Haircutting
Ch #16
Principles of Haircutting
good haircuts begin with an
understanding of the shape of the
head
hair responds differently on various
areas of the head
Reference Points
Apex
Parietal Ridge
Occipital Bone
Four Corners
Areas of the head
Top
Front
Sides
Crown
Nape
Back
Fringe
Lines & Angles
Every haircut is made up of lines and
angles
Line - thin continuous mark used as a
guide
Angle- space between 2 lines that
intersect at a given point
2 basic lines used in haircutting are
straight & curved
Lines & Angles cont’d
Horizontal
Vertical
Diagonal
Beveling - (aka- stacking) techniques
using diagonal lines to create angles by
cutting the ends of the hair with a slight
increase or decrease in length
Lines & Angles cont’d
•
Straight lines
•
Angles
Straight lines
•
Straight Lines
–
–
–
Horizontal
Vertical
Diagonal
Angles
•
Angles: beveling, stacking
Elevation
•
Elevation: angle at which hair
is held from head
•
Sections: uniform working
areas
•
Subsections: smaller partings
•
Graduation: layers described
in degree
Graduation
•
Below 90 degrees: builds weight
•
Above 90 degrees: removes weight
Cutting Line
is the angle at which the fingers are
held when cutting the line that
creates the end shape
aka - finger position, finger angle,
cutting position
Guidelines
•
1st section cut
•
Stationary guide (does not move)
•
Traveling guide (moves as haircut
progresses)
•
can be located at the perimeter (outer line) or
interior or inner line
Overdirection
combing hair away from its natural
falling position
mostly used in graduated or layered
haircut
elevation examples
•
45-degree with 90-degree
•
Overdirection
Tools
Shears - commonly called scissors.
Mainly used to cut blunt or straight
lines, slide cut, or point cut
Texturizing shears - mainly used to
remove bulk, also called thinning
shears, tapering or notching shears
Types of Texturizing Shears
Chunking 5-9 teeth
texturizing 12-19 teeth
thinning 21-30 teeth
blending 38 - 50 teeth
Razor
straight razor or feather
blades mainly used when a
softer effect on the ends of the
hair is desired
Clipper & Trimmers
Clippers - mainly used when creating
short haircuts, short tapers, fades, and
flat tops
Trimmers - (aka- edgers) mainly used
to remove excess or unwanted hair at
the neckline and around the ears &
crisp outlines
About Shears
mainly manufactured in 2 countries
Japan & Germany
Hardness will determine how long the
edge will hold without having to be
sharpened
Rockwell hardness of 56 or 57 is ideal
Rockwell of 63 or more will make the
shear brittle
Forged vs. Cast
cast - molten steel is poured into mold.
disadvantage air bubbles can occur and
shear can shatter, significantly less
expensive
forged - made by hammering or
pressing metal into a finished shape,
last much longer than cast shears
Parts of a shear
•
Cutting edge
•
Pivot
•
Adjustment knob
•
Finger tang
•
Ring-finger hole
•
Thumb hole
•
Still Blade
Shear Maintenance
•
Daily cleaning and lubrication
•
Daily tension adjustment and
balancing
•
Weekly cleaning and lubrication
•
Disinfecting shears
•
Sharpening shears
Purchasing Shears
•
Consider dominant hand design
• Hold shears in hand.
•
Know how manufactured
• Swivel thumb shears.
•
Learn about steel quality
• Learn about service agreement.
•
Decide on correct blade edge
• Ask about warranty.
•
Select best handle design
• Analyze cost.
•
Be sure of fit
• Determine how many needed.
Holding Shears
Palming shears
Posture & Body Position
•
Position the client.
– Sitting straight
– Legs not crossed
•
Center your weight.
– Knees slightly bent, not locked
– Bend one knee to lean slightly
•
Stand in front of section being cut.
Safety in haircutting
•
Palm shears.
•
Do not cut past second knuckle.
•
Take care around ears.
•
Balance shears and place knuckles.
•
Use razor guard.
•
Dispose of blades carefully.
General Haircutting Tips
•
Take consistent, clean partings.
•
Be aware of potential danger zones.
•
Use consistent tension.
•
Pay attention to head position.
•
Maintain even moisture.
Basic Haircuts
•
Blunt haircut
– Weight line
– Stationary guide used
•
Graduated haircut
– Visual buildup of
weight
– Ends appear stacked
– Traveling guide used
More basic haircuts
•
Layered haircut
– Less weight than graduated cuts
– Creates movement and volume
•
Long layered haircut
– Gives volume to styles
– Can be combined with other cuts
– Layers increase form; short to longer toward perimeter
•
Men’s basic clipper cut
The Graduated Haircut
•
Graduated haircut
–
–
–
Classic graduated bob
Wedge
Shorter shape with rounded weight
• Keep elevation below 45 degrees with coarse textures
and curly hair.
• Fine hair responds well to graduation.
• Check neckline carefully before cutting short.
• Always use fine teeth of comb and maintain even tension
to ensure a precise line.
Layered Haircuts
•
Uniformed layered haircut
•
Long-layered haircut
•
Men’s basic clipper cut
• Pixie, Caesar
• Squared layers
• Shag
• Faceframe
Layered Haircut Tips
•
Cut the interior first.
•
Do not cut thin hair too short.
•
Do not cut coarse hair shorter than 3 inches in length.
•
Do not cut top layers too short.
•
Use slide cutting to connect top sections to lengths.
• Work with guideline.
• Cross-check haircut.
• Use mirror to see elevation.
• Check both sides by standing in front.
• Leave curly hair longer.
Cutting Curly Hair
•
Shrinks more than straight hair
•
Minimal tension (wide-tooth comb)
•
Naturally “graduates” itself
•
Expands more than straight hair
•
No razor
•
Texturizing techniques
Razor Cutting
•
Razor parallel to subsection at 45-degree angle
•
Razor held at 45-degree angle.
•
Effective with blonde hair
•
Guide above fingers
• Avoid using on coarse, wiry, or damaged hair.
• Always use a guard.
• Always use a new blade.
• Keep hair wet.
• Hold razor at an angle; never force.
Slide Cutting
•
Used to cut or thin hair
•
Blends shorter hair to
longer
•
Useful in texturizing
•
Only on wet hair
Scissor over comb
•
Hair held in place with comb.
•
Shear tips remove length.
•
Method used to create short tapers.
•
Works best on dry hair.
Lift hair with comb; comb acts as guide.
• Do not hold hair between fingers.
•
• Shears and comb move up head together.
• Strive for continual motion.
• Stand in front of client.
• Place comb.
• Move comb up head.
• Angle comb to blend with longer hair.
• Work with small areas.
• Start at hairline and work up.
• Cross-check work diagonally.
• Use barber comb for close areas.
Texturizing
•
Point-cutting and notching - performed on the ends of the hair using the tips
or points of the shear, can be done on wet or dry hair
• Free-hand notching- snipping out pieces of hair at random intervals,
generally used on an interior section rather than the ends
• Slithering or effilating - process of thinning, strand is cut by a sliding
movement with the blades keep partially opened
• Slicing - use only portion of blade near pivot, best with dry hair
• Carving - version of slicing that creates a visual separation, best on short
hair
• Carving the ends - add texture and separation to the perimeter begin 3
inches from ends
Texturizing
Clipper Cutting Tips
•
Work against natural growth pattern for
maximum removal
•
Work in small sections (no wider than 3
inches).
•
Determine comb angle.