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Barber Hacks: Five Tips For Precision Haircuts

Barberhacks is your online barbering resource that will make you a better barber.

3 WAYS

Today I am going to show you three ways to part hair that will allow you greater control over your haircuts. If you have ever tried to make a hard part and had a jagged parting that you’ve drawn a straight line beside with your trimmers, you have to put a little time into learning these techniques.

EFFICIENCY

Parting the hair cleanly will help you organize your guest’s hair in a way that will make your haircut more efficient and precise. With little more than a small amount of effort, you can minimize your chances of mistake and improve your results.

TIME AND TIME AGAIN

I started out as a hairdresser, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t cut men’s hair. In fact, most of my initial customers were men. But coming up in a salon I had to deal with how to manipulate hair the way that I was taught, and my mentors at the time were very strict about the way that I parted hair. If I didn’t part the hair cleanly I had to do the parting over. When I cut hair I like to keep the hair where I want it, and I want to manage everything neatly, parting helps me achieve this.

HOW I ORGANISE MOST OF MY CUTS

When I start a haircut my main focal point is the crown, because if you want a tidy haircut the crown can make or break your day. I will comb the hair dry for a moment to see how the hair around the crown falls, to see how many crowns are involved, to see if there is any separations that occur in that area, and if the hair is very straight and thick, whether is lies down properly, or if it has a propensity to stick up off the head.

A TIP

Quick tip: if you don’t know whether the hair will sit properly you can always hold a single strand by the end and see where, or if, the hair bends. Wherever the hair bends (and when I say this I mean where the hair bends easily) is the place where the hair will begin to stick out if you cut it there.

THE RECESSION

I’ll part from the recession (the area of the forehead where men start to bald) straight to the back of the head. Depending on how the hair falls I will either section hair including the crown, or take the parting right through the crown to the other side that I have sectioned as well.

I can part the hair any of three ways. These techniques work best on water dampened hair.

WAY #1

The first way, and the one I use the most, is with a sectioning comb, or tail comb. You insert the comb at the recession and slide it along the scalp to the place where you want the section to end. From here you use a hair clip to pin the hair out of the way and proceed with your haircut.



WAY #2

The second way is to use the hair clip itself to clip the hair out of the way. You open the clip and use the the bottom edge at the recession and once again draw a line along the scalp to where you want it to fall. Then you take the clip and pin the hair out of the way.


WAY #3

The third way is to use a comb to section the hair. Position your pointer finger at the end of your comb, insert the comb at the recession, and drag your pointer finger to where you want the section to end meeting your other index finger at the end. From here, then use the line that you have just drawn and comb upper hair out of the way, finishing it with a clip to keep it out of the way.




BONUS:

 If you are looking for the natural part in the hair, comb all the hair back and push it forward with the palm of your hand. The hair should fall neatly into the natural parting. Whether or not you choose to use it is up to you, but having knowledge of where the hair will want to fall will inform you as to where the hair will want to fall when your customer doesn’t have you to style his hair.

With these three techniques you can change how you cut hair. It may seem simple, but it is something that needs practice and attention to learn how to master.

Thanks for tuning in this week,
Martin

Tools I Use and Love:

All links are affiliate links that help the creator of Barberhack earn commissions.

Andis Slimline Pro LI

Andis Cordless Master

Andis Magnet Purple Guards

Andis GTX Cordless

Wahl Cordless Senior

Wahl Cordless Magic Clips

Babyliss Pro SnapFX

Wahl Professional Guards

Andis Profoil Shaver

Feather Razor

Parker Razor

YS Park Cutting Comb

Babyliss Pro Hair Dryer

Denman Paddle Brush

Denman Vent Brush

Barberology Clipper Comb

Barber Pro Mat

Electric Tool Duster




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