4.7 Haircutting Implements in Practice & Cutting Techniques

Holding the Tools Correctly

Shears. Insert the ring finger in the still-blade grip with the little finger resting on the finger brace (tang); insert the thumb in the moving-blade grip. Only the thumb moves — the still blade stays put and the moving blade travels. When combing, palm the shears by removing the thumb and closing the blades into the palm so the points face away from the client.

Comb. The comb is held in the non-cutting hand while cutting, then transferred between fingers to comb the next section. Continuous comb-shear transfer is the basis of pace and control in a real haircut, and the sequence it produces is what Written Practical items on procedure order are testing.

Razor. Held with the thumb on the shank and fingers on the handle; a guard is used, and the razor is drawn along the hair at a shallow angle. Razors are used only on wet hair — dry razoring drags, tears the cuticle, and produces split ends.

Clippers. Held so the wrist stays neutral; the blade rides flat against the head for a close cut and is rolled out to blend. Guard numbers correspond to remaining length in roughly one-eighth-inch increments.

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The Four Foundation Cuts

  0 degrees        45 degrees        90 degrees        180 degrees
   BLUNT           GRADUATED         UNIFORM           LONG LAYER
  weight at        weight line       even length       weight removed,
  perimeter        / stacked         all over          length at perimeter

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Guidelines

A guideline (guide) is the length the rest of the haircut is measured against. Two kinds:

• Traveling (movable) guideline — a small slice of the previous section is carried into the next section. Produces layers and graduation. Because it moves, small errors compound; check the guide constantly.
• Stationary guideline — every section is brought back to one fixed guide. Produces weight and length increase, as in a blunt cut or a long layered cut where all hair is directed to a single stationary guide at the top.

Overdirection means combing a section away from its natural falling position toward a guideline rather than straight out from the head. Overdirection creates a length increase in the direction the hair is overdirected — the mechanism behind stacking in the back of a graduated bob and behind lengthening the front in a long layer.

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Sections, Partings, and Body Position

• Section — a large working division of the head, typically four or five: front, two sides, crown, nape.
• Parting (subsection) — the individual slice taken from a section for a single cut.
• Parting direction determines the line: horizontal partings build weight, vertical partings remove weight, and diagonal partings blend. Diagonal forward partings build length toward the face; diagonal back partings remove it and create movement away from the face.
• Fingers and shears stay parallel to the parting. The line the fingers make is the line the hair takes.
• Body position — stand so you can see the section without twisting the torso, and move around the client rather than pulling the client's head into an awkward angle.
• Tension — the amount of pull on a section. Use even, consistent tension; use minimal tension on curly or coily hair and around cowlicks and whorls, because over-stretched hair springs up shorter when dry.

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Texturizing Techniques

Texturizing removes bulk or hardness without removing the length line.

Where not to texturize: within about an inch of the scalp (creates spiky regrowth), and directly on the perimeter of a blunt line (destroys the line you just built).

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Over-Comb Techniques

Shear-over-comb and clipper-over-comb create the shortest tapers, usually at the nape and around the ears. The comb holds the guideline, not the fingers. The comb is moved slowly upward and outward through the hair while the shears or clipper follow the angle of the comb. Changing the comb's angle changes the taper: flatter against the head cuts closer, angled away leaves length.

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Safety and Disinfection During the Cut

• Palm the shears whenever you are combing, and never hand shears to another person point-first.
• Brace against the client's head when cutting around the ears, nape, and hairline — required by A.A.C. R4-10-112(J)(3).
• Discard hair clippings immediately after each client (R4-10-112(S)(1)) — swept hair on the floor is both a slip hazard and a citation.
• Disinfect counters and all work areas after each client (R4-10-112(S)(3)).
• Sharps disposal: used razor blades are sealed in a rigid, puncture-proof container (R4-10-112(E)(3)). Razor blades are single-use and are never reused between clients.
• If the skin is nicked, stop the service and follow the blood exposure procedure in Section 2.4 and A.A.C. R4-10-112(F).

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Wet-to-Dry Shrinkage

Hair cut wet appears longer than it will be when dry, and the difference grows with curl. Straight hair may shrink slightly; wavy hair noticeably; tightly coiled hair can shrink by half or more. Two working responses: cut curly hair with minimal tension, and check the shape dry before considering the cut finished.