2022 Is the Year You Finally Buzz Off Your Hair

Look, we’ve all gone through it over the past two years. In case your hair has gone through it, too, what better way to start fresh than with a buzz cut? Yes, you heard that right; buzz cuts are back, baby (as if they ever even really left at all). Even if you spent all of 2020 and 2021 growing out your hair while staring at yourself in a grid next to your coworkers on the computer, we could all use a little refresh. After all, we get so little control in this world, and plugging in those clippers is a choice you can actively make; more than that, it’s one that just feels good. 

It’s a great cut for pretty much any hair texture, works well for those with receding hairlines, and as many of us know, the shorter your hair, the easier it is to try out hair-color trends with low commitment. If you hate it, you can shave it off and start again. A buzz can also broaden your fashion and makeup choices. All that extra canvas is just waiting for you to experiment on it — you’d be surprised how much you can do with so little hair.

For those who are making the chop at home and starting with longer hair, Alex Hartnett, a stylist at Coz Salon in Brooklyn, New York, says that you’ll want to prep by cutting some length off with scissors first. This way, your hair won’t get caught in the clippers. Then, once you move to using clippers, “you can always start with a guard if you want to keep it to a longer buzz. But to get your cut as close to the scalp as possible, you’ll want to use clippers with no guard,” she says. 

And you may want to phone a friend for help. “It’s always best to have someone else do it to get it more even,” says Harnett. “Make sure to not only direct the clippers front to back but all different directions.”

If you’ve been thinking about going for a buzz but have never done it, all the more reason. So join the ranks of celebrities like Saweetie, Cate Blanchett, and Zöe Kravitz, who have all had shaved heads at one point or another, and fire up those clippers (OK, it’s likely they had their hairstylist make the cut for them, but same diff). And even if you don’t like your new look, hair grows, so we threw in a couple of grow-out style ideas, too. At least now you’ll never have to wonder, “What if?” again — at least, not about this.