Basic Babering Techniques

In order to become an exceptional barber or men’s hairstylist you must learn the basics first. There are four basic techniques that are the foundation of men’s haircutting. In order to master this craft these techniques must become second nature. We cannot stress enough the importance of this lesson. Everything you do from now on in your career depends on mastering these four techniques.STEP BY STEP GUIDE

  1. Scissor over fingers. This technique can be used for layering with vertical or horizontal sections.  It can be used in all sections of the haircut depending on the length of the hair and with any of the scissors.
  2. The first way to do this is to cut the hair over the top of the fingers. Hold the hair between the pointer finger and middle finger with the palm facing down and the pinky resting on the head to stabilize the section. Use the front portion of the scissor and do not cut past your second knuckle. If you do you run the risk of cutting finger. If you use more than the front portion of the scissor to cut the hair you will lose control of your scissor and run the risk of cutting yourself again.
  3. The second way of using the scissor over fingers method is with the palm facing up and cutting in the palm of your hand. This technique can be used for trimming bangs, the perimeter of longer hairstyles, and horizontal layering.
  4. Scissor over comb. This is the staple of a true master barber. Every time you use this technique on a customer they will recognize that you are doing something that requires a more advanced skill level. There was a time when there was no such thing as an electric clipper. Everything was done with a scissor and different size combs. This technique can also be used on all sections of the haircut depending on the length of the hair.
  5. Correct posture allows you to hold the tools properly. Stand upright leaning slightly away from your scissor hand. Hold your elbow up slightly and extend the scissor out in front of you. This will ensure you open and close the scissor with just your thumb. Once you drop your elbow you will be using all of your fingers to open and close the scissor and it will not cut properly.
  6.  The comb and scissor always move together in the same direction. Angle the comb slightly inward to pull the hair straight out from the head allowing for more control. Use the first third of the scissor blade to cut the hair in the front portion of the comb. Do not cut across the comb. One small section/panel at a time. Make sure the comb is moving slow and the scissor blade is opening and closing much faster. The slow movement of the comb allows for extremely small sections and eliminates lines of demarcation. You should always be able to see your previous guide in your comb.
  7. Clipper over comb. The same technique as scissor over comb only you are using a clipper. This technique is excellent for removing large amounts of thick hair. You will also be able to achieve a different finish on the hair depending on what size blade and/or clipper you use. It is also easier on your hands on days when you will be doing 15 or more haircuts. The length of hair and area of the head you are working on will determine which clipper and comb to use.
  8. The flat top comb will be used for the top and the sides and back. It is excellent for controlling large amounts of thick hair. It moves through the hair with ease because the teeth are wide and the comb is thicker and heavier than most others. This comb will be used with the large detachable blade clipper. The most powerful clipper is needed for removing large amounts of thick hair.
  9. The clipper comb is used for the sides and back and semi-finish. It will be used in the top area when blending in a short haircut where the crown is cut off such as a princeton or a flat top. This comb is excellent for blending because the teeth are closer together and it is thinner which allows for picking up the hair closer to the scalp. This comb can be used with the detachable blade clipper for blending fades to the top section and for fine hair worn in a short to medium length. It can also be used with the adjustable clipper on the same type of hair and for the semi-finish area.
  10. The finishing comb will be used for the semi-finish and the finish. This comb is excellent for the finishing steps because the comb itself is flat without any grooves which allows for the clipper to move across very smoothly. It is also flexible unlike the larger combs which allows for it to bend easier around the ears. This comb will be used with the adjustable clipper for the semi-finish area.
  11. Blade on Skin. This technique will be used for the finishing or outlining of a haircut with a clipper or a scissor. It will also be used for faded/tapered haircuts when a clipper blade or comb attachment is needed.
  12. You will use this technique with a scissor in a few different areas:
  13. Use this on the bangs for a shorter length haircut by gently resting the stationary blade of the scissor on the forehead and slowly moving the scissor away from you opening and closing the scissor with just your thumb.
  14. Use this technique in the temple to sideburn area in the same manner. You can cut from the temple to sideburn or sideburn to temple whichever is more comfortable.
  15. This technique will be used around the ears. To get a nice clean outline on a medium length haircut comb the hair down and gently rest the stationary blade of the scissor on the skin and cut the outline around the ear. Make sure to hold the ear down and out of the way of the cutting blade. This will be done at the end of the haircut when the bulk of the hair has been removed. You will be able to control the hair easier and getter a cleaner cut. If you do this first, you will have to go back and do it again.
  16. Use this technique on the back of the neck for a nice clean hairline. This will be used for a square or rounded hairline. Gently rest the stationary blade on the skin and cut across. Make sure the bulk of the haircut is finished and this is the last step. If you do this first you will not be able to clearly see how the hair grows and exactly where the hairline will fall and look best.
  17. You will use this technique with a finishing clipper in the same areas as a scissor.
  18. Use this clipper in the bangs and temple area for the outline. When making the line make sure to use a straight in – straight out movement. After the line is made turn the clipper around so the stationary blade is gently touching the skin and shave up to the line. This will ensure the clipper works properly and you don’t leave razor marks or small scrapes. Not every customer wants the outline on the forehead and temple area so be sure to ask first.
  19. Use this clipper for the sideburns, around the ears, and back of the neck. Make sure that the bulk of the haircut is completed before this step so you can see where the hairline/outline naturally falls. When making the line make sure to use a straight in – straight out movement. After the line is made turn the clipper around so the stationary blade is gently touching the skin and shave up to the line. This will ensure the clipper works properly and you don’t leave razor marks or small scrapes. This instruction is repeated again due to its importance. It cannot be stressed enough that this is the way the trimmer was designed to work.
  20. This technique will be used with a detachable blade clipper or an adjustable clipper with/without attachments. You will use this for haircuts in which you will run a blade/attachment up the sides and back of the head to get a length as short as or shorter than your combs. You will also use this for the semi-finish with the adjustable or detachable blade clipper to taper/fade the hairline.
Haircut Shapes and Sections

