Some barbers do indeed cut their own hair, but most don’t. Not only can it be tricky to get some parts of your hair right when you’re doing it on your own, but most barbers have friends who are also barbers. Not to mention most barbershops have more than one barber. So why bother cutting your own hair when you can just ask a coworker to do it?

As for whether you should learn to cut your hair, sure, why not? It’s not as hard as it sounds, as long as you’re not too picky about the final product. Just buy a hair clipper, check a hair clipper guard sizes guide like this one, and start experimenting. As long as you’re not attached to having long hair, you can always default to giving yourself a buzzcut if you need to cover up any flaws. Buzz cuts are the easiest ones to do yourself, in my experience, although getting the back of the head — especially near the neck — to look right can be tricky.

If you’re worried about ruining your hair, it’s good to remember you are very unlikely to open a bald spot in your head unless you’re using the clipper without a guard, which you shouldn’t do. There is a risk that the guard might slip off the clipper, though, so make sure you get a quality clipper and ensure the guard is appropriately snapped into place.

You asked if cutting your own hair is a good idea, and well, I can say I gained two main things by learning how to cut my own. First, I understood what styles look better on me; and second, I got confident enough with a hair clipper to give some of my friends some very basic haircuts. So yeah, learning to cut your hair can be a fun pet project, although going to a barber will always be the safest way to get a good haircut.