The most difficult part of a tapered of fade haircut is making a smooth transition from the direct contact cutting that's on the lower sides and back to the over the comb cutting (or scissor cutting) that's used to do the upper sides and back. Almost always, smooth tapering suffers the most at the place where these 2 methods of cutting meet.
How do you deal with it? Drop down 1 or 2 blade sizes when you're doing the over the comb cutting. What blade you use over the comb will depend what blade you used on the direct contact cutting and also what comb you chose to use.
A wahl comb is thicker. It's almost - but not quite - 1/4" thick at the back bar. A flattop comb is only 1/8" thick. Also, a #1 blade will cut just a bit shorter than 1/8". Just from experience, hair does not feed well into a #2 blade (cutting the hair 1/4") for over the comb cutting.
The short cutting (1/8") will have the comb quite close to the scalp. With a longer cutting, you'll need to hold the comb (for clipper over comb cutting) a bit further away from the scalp.
Below is guide for which blade to use with which comb when doing your clipper over comb transition cutting.
Direct Contact Over Comb
Length of Hair l Hair Length with Flattop Comb l Hair Length with Wahl Comb
3/16" l 1/16" l 1/100"
1/4" l 1/8" l 3/16"
3/8" l 3/16" * l 1/8"
1/2" l 3/16" * l 3/16"*
* = the comb is held 1/8" away from the scalp
* = the comb is held 1/4" away from the scalp
* = the comb is held less than 1/4" away from the scalp
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Where Does the Part Go?
Some haircuts have the hair parted and some do not. It all depends on the cut and the hair growth pattern on an individual's head. Some people want a really formal hairstyle with every hair in its place, whereas others like a more casual approach and allow the hair to lie where it wants to.
For some reason, years ago it became a tradition that men parted their hair at the left with the hair combed off toward the right. However, the hair should always be allowed to lay the way the hairgrain wants it to lay. Going with the hairgrain means the part is located somewhere on the top, usually on one side or the other. It could also be in the middle or a bit off to one side of the middle or the other. The part must be between the 2 receded parts of the front hairline.
If the hair has a center cowlick, the hair could be parted on the left side, right side, the center, or a little off-center, just depending on how the hair wants to lie. Look very carefully at the hairgrain before making your decision.
Typically the hair will be parted on the same side of the head as the cowlick. If you have a cowlick on the left, usually your part is going to be on the left. The same goes for the right side.
Parting the hair on the same side as the cowlick allows the hair to lie where it wants at the top of the head. This is because typically the hairgrain that has a cowlick on the left will have the hair wanting to move out toward the right. This works vice versa for the right where a cowlick on the right will have the hair wanting to move out toward the left.
About 5% on the population has an unusual hairgrain where the cowlick is on the left side and the hairgrain also moves of to the left. With this unusual type of hairgrain, you would have to part the hair all the way around the back and down on the right side.
If this same type of unusual cowlick is on the right side, you would have to part the hair around the back of the head and down on the left side.
The average and usual way to part hair is very easily done. Just comb the hair forward from the cowlick and place the hair where it agrees with your part. When the hair lays well and doesn't stand on end (even when it's dry), you know that you've put it in the right spot, having the hair lie where it wants to.
For some reason, years ago it became a tradition that men parted their hair at the left with the hair combed off toward the right. However, the hair should always be allowed to lay the way the hairgrain wants it to lay. Going with the hairgrain means the part is located somewhere on the top, usually on one side or the other. It could also be in the middle or a bit off to one side of the middle or the other. The part must be between the 2 receded parts of the front hairline.
If the hair has a center cowlick, the hair could be parted on the left side, right side, the center, or a little off-center, just depending on how the hair wants to lie. Look very carefully at the hairgrain before making your decision.
Typically the hair will be parted on the same side of the head as the cowlick. If you have a cowlick on the left, usually your part is going to be on the left. The same goes for the right side.
Parting the hair on the same side as the cowlick allows the hair to lie where it wants at the top of the head. This is because typically the hairgrain that has a cowlick on the left will have the hair wanting to move out toward the right. This works vice versa for the right where a cowlick on the right will have the hair wanting to move out toward the left.
About 5% on the population has an unusual hairgrain where the cowlick is on the left side and the hairgrain also moves of to the left. With this unusual type of hairgrain, you would have to part the hair all the way around the back and down on the right side.
If this same type of unusual cowlick is on the right side, you would have to part the hair around the back of the head and down on the left side.
The average and usual way to part hair is very easily done. Just comb the hair forward from the cowlick and place the hair where it agrees with your part. When the hair lays well and doesn't stand on end (even when it's dry), you know that you've put it in the right spot, having the hair lie where it wants to.
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