The Haircut Story Site

Quarantined by Vegard

Corona quarantine

I am currently in quarantine at home, since my daughter and I was in London last week. There were only two confirmed cases of Covid-19 in London at the time, and flying in to Oslo airport at 10 pm there were hardly anyone there, so we are highly unlikely to have contracted anything, but as of yesterday Norway is on "lock-down", and the two of us now have to spend a whole week in home quarantine.

Ok, so this is what I have done. Coming home from England I was in need of a haircut, and gave myself one a few days ago. I have now purchased a "Babyliss" set of clippers, who despite it's less than masculine name is a really good machine. And I am now, for the first time, dealing with the numbers commonly referred to here, rather than just the millimeter settings I have dealt with before.

This is the second time I use them on my hair, and I am slightly embarrassed to say I, again, misread the number one, for a number two, since the guards are black, and it's really hard to tell the 0,3mm and the 0,6mm apart. This has resulted in the back of my head having been buzzed a bit shorter than what I meant to buzz it to. But, this is a mistake I was happy to live with, as the number one buzz reaching to about a hands-breath beneath my crown is something I really love the look, and feeling of. From there I manage a taper towards the crown, and I leave a bit more length on top.

So, one week of quarantine. What to do eh? There is always the house to tidy and clean, but neither my eight-year-old daughter or I are very keen on that. And I figure, we still have a week to do it, so why hurry?

Then, as I was out throwing the ball for my dog, it struck me. Having to be in home quarantine, no one, except my dog and my daughter need to see me for the remaining week of having to stay at home. And as "white walls" are really unknown in Norway I thought, why not give it a try? After all, hair grows about 2,5-3mm in a week, so that's right back to a #1 when the week is up.

I didn't manage to wait until my daughter was asleep, but let her use a tablet in bed, so as not to be disturbed, and entered the bathroom.

Taking a longish bit of tape, I fastened it to the back of my head, making a line below it about mid way up my ears. Below that I used my clippers, with no guard, before wetting the skin, and applying a layer of shaving foam. I then shaved the hair below the tape, with, and against the grain.

So far so good. But, off course not high enough. This was just a test.

I took a fresh bit of tape, and strung it across the back of my head, above the ears this time, before repeating the procedure. It took a bit of effort to cut it straight, but I managed quite well, and it felt nice and smooth as I shaved this larger area.

As I removed the tape I could see a very clear line separating the close shaved part from what seemed to be hair cut with the #2 guard. It looked more funny than good, and my daughter was now asking for her good-night hug. Doing my best to only face her with my front as I went in to her bedroom, I managed to conceal what I was doing, and as I had said good-night, I went in to the living room to start this story. Stroking the shaved part as I began writing.

She finally went to sleep, and I proceeded with my plan.

Taking the clippers again, I carefully shaved a section above both ears, hopefully corresponding with the shaved back, and used foam and razor here as well, before setting about "softening" the demarkation line. First I used my clippers with no guard, and then the #1 and #2 to get a fairly good taper in stead of the sharp divide. From pictures taken with my cell, and from using a hand held mirror it does not look bad. And it feels great!

So, now I am finishing this story, still stroking the smooth part in the back, and feeling the sand-papery transition about half way up. I have never had smooth shaved skin on my head before, but I am now closer to understanding what it is about. Although it's just the back of my head, and above my ears, it feels great!

And being in quarantine, I should finally have time to finish my story about Charlie and his Dad, "Having him back".

Comments
Thanks Thadeusz.
Stay safe! With and without your beard!
by Vegard on 26 Mar 2020
Great story Vegard, great REAL story. I use this sad period to let my beard grow. But it is neither comfortable nor nice : I will shave it today, after reading your post.
by thadeusz on 23 Mar 2020
Thanks for the comments guys!
JackA, That would be way too difficult for me. 😅
Zero, thanks man. You to!
I would love to try a full shaved head or a mohawk, but I would need at least a month in quarantine, on my own, to pull it off.
I have 3,5 days worth of growth now, and it's less sandpapery. Still love the look, and feel of it 😊
by Vegard on 17 Mar 2020
I’m in Cuarentena. I suave my head into a mohawhk
by Todonoeldero on 16 Mar 2020
I am also in quarantine, i razor shaved my head completely bald for the first time ever. I love it
by Anon on 16 Mar 2020
Regards, Vegard!

Thanks for sharing and keep yourself safe (and sane) during the lockdown! :)
by Zero on 15 Mar 2020
Thanks M DeMarlo! We are keeping our quarantine since we all have to do our bit now to stop this from spreading.
You all stay safe too!
by Vegard on 15 Mar 2020
Sorry, I misread where your problem with the transition was....You may need to zero gap the clippers to get the results you desire. You could also use different shaving techniques. Wet shave against the grain, transition into wet with the grain, then dry with the grain and an older blade, then an electric shaver is one way I have done it. And if it still seems too rough, two days of growth usually gets my fade to look great. You might see "mistakes" that most people won't even notice.

Good luck... you'll get better at it with more practice. 😁
by Anon on 15 Mar 2020
If your clippers have a taper lever you'll find it much easier to get a smoother transition between shaved smooth to the number one. Going from a 1 to a 2 is tough to do without a 1.5 to make the jump from 1/8 to 1/4 less pronounced. Using the corner of the blades to blend between lengths can also help.There are a whole lot of YouTube videos on fading.. That's how I finally figured out what to do.
by JackA on 15 Mar 2020
I thought to myself what I would do if I were put in quarantine. Truth is, I would be doing the same thing you are, messing around cutting my hair. I hope the time passes quickly for you and your little girl, and you both remain healthy without symptoms. This is going to happen to many of us before Covid-19 has run its course.
by M DeMarlo on 15 Mar 2020
A small update.
My daughter didn't like it 😅 I let her stroke my shaved areas, and she proclaimed it "weird", and doesn't stroke it like she often does when I have used a #1.
The transition could look a lot better. No guard still gives too sharp a contrast to shaved smooth. But as the sandpaper keeps growing in I will use the clipper with no guard again to get the transition more smooth.
It did look, and feel, surprisingly good though, and I will have a barber do this on me some time.

by Vegard on 15 Mar 2020