Yes.  You actually can do this!  I'm not talking about the Flowbee haircutter that attaches to your vacuum and sucks up your hair, but actual haircuts that your family is used to.  You can be the stylist that your family depends on.  

At the cheap walk-in hair cutter's in town a basic men's haircut is $14.95 plus tip.  If you figure that the average man gets his hair cut about every 6 weeks, then that is almost $150 a year spent on hair cuts.  Got two kids?  Now you're talking over $400 a year!  As a homesteader you begin to think of everything in terms of spending less and doing more yourself.  It's not that homesteaders have to be poor and the idea of saving a few hundred dollars every year weighs on us heavily, but it's more of the concept of what else could I use that money for?  For $400 I could buy an awesome rototiller for the garden, or a new water filter to add to my prepper pantry, or even buy a weaned piglet and pay to grow it out for my family's pork for the year!  

It's more than just about money though.  Our busy lives force us to hire out jobs that were once done at home.  We have people cut the grass, clean the house, and cut our family's hair.  As a result, we have lost many basic skills that can be gained just by doing more yourself.  How many of us know how to repair a small engine when the lawn mower breaks or what is the best remedy for cleaning a stained carpet?  We rely on the professionals for that.  Even more so, how many of us have the confidence to try one of these lost skills?  We figure there are people who have studied how to perform these specialized tasks and our untrained hands would just mess it up further.  Well the truth is, most skills do require some training, but nothing says that you can't train yourself.  The reality is that most people become good at a skill because they have experience with it.  Experience teaches us what works and what not to do again.  The trouble is that you must be willing to put up with the mistakes in order to learn.  

Becoming a homesteader means that you have an enormous amount of new skills to learn.  It can be overwhelming at times, but take it one step at a time and don't be afraid to mess us.  Messing up just means that you'll know better about how to do it right the next time.  When it comes to cutting your family's hair, start by realizing that the only difference between you and the people working in the salon is a bit of training and experience.  If you don't know someone who is experienced in cutting hair that can train you, then you'll have to train yourself.  Luckily, there are tons of videos online!  Watch the ones on the Wahl site to see just how easy it can be.  You can also watch as your family gets their hair cut by the professionals and even ask questions that they'll be happy to answer such as, "What number cutting blade are you using?"  Then go to a box store and buy a simple hair cutting kit.  This one is about $20 which will pay for itself the first time you use it.  These kits have pieces that are designed for special purposes like cutting around ears and everything so it's as simple as popping on a cutting blade and running it over the hair.  

After this, it just takes confidence!  Ease your mind by reminding yourself that it will grow back!  It's just hair!  Also, plan on giving your first hair cut at a time where there isn't much going on in life so that there are a couple of weeks for any mistakes to grow out before your sister's wedding photos or school pictures.  This is not meant to scare you.  I'm sure you're not going to mess us too bad.  It's not like you're going to take a chunk out of your son's hair and end up having to shave his whole head.  The first time I cut my husband's hair it came out fine, but it was just shorter than he was used to.  Being a good sport he just put on a hat and said, "Now I don't need another haircut for quite some time!"  By the third cut he said it was the best haircut he ever had and I could look at it honestly and not see any difference between my cut and the pros.  I feel good to know that this is just another way that my family can depend on me and one more skill under my belt that helps me to feel confident.  Homesteaders can do it all!