It takes a lot of commitment to shave, I'll be honest. Whether it's your legs, your armpits, or half your head.
In case you haven't guessed it, this post is about undercuts and what it actually means to get one and my experience with mine. It's not just a case of breaking out the clippers on a whim and buzzing off a chunk, it genuinely takes a certain degree of commitment and a heck of a lot of maintenance.
I have actually had an undercut, well, I still do, but not as extreme. Now, I've had short hair for years now, or a pixie cut if you like, but around a year ago I made the snap decision that I wanted to shave half of my head.
This is probably the part where you expect me to bag about how awful it was; how I regretted ever falling prey to that enticing buzz of the clippers and wish I had never uttered the phrase "can I get a grade 3 please?" Nope. That grade 3 eventually became a grade 2 - which got me into some trouble with my mother because 2 was just that little bit too far. However, I did end up growing out the side after around a year of having it. I didn't grow out completely, although I did try and found I just couldn't do it! Getting out the clippers has almost become an addiction for me and I could honestly never get my hair cut without them again. Sad, amiright???
It's more subtle now for me, with both sides being clippered and the hair falling over the top. Honestly, I'm in need of a buzz right now and I'm getting that done on Friday... But this is a good reference for what a grade 3 looks like after 5 weeks!
Trying to grow out an undercut is considerably easier with already short hair though - it just blends in after a few weeks depending on the clipper grade. Honestly, maintaining it is worse than growing one out. I find that after about 4 weeks I'm itching to get it cut again. Depending on how quickly your hair grows (and mine grows pretty quickly) you'll be looking at getting it clippered ever 4-6 weeks. Personally I get mine done every 6 weeks, but that's purely because I'm pretty tight fisted with my cash and won't pay for a haircut every 4 weeks. Although, if you're close with your hairdresser like I am, they might be willing to give you a buzz free of charge or class it as a fringe trim and do it on the cheap. When I had a whole side done I just had to call for an appointment and she'd clipper it for free. Just remember though this is just for a quick trim with one set of clippers, so don't get cheeky and ask for more! There's always the option of using a men's barber as it is really just a walk in, walk out service which is reasonably cheap if asking for one clipper grade to do a quick buzz. I've worked in one before for a year, so trust me when I say this won't cost you more than a tenner.
If you have long hair I think one of the easiest options with growing out with grace is changing up your parting a little to cover it. You also have the lovely options of playing with headscarves and various other accessories to give yourself a little more oomph. I also have a real fondness of side buns and chignons which can be dressed to look either professional (if where you're applying for a job doesn't approve of alternative haircuts) or that little bit more classy for going out. But then again, who's to say you don't look classy as heck anyway??
This is mainly for side undercuts, however. Another includes getting the nape of the neck buzzed so it's visible when the hair is pulled up. This is definitely the least obvious undercut as it's practically invisible when your hair is down. I'd say this is probably the best for people who are unsure of how it would affect their look or are dithering about whether or not to take the plunge. I honestly do love these. I have a friend who has one and she gets patterns shaved into it as well which looks hella cute.
So there we have it! Undercuts!
Hope this was helpful to anyone considering - or perhaps it's inspired you to hop onto the bandwagon and join the buzzcut crew?
Callie
