i don't know the price of a haircut

Every time I shave my head, I still have a hard time fully realizing how much money I save every time I do it.

Given I legitimately did not know what the price of men's haircut was before I started writing this, I did some research and found out.

Let's start with answering this question: What is the price of a men's haircut?

After answering this, I'll also tell you how much the cost is when you shave your own head.

The absolute rock bottom price before tax and tip that I could find at some dumpster fire national haircut chain is $22, and that's before tax. Assuming you're a cheapskate that will only tip 15% and no more than that, the price with tax and tip then goes up to almost $27.

What you're supposed to do is get your hair cut once monthly. I don't do that, but let's say I did.

Leaving aside that $27/mo just for a man's haircut is ridiculous, that means I'd be spending $324 a year just for hair. And again, that is the rock bottom price for the lowest cost haircut.

When not being a total cheapskate and going to a hair place that isn't a total dumpster fire, the price is $30 before tax, and the tip is 20%. After tax+tip, now the cost is $38 per haircut every month or about $457/year. And we're still in "low" price territory.

Then comes the average price. These are barber shops where the prices aren't listed on the web site at all nor on the door at the shop. The price with tax+tip now goes up to $51 or about $610/year.

For highfalutin barbershops, the total price bumps up to about $83, and by that point it's basically $1,000/year just for monthly haircuts.

At any of these shops, there is also no guarantee whatsoever that your hair will actually be cut correctly to your liking. Chances are likely that the cut you get will suck. It doesn't matter whether you go to the dumpster fire shop, regular shop, or the highfalutin one. Your cut will look like ass regardless of what you pay.

Now let's compare that to the price of a proper trimmer kit + micro trimmer. The micro trimmer is optional, but I recommend getting one anyway for trimming hair around the ears. It's that spot right near the top of the ear that can be difficult to trim hair with a full size trimmer. A micro trimmer makes it easy to do touch-ups for those little areas.

The cost of those two things pays for itself after two head shaves, or one head shave from a highfalutin barbershop with plenty of cash to spare.

The process (with bonus luxury tips)

Take the hair trimmer and attach the #1 guard, as in the red one.

There is a lever on the side of the trimmer with two positions, long and short. Set to long, which makes the shave head stick out longer.

Shave your head. Remember to go in all directions, especially around the crown.

Set the lever on the side of the trimmer to the short position.

Shave your head again.

Trim with micro trimmer around the ears.

Hit the shower.

For extra added luxury, there are two other things you can do after showering. Do one or both, your choice.

Put a small amount of Noxzema (or CeraVe if your skin is super sensitive) in your hands, rub hands together, rub that over your head. Once done, wet your hands and rub your head to wash that off, then pat try with a towel.

Put a splash of Pinaud Clubman aftershave lotion on the face, even if you haven't shaved your face. The one that "smells like barbershop" is the original, meaning not vanilla and not bay rum. This very specific scent is something a lot of guys chase after but didn't know what it was called. Now you know what it is.

Shaving my head gets easier every time I do it

I'm specifically talking about the psychological impact.

Shaving your head is in fact easy, but being comfortable with it is a different story, because that takes time.

I am mostly comfortable with it. Whenever I shave my head, I still have that "Whoa, what did I just do?" feeling right after I'm done. This used to last for a couple of days, but now only lasts for about an hour.

What's making it easier each time is the older I get, the more annoyed I get with hair.

When my hair grows out, the most annoying thing by far is how it shags out in the back just above the neck and shags along with getting wiry above the ears. Regardless of what shampoo or conditioner I use, that shag and wiry crap will happen, and it annoys the bejeezus out of me.

Then the moment comes where I think oh, I can probably fix this by getting a better shampoo, and... NOPE. STOP. My brain kicks in, and I know it's time to do a head shave. Shortly after that, I'm in the bathroom with clippers out and doing the deed. It's not even a question of should I do it, I just do it.

Just like the price of haircuts will send you to the poorhouse, the cost of shampoos, conditioners and whatever other goop is out there can do the same. I can see spending money on Noxzema or CeraVe, a nice aftershave lotion, and maybe a cologne (I'm still a Jovan Musk fan), but not shampoos and conditioners. Nope. I know that no matter what, my middle aged hair is going to shag and go wiry when it grows out, and there's not a damned thing I can do about it.

Okay, that's not true. I could see a stylist once a month and have her chemically bring body and fullness back to my hair. And it would be a woman performing the service due to it being a salon thing. I'm not doing that.

The price of getting a haircut was the primary reason I started shaving my head in the first place. But in all honesty, even if I were a millionaire, I'd still be shaving my head once every few months. Money doesn't fix the fact that most barbers give bad haircuts. Money would fix the shag/wiry crap my hair does, but what it doesn't fix is having to take time out of my life to go to the salon over and over again.

Relief best describes how I feel after a head shave. There's that negative emotion crap that happens at first, but then after about an hour passes, I calm down, and that's when the happy happens. When the hair is shaggy and stupid, that's a problem. When the head gets shaved, the problem is solved.

There was a time however that even with that relief, what I used to do after a head shave was wear a hat for a few days whenever I went out. But then I realized that was stupid and nobody cares, so I stopped doing the hat thing. I'm glad I realized this, because I don't even like wearing a hat.

At this point, the I'm Done Moment now comes sooner than later. And by that I mean, "I'm done dealing with this shag/wiry mess on my head. I'm done paying way too much for a haircut I won't even like. I'm done with shampoos and conditioners because none of them work. I'M DONE."

There used to be hesitation after the I'm Done Moment before I marched to the bathroom and plugged in the clippers. Not anymore. When I'm done, I'm done, and to the bathroom I go. Yes, there's still that hour of slight depression after a head shave. After that hour, that emotion changes to a nice sense of relief, then I get on with my life.

Published 2025 Nov 16