Cut Your Own Perfect Mohawk With Step-by-Step Home Barbering Guide (2024)

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Feel like shaking things up with your summer ‘do? Ever consider taking the clippers to your head for a gnarly mohawk? With some basic tools, steady hands, and my easy step-by-step, you’ll be sporting a perfect spiked mohawk to complement your cool style.

Want to know the secret to shaving clean lines down to the skin without nicking yourself? Let me walk you through prepping your hair properly first so you can avoid mistakes.

Tools You’ll Need

You’ll need hair clippers, guards, styling products, a tail comb, tapering comb, scissors, and mirrors for cutting your own perfect Mohawk.

Start with quality tools for precision and safety – invest in a sturdy pair of clippers with interchangeable guards, quality combs, and styling products suited to your hair type.

Set up a mirror to see the back of your head.

Maintain your tools by oiling clipper blades regularly and replacing dull trimming scissors.

Experiment with gels, waxes, pomades until you find what shapes and holds your mohawk best.

Learning proper sectioning, tapering, and fading techniques takes practice, so be patient with yourself.

The right tools and care will have you styling sharp fades and voluminous mohawks in no time.

Prepare Your Hair

Once you’ve gathered the necessary tools, detangle your hair thoroughly with a wide-tooth comb so it’s ready for sectioning and clipping.

Consider your hair texture and length when planning your mohawk—thick, curly hair may require extra sectioning, while hair shorter than an inch won’t have enough contrast.

Prep your scalp with moisturizer to prevent irritation from repeat clipping.

For healthy hair, avoid overwashing and use repairing masks between cuts.

Discuss styling options with your home barber, whether you want a gelled fauxhawk or just an undercut.

Whatever your goal length and texture, proper detangling makes central sectioning easier for a precise mohawk.

Now your locks are prepped for hassle-free DIY cutting.

Make a Center Guideline

Now that your locks are prepped, it’s time to section off the middle.

Grab some masking tape and comb through your hair to find the central parting from forehead to nape.

Once you’ve divided your hair, press the tape down firmly so it stays put. This’ll be your guide as you shave the sides, keeping your mohawk perfectly aligned.

Having trouble with the tape? Try using some styling gel first to slick your hair back smooth. The trick is precision here – mind the boundaries so both sides match up. Stay patient and keep adjusting until it’s centered just how you envisioned.

This DIY alignment is key for pulling off an edgy, polished mohawk you’ll love flaunting.

Shave the Sides

After you’ve made the central guideline, carefully use the clippers to shave the hair on both sides of the tape, keeping the clippers flush to the tape edge for precision.

Maintain a light grip and straight angle as you guide the clippers up the side of the head, using the tape as your boundary.

Take care around the temples and sideburns, gently pulling the skin taut for a closer shave.

Monitor your progress in the mirror, turning your head to check symmetry—no rush here! Mastering flawless fades takes time. For now, focus on keeping each pass smooth and consistent, allowing the tape to frame your fresh ‘hawk.

Most importantly, have fun experimenting with your look. This is about self-expression, not perfection.

Trim the Middle Section

You’ll then use the clippers to trim the middle Mohawk section to your desired length, maintaining a straight and even cut. Focus on keeping this central strip uniform in width and length as you make passes with the clippers.

Section out the hair using combs and clips if needed.

For extra precision trimming, use scissors once you’ve achieved the basic shape with the clippers.

Fade the sides down gradually into the longer middle, leaving some length for contrast.

Shape and refine the edges so they don’t appear ragged. Ensure the central strip connects fully from front to nape for that fierce faux hawk silhouette we all crave deep down.

Now style it up with gel or wax!

Style Your Mohawk

After you’ve trimmed the central strip and faded the sides, it’s time to style your mohawk.

Grab some styling products like gel or pomade along with a hair dryer to mold and sculpt your hawk into place. Applying product while blow drying upside down adds lift and volume for maximum height.

Hair Products

The hair products you use are key for molding and holding your Mohawk’s shape.

