Never had a short haircut and want to get one. Have no idea what to do. Help!

My husband usually goes to the $11 strip mall places, but before our wedding he got a $60 haircut. There's a BIG difference - seven weeks later he still looks great, whereas with a cheap cut he would look shaggy and unkempt by now. http://www.takepart.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/clooney-george-photo-george-clooney-6233612.jpg is about what his haircut looks like (and yes he's just as handsome). Most salons (I don't know about barbers) will have books and magazines with various hairstyles. Flip through them, find one you like, and ask the stylist if it will work with your hair (for example, some styles won't look right if you have very thin hair).

Get it all buzzed off. Everyone should have the experience that freedom once in their lives.

I've been a short-hair guy my whole life and I'd advise you to avoid the razor if you care about your appearance. A scissors cut will grow out better and allow for texturing, which will eliminate most of the boot-camp look; it will cost you a little more though (more labor/skill involved). I pay $20 for a scissors cut which usually lasts 6 weeks, and I get a free neck/ears touch-up at the halfway point if I want. For your first cut I'd avoid your dad's barber, and instead find a semi-trendy salon that isn't overpriced; you have a better chance of getting someone who will put some effort into making you look good instead of just giving you cut #23 from the Wahl catalog. It will probably take you a couple haircuts to figure out how you like it, and then you'll be better equipped to explain your needs to any barber. I strongly suggest finding someone you like and sticking with them, I've been going to the same stylist for 3 years now and it's real nice not having to worry about getting the cut I want.

If you're looking simple buzz, come clippers do the trick and pay for themselves in 3 haircuts. But if you want to ease into, go to a barber. And for a short cut I think you'd be pretty foolish to go to an expensive salon. For years I only got my hair cut at a place with a "guy's name" like Sam's, Al's, or Lou's. But those pretty much disappeared around me, so now I just go to those $11 cut chains and they seem to be fine. Of course, nobody's ever complimented me on my hair other than my wife, so I can't bee 100% sure. If you want a buzz cut with a little variety, go with a clipper cut "3" on the sides and "6" on top. Before I went the clipper route I used get what my barber called a "service cut", which was tapered clipper on the sides and back and a scissor cut on top. You can also ask for something "just long enough to run a comb through it". If you don't like it, it will grow back. And a word of advice, when you take your first shower after getting a short cut, you're not going to need as much shampoo as you think.

http://www.ftmguide.org/haircuts.html

Any barber will be able to do what you want for under $20. A short haircut is very easy to do with clippers or scissors. I've cut my hair short with a pair of clippers, and it's very easy. On my first attempt I had a haircut that people complimented me on. If you clip it yourself, get yourself a decent pair of clippers (a Wahl clipper at your local department store) with attachments (combs of different lengths). And ask a friend to help you out with the top back of your head, which is a lot easier to do if you can actually see what you're clipping. From memory, the basic technique described in the manual that came with the clippers is this: choose a length for the top and put on that clipper attachment (i.e., 3/4 inch). This will be the longest length in the cut. Use the next shorter size (say, 5/8 inch) for the sides and back of your head, and the next size down (1/2 inch) just above the ears and at the base in the back. There's also an easy technique to make the transitions between lengths a bit smoother, but it's hard for me to describe in words. The clipper manual will probably describe it in words and pictures.

(not to derail..cus it doesnt directly answer your question...but:) Go to Target and get a $15.00 hair-clipper set (conair makes them, for example). A set of attachments come with it for 1/4 inch, 1/2 inch, etc.. Pick one and cut your own hair. I've done this for about 15 years now and could not be happier. (takes about 30 minutes of continuous cutting to get it all uniform length..but you cant make a mistake..its all the same length.) I've saved a ~lot~ of money and time, plus i always look the same.

It depends on what you want. Do you want shorter hair and shorter hair only? Then go pay $11 at a barber. Problem solved. If you want shorter hair with a style, start looking at some photos (I personally turn to rock stars, but use whoever you want as your inspiration). It helps to know who you sort of look like/who has a similar face shape to you. Then you ask your friends/whoever who they'd recommend as a stylist. In this case, since it's going to be a big change, it's worth paying a bit of money for (and by that, I'm talking like $40, depending on where you live in the country. Maybe less). Then you take your reference photos to the stylist of your choice and leave with a new hair cut. And remember, if you hair cut is disastrous, it will grow back. It's not nearly as big of a deal as you may think it is going into it. (I'm a woman, but I recently cut my waist-length hair, which I had for 10 years. It was a great experience and one I had no idea why I didn't do sooner. My hair cut -- which is still awesome -- was only about $50, after tip, at a salon in D.C.)

nthing a good salon if you're nervous, but as a female who's lived with short and long hair and many not so great hair cuts, it will grow back, usually faster than you'd think.