how to mark the star I'm going to shave on my head?

October 23, 2010 1:03 PM

hairdressers/surgeons/creative others: I'm going to shave a shape on my head. What can I use to mark the borders of the shape on my hair/scalp to guide me?

(I'm not nearly as bold as this might sound. I'm trying to creatively fix a hair cutting mishap...)

posted by mirileh to clothing, beauty, & fashion (11 answers total)

Is your hair short and light enough to see through? If it is you could just use black eyeliner.
posted by TooFewShoes at 1:12 PM on October 23, 2010

I have dark brown hair. I actually have a white makeup pencil around I tried, and it doesn't provide much of a guide on my hair.
posted by mirileh at 1:14 PM on October 23, 2010

oh, and black would be totally lost on my hair.
posted by mirileh at 1:14 PM on October 23, 2010

Okay, one more try: When I'm plucking my eyebrows I use Vaseline to smooth down the area I want to keep and the rest sticks up ready to be plucked. Could you do something similar, maybe using hair gel? Draw a part with a comb and then slick the hair in different directions.
posted by TooFewShoes at 1:36 PM on October 23, 2010

I'm wondering if you could just get something like cardboard or card stock and draw a shape on it and cut it out, then cover that with hair gel. Press against your head and just cut the area with the hair gel on it?

Or gel down all the hair around the shape and then cut the hair that is NOT gelled?
posted by misha at 2:12 PM on October 23, 2010

My friend uses masking tape.
posted by tsmo at 2:39 PM on October 23, 2010

A stencil. Like, a sturdy plastic one from an art supply store. Hold it on top of the area, then take your (I assume electric?) shaver and stab it down at the margins of the shape. Once you've shaved an outline for yourself, you can shave the inside of the shape.

I have no personal experience with them (no, really, I've just seen them on TV), but this what comes in the novelty kits to shave shapes into your pubic hair.
posted by phunniemee at 2:53 PM on October 23, 2010

Coat a piece of string in some loose chalk or talcum powder, hold it taut, and wrap it partially around your head five times to make snap lines in the shape of a pentagram.
posted by nicwolff at 4:42 PM on October 23, 2010

You'll need one of these.
posted by bink at 5:41 PM on October 23, 2010

Make the stencil like others have suggested, hold it against your head and spray white hair color over it. That should give you a clear shape long enough to shave.
posted by Faint of Butt at 6:05 PM on October 23, 2010

thanks for all the suggestions! (I'm starting to chicken out, so I might not be able to gather enough experience to mark answers.)
posted by mirileh at 10:34 PM on October 23, 2010