Top 10 Advantages of Clipper Cuts

There were years where “bed head and cowlicks” was my hairstyle even though that wasn’t the look I was going for …and long before it was fashionable. With the eternal struggle for good hair raging on through the years, I put a lot of time, effort and a small fortune into hair maintenance.

Although many people said I was so lucky for having some natural curl in my hair, I seemed to find it a curse because with a baby face, if I let my hair go curly I was either called “Miss” or I would get carded well into my 30’s. The choice was clear: either to straighten my hair or grow a moustache (which would take at least six months of planning and effort). So I kept fighting Mother Nature.

I have a few friends who seemingly always had perfect hair, who could truly roll out of bed in the morning, give their head a shake and look perfect for any situation, casual or professional. They did not put in nearly as much effort as I did, and I always envied them as I continued to build my arsenal of miracle-in-a-bottle hair products. It didn’t help that I worked at your friendly neighbourhood pharmacy and could buy every new product hitting the market at employee discount.

But the battle ended when I took the plunge in 2007 and got my first clipper cut. There was no looking back as the benefits were undeniable.

Given that today is #WorldCancerDay and there is much talk about potentially buzzing one’s hair in a show of solidarity and to raise money for cancer research, I offer these Top 10 practical benefits to clipper cuts:

10. Time in the chair
The shortest clipper cut I ever got took only 6 minutes! The average is around 10, which includes chatting and payment! I may visit the barber more often, but even when you combine those times, it is still shorter than the half hour it used to take to “style” my hair.

9. Options
Around 2010 I bought my own set of clippers and tried doing it myself. Frankly, that decision has paid for itself several times over, even if I alternate between doing it myself and visits to the barber (to catch the spots I might miss)

8. Extra sleep
Back in the days when I used a blow dryer and gel, it would take a good 15-20 minutes in the morning to achieve the right look. Now, I basically walk out of the shower, towel dry and forget it. In winter I may apply some moisturizer and in the other seasons I apply sunscreen, but that’s it for maintenance, so while others are fighting with their hair I am getting my beauty sleep.

7. No more bed head
Back when I had hair, I’d wake up in the morning to find all kind of architectural marvels resulting from the combination of leftover gel, hairspray and 7 hours of sleeping in my warm pillow sandwich. Today, I wake up looking exactly as I did when I went to bed. This also comes in handy for weekend naps as I don’t need to “re-style” after!

6. No more hat hair
I have never thought of myself as a hat person, and even in winter, I rarely wore tuques (I wore earmuffs), probably because it always messed up my towering “do”. Today, I can wear ANY hat I please and not worry about the lasting effect on my hair.

5. Saves on umbrellas
The reality is that I don’t open my umbrella nearly as much as I used to. When it is just a light drizzle, I don’t bother. In the long run, I am sure this will add up to big savings, especially given my experience with umbrellas.

4. Room in the bathroom
Now that I don’t have an aisle of shampoos, conditioners, deep conditioners, frizzy hair treatments, gels, mousses, sprays, I have a LOT more space to work with… for all of the emerging pharmacy necessities like arthritis cream, heating pad, ice packs, gingko biloba, joint supports and enough moisturizer to keep a small town hydrated for a month.

3. Benefits to the ozone layer
I shudder when I think back to the number of bottles of hairspray I went through in the 1980s. But we looked pretty cool!

2. Weather proof
I remember going to a job interview on a day it was snowing and the weight and water content of the snow penetrated the heavy coating of weatherproof hair spray I applied. My Rick Astley hair do collapsed and I couldn’t rebuild it because I couldn’t get a comb through it. Of course, it dried in that position like cement – most unattractive – but then I got the job anyway. With a clipper cut, I don’t have to worry about wind, humidity or structural risks to big hair anymore.

1. Cash flow
Over the last 9 years I saved big bucks in visits to the stylist, appliances, hair products, and electricity!

In all seriousness, I am very fortunate to have a choice in the matter when it comes to a clipper cut. Some of our loved ones living with cancer do not. Even if you don’t shave your head today, don’t worry. Just be there for them… Kind words, a warm hug, holding hands, a chat about something other than cancer are equally loving gestures.

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Sincere thanks for reading!
Have a great day,
André