I took a 4-day men's haircutting course for the first time – here's what I learnt (apart from failure)

CNA

2 days ago

Learning a new skill that has nothing to do with your day job is the quickest way to be humbled. Or so I realised after attending a men's haircutting course at the Kimage Hairdressing School earlier this year.
I was influenced to sign up after seeing a friend, who'd finished the same course previously, use her newfound skills on her very trusting male partner. The final product appeared passable by salon standards, at least according to a photo of his haircut; and doable by my standards, according to my lack of self-awareness.
Besides, I figured it would be easier to find my own willing male guinea pigs to practise my skills. Men generally cut their hair more frequently than women. And since they also have shorter hair to work with, there seemed less possibility of messing up.
Maybe I could even turn this into a side hustle.
Like I said, the quickest way to be humbled.
WHAT I LEARNT ABOUT CUTTING MEN'S HAIR
For S$460, I was taken through a four-day course on the basics of men's haircutting by a highly patient trainer. Participants work on mannequin heads – it was for the best, judging by my handiwork – and only move on to human canvases in the following course.
Hair sectioning: This involves dividing hair into manageable portions before cutting, which helps to ensure more precise and consistent cuts.
Super straightforward – until it wasn't. I hadn't realised how embarrassingly bad I was at executing neat parting lines. My mannequin head looked like it'd been through war. After spending 30 minutes on hair sectioning, mostly redoing messy portioning and zigzag lines, my trainer redid some of my work in a fraction of the time and with effortless precision.
Scissors handling techniques: One such technique called 'scissors over fingers' involves cutting hair held between fingers, typical for layering.
Like many left-handers, I'd been using scissors with my right hand since I was young. In the hairdressing class, however, this meant also holding the comb in my right hand, together with the scissors, for efficiency. All while learning to snip by moving only my thumb.
Chalk that up to another mental workout lefties never asked for.
Finger cutting techniques: The angle that a stylist positions their fingers to control hair while cutting determines the final shape, desired or otherwise.
Take vertical finger placement. The pointer and middle finger are held up vertically, so that the hair between the fingers is pulled perpendicular to the head.
Unfortunately, I couldn't seem to maintain the position – key to getting even layers and balanced weight distribution. The end result? Unintentional graduation, uneven sections and a clear answer that I am decidedly not the next David Gan.
Different layering cuts at horseshoe section: The horseshoe section in hairdressing refers to a curved section that runs from temple to temple around the crown. It separates the top from the sides and back.
Different layering cuts done at this section help control volume, shape and movement in the final haircut. The techniques were identical to what I'd learnt trimming hair on the rest of the head. But it was as though I'd been asked to execute an entirely different skill.
Diagrams didn't help either. 'Square layering' and 'round layering' may as well have been written in Wingdings. My visual-spatial ability was MIA too – but thankfully, my muscle memory wasn't. When I eventually found my flow state, it was like I'd never struggled.
Texturising: This refers to cutting techniques used to remove bulk, add movement or create softness in the hair without altering the overall length. It enhances the haircut's shape and flow.
I focused on learning how to thin hair, using thinning scissors to blend or lighten thicker sections. It always looked deceptively simple (from the customer's chair, of course), but the key was to ensure consistency across the entire head.
Unfortunately, and to no one's surprise, my inconsistency in every other area of life followed me to hairdressing. One patch ended up so sparse, it seemed my mannequin had run straight through a lawn mower. Multiple times.
Handling clipper and attachments: Hold the clipper firmly with thumb and fingers around the body. Keep the blade flat against the scalp for even cutting. Tilt slightly for blending. Use smooth, consistent strokes, typically upward or with the grain of hair growth.
The instructions and demonstration were clear. I knew how to handle a clipper and its guard attachments, which control the length of hair being cut. I just hoped the distance from awareness to action wouldn't be another gaping chasm.
Clipper cutting and blending: I now had to use the clippers I'd learnt to handle to actually cut some hair, while seamlessly transitioning between different lengths, such as from the sides to top.
A technique known as the 'clipper-over-comb' requires using a comb to lift hair, then moving the clippers over the excess hair protruding from the comb. It's often used to control the blend manually, avoiding harsh lines.
And after four days of backbreaking work, my mannequin finally stopped looking like it was in witness protection.
IT'S NEVER 'JUST' HAIR
I didn't need four days to learn that hairdressers are deeply underappreciated or to resolve never again to complain about the price of a haircut. Neither did I need that long – the first 30 minutes of Day 1 were sufficient – to convince me I had a sizeable absence of talent that people would sooner pay me not to cut their hair.
But I had to get my own hands dirty, struggle to perfect a simple snip and overcome my frustration whenever I couldn't – to realise that hairdressers, more than anyone else, know that hair is never just hair.
It's the reason people travel across the island just to see their longtime stylist. It's why so many speak of their relationship with their hairdresser as if they were family. And it's why some feel genuine grief when their hairdresser retires or closes shop and they have to find a new go-to.
The emotional connection to hair – and what it represents – is also why the classic onscreen makeover moment never gets old. My favourites tend to revolve around female leads, from The Princess Diaries to Miss Congeniality, or the fashion and lifestyle 'make-betters' on reality TV series Queer Eye.
Then TikTok gave the hallowed trope a fresh spin with viral barber transformation videos. With just a pair of scissors, unassuming men are turned into the next romantic comedy heartthrobs, complete with tapered fades, textured fringes and the ultimate accessory: A newfound confidence.
So an external transformation may start superficially, but it doesn't contradict the idea of self-acceptance. If anything, many times, it paves the way for an internal shift. And I can only imagine what a privilege it would be to help another see themselves in a new light.