Gel, mousse, pomade – they let ya shape and spike it how ya want.

Blow dryin’ upside down adds lift ‘n volume too.

Hairspray locks it in place once it’s set.

Play around with stuff – wax for messy texture, clay for separation.

Ya can even add temporary color if ya feel adventurous.

It’s all about just havin’ fun sculptin’ your hawk how ya dig it each day.

Blow Drying

For molding your Mohawk upward, you’ll want to blow-dry your hair upside down with concentrated heat.

Apply a heat protectant first to avoid damage.

Then use a round brush to direct air flow while lifting hair at the roots.

For extra volume, bend forward and blast with cool air at the end.

This drying method optimizes lift and flow before molding with product.

Experiment between concentrated nozzle heat versus diffused air flow for best mohawk styling results.

Customize With Color

After perfecting your mohawk cut, experiment with bleaches or semi-permanent dyes to make it pop.

Carefully apply the product only to pre-shampooed hair, monitoring development time closely to avoid scalp irritation.

Vivid mohawk coloring allows self-expression and complements your precision fade.

Bleaching

You’d bleach the Mohawk to achieve brighter fantasy hair colors.

Mix one part bleach powder to two parts developer, apply the mixture to dry hair with a tint brush, and monitor the bleaching time to prevent scalp irritation or damage.

1. Perform a skin allergy test before full bleaching.
2. Use a quality gentle bleach formula.
3. Apply petroleum jelly on skin near the hairline.
4. Check every 5 minutes to avoid over-processing.

Semi-Permanent Dye

Pick your preferred semi-permanent color to customize the look after bleaching.

Manic Panic offers vivid fantasy tones like blue, purple, pink without scalp irritation.

Condition hair post-coloring for health.

Experiment with fun colors before committing.

Rinse thoroughly and deep condition to avoid residual staining.

Touch up roots as needed while growing out.

Maintain Your Mohawk

After cutting your own Mohawk, maintain the style by:

• Touching it up every 2-3 weeks with clippers to keep the sides short and the middle section trimmed.
• Using a fade guard to blend the shaved sides into longer hair on top for a seamless look.
• Applying pomade, wax, or gel when styling to keep strands structured and upright.
• Shampooing every 2-3 days, focusing suds on the sides to prevent oil buildup.
• Massaging tea tree oil into the scalp pre-shower to support hair growth and skin health.
• Sleeping on a silk pillowcase to minimize breakage and style disruption overnight.
• Scheduling occasional deep conditioning treatments to boost shine and moisture levels.

With consistent upkeep between cuts, your Mohawk will stay fresh and defined. Embrace the routine as an opportunity for self-care and creative expression.

Remove Your Mohawk

You’ll let the Mohawk grow out or buzz it all to the same length when removing your DIY hairstyle.

Growing it out takes patience, using hats or hair clips to manage the awkward phase.

For faster results, use clippers with no guard for an all-over buzzcut. This removes all traces instantly, letting you experiment with new looks.

No style lasts forever, so enjoy your Mohawk while it lasts. View hair changes as a chance to explore different expressions of yourself. Shift mindsets along with hairstyles. Embrace modifications the same way you did originally.

Change brings new perspectives. See each cut as one phase among many in the lifelong adventure of hair.

Mohawk Inspiration

For classic punk inspiration, check out videos and photos of musicians like Joan Jett sporting fierce, spiked Mohawks.

The iconic vertical strip of hair is endlessly customizable to suit your personal style.

Keep it short or grow it tall, smooth it back or spike it up.

Color it with vivid dyes or bleach it platinum blonde.

Explore modern variations like the faux hawk and liberty spikes.

The Mohawk continues to evolve as a symbol of rebellion, nonconformity, and self-expression.

Though its origins trace back to World War II paratroopers and Native American tribes, today it represents freedom – to transform your look as radically as you wish.

This versatile, edgy cut offers unlimited styling potential to match your mood.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)