2000.

I cut my boy's hair with our clippers. You can do a buzz cut, or put the spacer comb on for a little longer cut,and take the comb off where you want it a little shorter. You can also cut around the perimeter of their head, as for a bowl cut, and then clip everything under that line shorter, blending it into the longer hair somewhat. If you clip against the lay of the hair, it will be very short, clipping with the direction of the hair gives a longer cut. You can experiment on a dog or a goat to get the hang of it!

-- Rebekah (daniel1@transport.com), August 25, 2000.

I used to groom dogs so I figured, I can cut my hair, my husband's and my son's. Dogs were easier then the son.

-- Dee (gdgtur@goes.com), August 27, 2000.

I went to Wal-Mart and bought the $20 pair of Wahl hair clippers - figured that the first month me and the boys got clipped, we'd be about even $$, and after 2 months I'd be ahead.

Now though, I don't even bother with my hair - just snap on a #3 and start shaving. Dries before I even get out of the shower!

-- Eric inTN (ems@nac.net), August 28, 2000.

I'm with Eric on this one, we bought Lynn the Wal Mart specials, sat down and let her try. True DJ and I one potato, two potato'd to see who went first and kept a ball cap handy just in case (and yes, I made sure we did it on a Friday just in case) Turned out ok, no worse than Clint Eastwood in Unforgiven. She even found a video tape and G.I. haircutting manual at a yard sale since and has improved so much in 3 years, I'll never go back to a professional.

-- Jay Blair (jayblair678@yahoo.com), August 28, 2000.

I got my hair cut a few months ago. First time in six years.

Since then, I've had to go back every few weeks to keep from looking shaggy. As my favorite Survivor, Rudy, would say, its a pain in the ass.

Funny thing is, when my kids (Dave and Steve) let their hair grow long (20 years ago?) I thought it was AWFUL. Later, they were nicely coiffed, and I had a ponytail hanging halfway down my back.

Does this tell us anything about how the world works?

But always remember: the difference between a good haircut and a bad haircut is three days. BTW, an el cheapo haircut here is $10.---Jd

-- Jd (belanger@tds.net), August 29, 2000.

here's a good way to cut the ever-elusive babie's bangs: put a straight piece of scotch tape across the forehead and cut a straight line where you want to bangs to end!

-- Beth Weber (talmidim88@hotmail.com), August 30, 2000.