In order to give a blended, technically correct haircut there needs to be a plan ahead of time. A system is needed for the best results. Where are you going to start/finish the haircut? What sections blend into each other? What section do you start/finish with?

Before starting any haircut you need to know what shape the haircut will take. Next, you need to have a plan on where to begin and where to end. We recommend starting on the top to remove the bulk of the hair and work your way down through the remaining sections. Each lower section will blend into the previously cut section. This works well for all haircuts, especially fades and tapers as you will see throughout the lesson videos. By only focusing on one section at a time it will make cutting the next section much easier. You will notice that with repetition there will be very few times you will have to re-cut a previous section.
Masters of Barbering has come up with its own terminology for haircut shapes and sections. These terms may seem extremely simple but cutting with this system can drastically increase your barbering skills and efficiency.

Haircut Shapes
-Contour shape haircut:
A contoured shape haircut is one that follows the shape of the head. The hair will be cut with the curvature of the head. Some of these haircuts will include a ceaser cuts, brush cuts, faux hawks, princetons, and a lot of the other messy looks.
-Square shape haircut:
This shape is for the haircuts that require weight in the corners or on the round of the head. Some of these haircuts include flattops, executive tapers, Ivy League haircuts, “regular haircuts”, and teen idol haircuts.

Sections
-Top:
Exactly how it sounds. The top area of the head extending from the bangs to the crown above the parietal area(round of the head). The haircut will start on the top section most of the time making the next section down much easier to cut.
-Round of the Head:
This is a much easier way to remember the parietal area from the temple to the crown. This will be the next section cut. For a square shape haircut the hair will be held parallel to the round of the head and blend to the previous guide left from the top. If a contoured shape haircut the hair will be held parallel to the round of the head and blended to the previous guide from the top.
-Sides and Back:
The sides and back section starts just below the round of the head. It stops at about 1-2 fingers width above the ears and about a 2-3 fingers width above the hairline. This is the next section cut and will blend into the round of the head section. After completing the first three sections the finishing will be much easier. You will have a clear picture of where the outline should be and what it should look like.
-Semi-Finish:
The semi-finish is the 1-2 fingers width above the ears and the 2-3 fingers width above the hairline. This section and the next, when done correctly, will transform a good haircut into a great haircut. A classically tapered hairline will make the shape of the haircut really stand out.
-Finish:
The finish is the outline of the haircut. All that should be done here is lining off the sideburn area, around the ears, and clipping the hair off the back of the neck. Make sure not to get to close to the semi-finish section. If you cut a blemish into that step it will have to be re-cut and the hairline will be left too high.

      

