7.5 Outlining, the Straight-Razor Neck Shave and Head Shaving

Why Finishing Work Is Tested

The NIC Barber 1 theory outline lists haircutting as shaping, outlining and neck shave, and names preparation, procedures and safety for head shaving separately. On the practical, examiners score whether you establish an outline around the ears, whether the sideburns are uniform in length, and whether you shave both sides of the neck with a straight razor, including a reverse backhand stroke, using all proper neck-shave procedures (Section 1.5).

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Outlining (Edging or Lining)

Outlining defines the haircut's perimeter after the bulk is cut and blended. The tools are usually a trimmer (outliner) and comb, followed by a straight razor for the closest finish.

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The Straight-Razor Neck Shave

Shaving the hairline and sides of the neck gives a clean finish that lasts longer than trimmer work alone. The haircut drape stays in place (neck strip and cape). Hair clippings are cleared first, using a clean towel or a dryer on a cool setting, because Virginia prohibits neck dusters.

Procedure (Right-Handed Barber)

1. Prepare. Put a new blade in a changeable-blade razor, or use a cleaned and disinfected razor. Sanitize your hands. Brace your hand when working near the eyes or mouth.
2. Lather the sideburn areas, around the ears and the sides and back of the neck. Use non-aerosol shaving cream on the NIC practical.
3. Right side. Shave the right sideburn and around the right ear with the freehand stroke, stretching the skin behind the razor with the dry fingers of the free hand. Then shave down the right side of the neck.
4. Left side. Shave the left sideburn and around the left ear with the backhand stroke. Then use the reverse backhand stroke from behind the left ear down the left side of the neck. This is the stroke the NIC practical requires you to demonstrate.
5. Back of the neck. Shave the nape outline with the grain.
6. Finish. Wipe away lather with a clean towel. Apply a toner or antiseptic with clean cotton, and finish with talc or moisturizer on a single-use applicator. Discard the blade in a sharps container, and put used linens and implements in their labeled containers.

Do not neck-shave over raised moles, pustules, open cuts, active razor bumps (pseudofolliculitis barbae), keloids or rashes. Outline with a trimmer instead, or skip the area and explain why.

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Head Shaving

A clean-shaven head is a popular choice, especially for clients with advanced pattern hair loss.

1. Consultation and Scalp Check

• Ask whether the client has shaved their head before, how often they shave, and whether they have had nicks or bumps.
• Run your fingertips over the entire scalp to find ridges, bumps, scars and the occipital and parietal contours.
• Look for moles, skin tags, psoriasis, cuts, sunburn or signs of infection. Contagious conditions mean no service. Raised lesions must be avoided.
• Map the growth directions. The crown whorl and the nape change grain.

2. Preparation

1. Drape for a shave. Protect the client's eyes from clippings and lather.
2. Reduce the length with clippers using the closest guard or blade (or a foil shaver), clearing all longer hair. Never attempt to razor-shave long hair.
3. Apply a warm, moist towel (test it on your inner wrist first) to soften the stubble and relax the scalp.
4. Lather a section at a time so the lather does not dry.

3. Shaving

• Work section by section: the top front to the crown, then the sides, then the back and nape.
• Hold the razor at roughly a 30-degree angle and stretch the skin taut behind the stroke.
• First pass: with the grain. Follow the whorl at the crown, where direction changes in a circle.
• Optional second pass across the grain on clients without sensitivity. Avoid against-the-grain passes on clients prone to bumps.
• Take extra care over the occipital bone, the mastoid process behind the ear and around the ears, where the skin curves sharply.

4. Aftercare

Rinse or wipe away the lather, apply a cool towel, then a soothing, alcohol-free moisturizer. Advise the client that newly shaved scalp skin burns easily and recommend a broad-spectrum sunscreen or a hat outdoors. Clients who shave at home between visits should use a sharp blade, shave with the grain and moisturize daily.