The haircutting taught in my videos is quite safe, but there are a few things to be aware of.
Tools
a. Your scissors/shears should not have sharp points at the end (tips) of the blades. You want blunt points for edge cutting when the points touch the skin.
b. Clipper blades need to be adjusted so there is no overlap of the top blade with the bottom blade. Precision Clipper Cutting #1 showed the proper adjustment for blades.
Scissor cutting
a. You must have your scissors under control and be aware of what is being cut as the blades are being closed. (In my almost 50 years I have only cut one ear–as I was edge cutting around the top of the ear I paid close attention to the tips of the blades but not the rest of those blades as they were being closed). Cutting an ear is a real day spoiler.
b. With the “comb-away” cutting method, the points of the scissor moves toward the face as you cut paths on the upper left side of the head. Just go slow and be very aware of where the scissor is in relation to the face. This cutting method is demonstrated on the videos.
Clipping around the ears
Even with clipper blades correctly adjusted, the back or top of the ear can be cut if the blades come in contact with the ear. This situation is especially true with children and it is more of a problem with a clipper (Andis or Oster) that has removeable blades. The remedy is simple: Be sure to hold the ear forward as you clip up the side behind the ear and hold it down as you clip on the hair above the ear. Giving a slight cut to a child is a sure way to alienate that child against barbers–for life.
DO IT NOW
I expect to pass through life but once. If therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again.
William Penn