HaircuttingHaircuttingCh #16Ch #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

ApexParietal RidgeOccipital BoneFour Corners

Areas of the headTop

Front

Sides

Crown

Nape

Back

Fringe

Lines & AnglesEvery 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’dHorizontal

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 Lineis 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

Razorstraight razor or feather blades mainly used when a softer effect on the ends of the hair is desired

Clipper & TrimmersClippers - 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 Shearsmainly 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. Castcast - 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

• Know how manufactured

• Learn about steel quality

• Decide on correct blade edge

• Select best handle design

• Be sure of fit

• Hold shears in hand.

• Swivel thumb shears.

• Learn about service agreement.

• Ask about warranty.

• Analyze cost.

• 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.