Q&A for How to Give a "Fade" Haircut to Males

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Question

What does "scissor over comb" mean?

Laura Martin
Licensed Cosmetologist
Laura Martin is a Licensed Cosmetologist based in Milledgeville, Georgia. She has been working as a hair stylist since 2007, and began a career as a cosmetology teacher in 2013. She worked as a teacher at Arrojo Cosmetology School, teaching cosmetology practices, hairstyling, and hair color application. She also brought her cosmetology expertise to her work as a staff writer for fashion blog Style Noted, writing pieces related to hair and fashion. She received an MFA in Creative Writing from Georgia College & State University, where she was also an English Teaching Fellow. Additionally, she received a BA in Creative Writing and Literature from New York University.

Laura Martin

Licensed Cosmetologist

Expert Answer

Scissor over comb is a method for creating a taper with scissors. The scissors and comb move up the head together creating a smooth transition from short to long.

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Question

What are a taper and a fade?

Laura Martin
Licensed Cosmetologist
Laura Martin is a Licensed Cosmetologist based in Milledgeville, Georgia. She has been working as a hair stylist since 2007, and began a career as a cosmetology teacher in 2013. She worked as a teacher at Arrojo Cosmetology School, teaching cosmetology practices, hairstyling, and hair color application. She also brought her cosmetology expertise to her work as a staff writer for fashion blog Style Noted, writing pieces related to hair and fashion. She received an MFA in Creative Writing from Georgia College & State University, where she was also an English Teaching Fellow. Additionally, she received a BA in Creative Writing and Literature from New York University.

Laura Martin

Licensed Cosmetologist

Expert Answer

A taper is any cut that is shorter at the edges and gradually gets longer toward the top of the head. A fade is a type of tapered haircut that starts from bare skin.

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Question

What does it mean to taper hair?

Laura Martin
Licensed Cosmetologist
Laura Martin is a Licensed Cosmetologist based in Milledgeville, Georgia. She has been working as a hair stylist since 2007, and began a career as a cosmetology teacher in 2013. She worked as a teacher at Arrojo Cosmetology School, teaching cosmetology practices, hairstyling, and hair color application. She also brought her cosmetology expertise to her work as a staff writer for fashion blog Style Noted, writing pieces related to hair and fashion. She received an MFA in Creative Writing from Georgia College & State University, where she was also an English Teaching Fellow. Additionally, she received a BA in Creative Writing and Literature from New York University.

Laura Martin

Licensed Cosmetologist

Expert Answer

To taper hair is to gradually build length from a short length at the edges to a longer length in the interior. Tapers are most common in men's haircuts.

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Question

What guard do you use for a fade?

Arthur Sebastian
Professional Hair Stylist
Arthur Sebastian is a Professional Hair Stylist based in San Francisco, California. He is the Owner of Arthur Sebastian Hair Salon, a studio offering Hair Styling, Color & Brazilian Blowout services. Arthur has 30 years of experience styling hair. His career began with apprenticeships at Wayne’s Beauty College in Santa Cruz, California Miss Marty’s School of Beauty in San Francisco, California. After receiving his Cosmetology License in 1998, he rented his first station at Wack Shack Hair Salon in San Francisco, going on to hold positions at Posh Hair Salon, Acabello Hair Salon, and Red Union Salon before opening his own studio. With over 500 online customer reviews, Arthur Sebastian Hair Salon has a 5 star average rating on Yelp and 4.9 average review on Google.

Arthur Sebastian

Professional Hair Stylist

Expert Answer

Higher numbers on guards means the cut will be longer. Try starting the fade with a #3 guard. Then, transition to a #2 and then a #1 for the shorter parts of the fade.

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Question

What are the best clippers in the UK?

Laura Martin
Licensed Cosmetologist
Laura Martin is a Licensed Cosmetologist based in Milledgeville, Georgia. She has been working as a hair stylist since 2007, and began a career as a cosmetology teacher in 2013. She worked as a teacher at Arrojo Cosmetology School, teaching cosmetology practices, hairstyling, and hair color application. She also brought her cosmetology expertise to her work as a staff writer for fashion blog Style Noted, writing pieces related to hair and fashion. She received an MFA in Creative Writing from Georgia College & State University, where she was also an English Teaching Fellow. Additionally, she received a BA in Creative Writing and Literature from New York University.

Laura Martin

Licensed Cosmetologist

Expert Answer

You should be able to find the brands mentioned above. I have always used Andis and would recommend their tools.

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Question

Is it okay for a girl to get her hair cut like this?

Community Answer

Yes, it is. Rock the short hair. It looks better with some head shapes than others, though. Try looking at pictures of women with fades on Google images, and see if you think you can pull off the look.

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Question

Is it okay for a girl to do this?

Community Answer

Yes, haircuts have no gender and a girl can get or give this haircut too.

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