Not being in the hair or beauty industry shouldn’t hinder your haircut. Being able to accurately describe your desired haircut to a barber is more important than you may think. Follow this guide for the best ways to communicate with your barber.
It Never Hurts to Ask for Advice
Simply asking for advice from your barber can make the biggest difference in your haircut. Even if you’re unsure of your desired haircut or style, you and your barber can work together to discover what you want by answering some general questions. If you’re still struggling to come to a consensus, save a picture or two of the look you want to reference during your pre-haircut consultation.
Give Your Description Some Buzz
Establishing your haircut’s style, look and feel is the best way to communicate exactly what you’re looking for when your time in the barber chair is complete. Knowledge of keywords or buzzwords can make all the difference in communicating this with your barber, because they help your barber better understand and visualize your desired haircut. These include, but aren’t limited to:
Eccentric (for styles such undercuts, pompadours, fringes, man buns, or faux hawks)
Vintage (for styles that include side parts, fades, pompadours, undercuts, loose combovers and even long, swept back hair)
Rugged (for styles that include a fade or undercut, and feature fringes, side parts, pompadours, and sometimes even man buns)
Athletic (for easy to manage styles such as buzz cuts, crew cuts, faux hawks or top knots)
Classic (for styles with a side part or comb overs with a moderate fade)
Don’t hesitate to use pop culture references such as musicians or actors’ names to better explain exactly what look you want your hairstyle to invoke.
What’s a “Trim” Anyway?
When describing your desired haircut to your barber, make sure you also describe the length of the haircut you want. To some, a “trim” could mean removing two inches of length, while others might assume much less. Being precise when describing the length takes assumptions out of the equation, allowing you look your best and be the most comfortable with your haircut. If you remember what guard number(s) are used for your haircut, let your barber know. This helps describe to your barber how much length you want taken off. For those with longer hair looking for a dramatic length change, use your fingers to show your barber how much length you’d like removed.
Avoid using short descriptions like “short back and front” to describe the haircut you’re looking to get. Being precise as possible when describing your desired look allows your barber to visualize and process what steps and techniques they must take to achieve your dream haircut!
The Slow and Steady Approach to Removing Length
If you are still unsure on exactly how much length you’d like taken off, ask your barber if they’re comfortable with slowly trimming your length until you’re happy with it. It’s always better to cut too little off than too much!
Finish Off Strong
Once you’ve described the style and length of the haircut you want, it’s helpful to also describe the desired top finish, as well as the desired finish for the sides and back of the cut.
The most commonly used descriptions for top finish are:
Choppy
This is achieved by cutting the hair at 45° angles at different lengths to provide a varied texture, creating the illusion of volume which makes it easy to style messy looks
Layered
Creating layers allows the long hair to rest on top of short hair. It’s an ideal technique for thinning hair, as it creates the appearance of depth and volume.
Thinned
The barber uses thinning scissors to reduce volume. The design of thinning scissors blends scissors with a comb, allowing barbers to selectively reduce length while thinning the hair. This technique is perfect for thick hair, but be aware that hair will grow out unnaturally over time.
Razored
The barber reduces volume and sculpts the hair with a razor blade. This technique requires a professional touch; however, it’s the best way to thin out and flatten hair in order for it to grow back naturally.
Other important details to cover during your pre-haircut consultation is the level of fade you’d like, along with how you’d like your hair arched.
Fades
The level of fade describes how the hair diminishes from top to bottom, using high, medium or low to denote where the fade begins and ends on the head. Your barber can aid you in determining how intense the fade should be depending on your face shape.
Want to learn more about fades? This guide created by Bespoke Unit dives deeper into the topic.
Nape Finishes
A haircut’s nape finish can be done one of three ways, depending on your vision and/or your head shape.
Blocked nape finishes are perfect for those with thinner necks, however it can make new growth look a bit unruly as time goes by. When choosing a blocked neck finish, keep in mind that maintaining that finish might require more frequent trips to the barber shop for a clean-up.
If you’re looking for a softer finish in the back, perhaps a rounded finish is more your style. Similar to blocked back finishes, a rounded finish requires regular maintenance but has a less angular look.
The most common nape finish is tapered, and is usually paired with a fade. Since it follows the natural hairline, it grows back less noticeably and doesn’t require frequent clean-ups.
Arching
Hair arching describes how the hairline is trimmed around the ears. This can be done with a high arch, which is ideal for smaller ears and provides a clean look, or a natural arch, which follows the hairline and like the name suggests, looks more natural.
It’s Not Over Yet
Think it’s all over once the haircut’s over? A perfect haircut isn’t complete without considering how it will blend with your sideburns and/or facial hair! They should all fit together aesthetically to ensure your finished look is polished.
If you prefer to be clean shaven, ask your barber how to finish your sideburns to blend perfectly with your new haircut. You could even ask for a straight razor shave while you’re at the barbershop!
If having some facial hair is more your style, follow up your haircut with shaping or trimming your beard to best accentuate your face’s shape. Learn more about the best beard shapes for each face shape with this in-depth article by The Art of Manliness.
It might seem like a lot of information to convey to your barber before a haircut, but the best barbers will lead you through this process during your consultation without you even noticing.
Finishing Touches
If you’re unsure what hair styling products would be best to use with your new haircut, your barber is the best source of knowledge. Don’t leave the barber shop without finding out what’s best for your hair type, texture and style…but if you do, check out our blog post discussing the variety of hair products on the market.
Ready to put these tips to the test?
Stop by a Nic Grooming Barber Shop location near you for a haircut, a straight razor shave, or some bead shaping/trimming today!