There are certain haircuts that require additional texturizing and/or length removing that goes beyond the basics. You will learn how to combine one of the basic techniques with a razor or thinning scissor to accomplish this. These are the techniques that will take your finished work from very good to exceptional and put you in the top of barbering profession.
  1. Scissor over fingers with thinning/blending scissors. This technique is used for texturizing hair, texturizing and cutting length at the same time, or cutting length only.
  2. To texturize section and pick up the hair the same way you would with the scissor over fingers technique and close the scissor once using as much of the blade as it takes to cover the area to but not past the second knuckle. You will cut at about the top 1/3 of the section of hair and then move on to the next section. The thickness of hair will determine the size of the thinning/blending scissor used and the size of the sections.
  3. Texturizing and cutting length at the same time. Using the same steps as above you will start about half way down the section of hair. You will slowly raise your fingers that are holding the hair until you run out of hair. While you are doing this keep closing the scissor and you will go from texturizing to cutting length with the last close or two. The speed in which you raise your fingers will determine how much thickness will be removed vs. how much length will be taken. The slower you raise your fingers the more thickness and length you will take and the opposite for faster.
  4. Cutting length. This technique is exactly the same as using a straight scissor except you will have to keep closing the scissor until all of the length is removed. Make sure to use as much of the blade as it takes to get to but not past your second knuckle. This will leave a softer finish on the hair and the ends will (mesh) together. Ideal for fine straight hair that is too thin to texturize and has a tendency to show scissor marks.
  5. Scissor over comb with a thinning/blending scissor. This is used for the same purposes as the over fingers technique except on shorter hair.
  6. To texturize pick up the hair in the same sections as you would with the over fingers technique. The one difference is you have to adjust the speed of the comb for the density of the hair. Slower for thicker hair and faster for thinner hair. The slower you move the comb the more hair you will take.
  7. Texturizing and cutting length at the same time. This is also the same as the over fingers technique. Start about halfway down the section and slowly raise the comb while the scissor keeps opening and closing. Adjust the speed of the comb for the density of hair and how much thinning vs. removing of length you are trying to accomplish. When moving from one section to the next make sure to over direct the comb just enough so the previous section falls out. Being too close to the previous section will result in too much length or thickness removed.
  8. Cutting length. This is done exactly the same as scissor over comb with a straight scissor except the comb will be moved as slow as necessary so length is taken.
  9. Razor over fingers. This is an advanced technique which can be used for texturizing or removing length. Either a feather razor which is a straight razor with a guard or straight razor without a guard will be used. This can be done with vertical or horizontal sections. Pick up a section with the hair between the fingers and the palm facing the body. Gently place blade on the hair about halfway down the shaft at a 45 degree angle. Make a few short light strokes keeping your wrist still and just moving at the elbow. Move your fingers toward your body until you run out of hair. As with the thinning/blending scissor the speed at which you move your fingers will determine how much thickness will be removed. Also be very conscious of the angle and pressure on the blade. Too steep of an angle and/or too much pressure will result in taking more hair than necessary or leaving a hole in the haircut. To remove length the hair will be sectioned and held in the same manner as above. The fingers holding the hair will remain stationary. Use short strokes with the wrist still only moving from the elbow keeping the razor in the same area where the length will be removed. This will be repeated until the hair held in the fingers is removed and the grip on the hair is gone. Vertical or horizontal sections can be used.
  10. Razor over comb. This is a great technique for spiked hair and bed head looks. Hold the comb the same way you would for any of the other over comb techniques and run the straight razor across the comb. The large scissor comb is best for this because this technique will used on medium length thick hair. The speed at which the comb and the razor are moved will result in more or less thickness being removed. To remove length simply keep the comb in the same position and keep running the razor across the comb until the desired amount of hair is removed.
  11. Thumb over razor. For this technique you will use a razor with a guard and place your thumb over the cutting surface with the hair to be cut in between. Press the hair into the guard and pull upward in a quick motion with your wrist. Repeat this until the desired length is removed.
  12. The razor sculpting technique. This is complicated because it requires feel and imagination. A lot of practice and a steady hand are necessary. The student will be working with a particular head shape in mind but the guide will not be as noticeable and in some cases there will not be a guide. There are two ways a straight razor is used for this technique:
  13. Sculpting on and with the contour of the head to remove weight and/or length. The cutting stroke will be the same as the razor over fingers technique except the razor will be cutting on the head without the fingers picking up the hair. Comb the hair in the direction it will be cut. Slide the comb slowly through the hair and follow with the razor stroke behind it. As always the speed and pressure will determine how much hair is removed. This is an excellent technique for smoothing out thick wavy hair, giving more body to straight hair, and working around problem crown areas in a way that won’t result in the hair standing up.
  14. Sculpting on the contour of the head and neck for leaving a natural hairline. Comb the hair in the direction it naturally falls and use a gentle cutting stroke above the hairline. Increase the pressure as the razor approaches the hairline. This will lighten up the weight near the hairline and cut length at the hairline. You will be left with a soft blended finish instead of a hard straight line.

These advanced techniques are difficult and take time to master. Pay close attention to how they are used in the lesson videos and keep watching and practicing. In order to master these, the basic techniques must be second nature. If they are not, you will have an incredibly difficult time with them. Remember, these techniques are tools to make your haircuts better. If the basic haircut is not precise these techniques will not improve or finish off the haircut the way they are supposed to. Be patient with the razor techniques in particular. They take a lot of practice to develop the hand dexterity and “the feel” for it. It will be more than worth it when you get these techniques down to a science.