Alright so today I wanna share my whole messy journey trying to cut my own undercut afro. Total experiment, definitely learned some stuff the hard way. Buckle up.
The “I Got This” Phase
First off, I watched maybe two YouTube videos tops and thought “Yeah, looks straightforward.” Biggest mistake right there. Dug around my bathroom drawers and pulled out:
- My old Wahl clippers – dusty as hell, hope they still work
- Some random trimmers my buddy left behind
- Clips to hold the top hair outta the way
- A comb that’s seen better days
- My bathroom mirror plus a smaller hand mirror for the back
Zero guards ready for the clippers. Figured I’d start clean, right? Wrong.
Clippers On Attack Mode
Plugged in the Wahl, it buzzed like an angry bee. Started right on my sideburn area. Pushed the clipper straight up… and WHAM. Instant bald stripe. Like, zero fade, just bare skin to floofy afro. Looked like someone took a lawnmower to my head. Panic mode activated.
Grabbed a guard. No clue what number. Slapped it on and tried fixing the bald patch by going over it again. Bigger mess. Now I had patches that looked chewed. Tried angling the clipper. More chewed patches. Felt like I was carving wood, not cutting hair. Not smooth at all.
Trimmers to the Rescue (Sort Of)
Abandoned the clippers fast. Picked up the little trimmer. Switched it on – sounded healthier at least. Started buzzing away at the mess. Slowly. Real slow. Tried shaping where the undercut should end, kinda following my natural hairline but higher. Used the small mirror to see the back. Awkward arm angles, neck cramping. Couldn’t really tell if it was even. Just prayed.
Key lesson here: Trimmers are way easier for control than bulky clippers for undercuts. Clippers want blood.
Taming the Beast (Top Part)
After the sides looked somewhat acceptable (read: not actively bleeding or striped), unclipped the big afro on top. Gave it a gentle trim with scissors, barely taking off any length. Just snipped any wild ends poking out weirdly. Comb, lift a section, small snip. Repeat. Main goal was keeping it fluffy and natural looking, not chopping it off. Didn’t want to lose the fro.
The Final Reveal
Brushed off the millions of itchy hair bits clinging everywhere. Checked the mirror. Sides? Not a perfect fade, but acceptable. Kinda rough at the back where I couldn’t see well. Overall shape was good though! The contrast was super sharp – smooth sides to big poofy top. Felt awesome. Took tons of pics from every angle to brag later.
Bottom line: Doing an undercut afro yourself is possible, but start WAY smaller than you think with the clippers. Trimmers are your friend. And accept some messy imperfection. Makes it yours.
