Since I started cutting my husband’s hair and then later my two sons, we have had an ongoing battle with hair sticking to clothing after their haircuts.
Shaved hair seems to be the worst kind for sticking on clothes. Those little hairs seem to act like tiny pins. Even after teeshirts have been through the washer I get complaints that they are still itchy!
My best purchase was a barber’s cape. I didn’t realise until later that you don’t have to be a professional barber to own one. They can be bought pretty cheaply online by anyone.
Capes don’t solve everything though. Even when you have one there is still the issue of hair sticking on the neck and face. I find myself constantly nagging the boys to stop itching and keep still!
Over the years I’ve made several small but effective tweaks to our haircutting sessions which make the experience easier for everyone.
Here’s what worked the best for us in a nutshell (read on for the detail plus more tips).
Use a barber’s cape to protect your clothing. Sprinkle talcum powder on your neck before and after the haircut to stop hair sticking to your skin. At the end of the cut, use a lint roller or a clothes brush to remove any remaining hair from clothing. If you don’t have either of those, shake out the hairy clothing and toss it in the tumble dryer for 10 minutes along with a couple of dryer sheets.
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How to get hair out of your clothes after a haircut
There are several methods that I have used to get the hair out of clothes, the most convenient option I found is using the tumble dryer to do most of the work for you.
Using a tumble dryer to remove hair from clothing after your haircut
If you have a tumble dryer this method works very effectively to remove hair from fabrics.
When the idea of using a tumble dryer was first suggested to me, my first thought was that it is wasteful on electricity. However, you don’t need any heat for this. Use low heat or no heat to avoid the extra cost.
Here’s how to remove hair from clothing using your tumble dryer:
- Start by shaking out the item to get out as much hair as possible.
- Put the item in the dryer on a low or no heat setting for 10 minutes.
- For extra effectiveness add one or two dryer sheets. The anti-static properties of the dryer sheets should repel the hair so that more of it ends up in your lint trap.
- After 10 minutes take out the item and give it another shake.
- Now you can wash the item as normal.
How to use a rubber glove to remove hair from clothes
Many of us have some plain old household gloves to hand. Did you know that you can also use them to get rid of hair?
Here’s how:
- Put on a rubber glove and get it slightly damp.
- Wipe over the item. The hair should stick to the glove.
- Rinse the glove.
- Shake the item out.
How to use a lint roller to get cut hair off clothes
A lint roller is a great way to clean any type of hair from your clothing. It’s basically a more convenient way to use sticky tape or parcel tape, so if you don’t have a lint roller to hand sticky tape will work well too.


How to use a clothes brush to get shaved hair out of clothes
Lint rollers are very effective at removing hairs, but if you are looking for something more sustainable, a clothes brush is your answer. Take a clothes brush and rub it over your clothes and the hair should stick to the brush.
This clothes brush from Amazon has a unique method for removing the hair from the brush. Simply dip it into the base to remove the hair and then empty it when full. It’s such a brilliant idea!
How to use a pet hair roller to get rid of cut hair
I’ve battled with pet hair and pet smell over the years so I bought myself a pet hair roller and it has been a godsend!
If you already have a pet hair roller like the one below, it can double up as a clothes hair remover too. It works brilliantly at removing pet hair from furnishings and carpets but I have also found it works on clothing. I find it a little bit clunky to use on small items of clothing, a clothes brush or a lint roller is better.


How to use your vacuum to remove cut hair
If you have a vacuum designed for picking up pet hair it will probably have a small pet hair attachment which should work just as well on cut human hair.
Here is the attachment I have for my Miele Cat & Dog vacuum and it works very well for removing hair on clothing as well as furnishings. As long as you put it on low suction it works fine on smaller items of clothing.

Let it blow in the wind
This is my favourite option because I love to see clothes on a line blowing in the wind! If you have a nice windy day and a clothesline, peg out your hairy item of clothing and let the wind do the job instead.
Related reading:
- How To Clean Dust Without Spreading It
- How To Get Pet Smell Out Of A Vacuum Cleaner
- How Long Do Dyson Vacuums Last?
- How Long Do Shark Vacuums Last?
How to prevent hair sticking to your clothes and neck after a haircut
You have a lovely new haircut but now you have prickly itchy hair all over your neck and face, not to mention clothing!
Here are some tips to help:
Wear a teeshirt without a collar
Hairs have a habit of collecting around collars. The best thing to wear when you have your haircut is a simple teeshirt with a wide neckline. Whenever I visit the hairdresser I always wear my oldest clothes. I once had a nice white shirt with a collar ruined with hair dye. Never again!
Use a barber’s cape
If you are cutting your hair at home, invest in a barber’s cape to stop the hair from sticking to your clothing. I have to admit that it took us a while to realise that buying one of these for home use was possible. You don’t have to be a professional hairdresser to buy one.

Wear something slippery that hair can’t stick to
If you don’t have a barbers cape like the one above, wear something smooth and slippery when you have your hair cut. I find that manmade fibres are better than cotton, apart from fleece, which is the worst for grabbing onto hairs.
Use talcum powder on your neck
Hair is much less likely to stick on your skin when it is dry. Sprinkle some talcum powder on your neck before you cut your hair and you should find that hairs simply brush off.
Blow your neck with a hairdryer
At the end of your haircut, take a hairdryer and give your neck area a blast with the hairdryer. This is much easier when you have already used some talc to absorb moisture on your skin. Take care to use a low heat setting to avoid burns!