Cutting hair properly is a skill that requires great expertise. To create a desired shape, it is important to know where weight and bulk need to be removed to achieve a good line and balance, emphasise good points and detract from bad ones. So, it is important that you go to a professional hairstylist who would understand your hair, type and texture and your lifestyle to give you a haircut that would suit you and your lifestyle.
Hair growth varies over different parts of the head, which means that your cut can appear out of shape very quickly. As a general rule, a short, precision hair cut especially if it is a gent’s hair needs trimming every four weeks. A longer style, every six to eight weeks. If you want to grow your hair long, it is essential to trim your hair regularly, at least every three months to prevent splitting and to keep the ends even. There are different ways to cut hair even if you don’t do it yourself, it is a good idea to have some understanding of techniques to help communicate more effectively with your hairdresser.
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A few common haircuts you can have
1. The one-length bob
This is also known as a pageboy. It is a haircut where the hair falls to a one-length point that is the same all the way around the head and usually sits above the shoulders. It is a useful way of making the hair look thicker and denser.
Variations on a classic bob can be used to individualise the look such as making the front length longer than the back or vice verse. The bob can be cut with or without a fringe and with a central or side parting. The hair can be blow-dried with a round brush to curl out or under or to hang straight use a straightening iron for a smooth look.
2. A long one-length cut
This is where the hair falls below the shoulder. Again, it can be personalised with or without a fringe. This can be blow-dried using different shapes of brushes to (Round roller brushes of different sizes can be used for a curly effect while flat brushes will give a sleek look) If you wish to make it look sleeker, use straightening irons.
3. Layered Haircut
Layered haircuts are done in layers, cut in different lengths around your head to get the desired shape to give fullness to the haircut. To set the hair, you can use hair setting mousse or root-lift powder and blow dry using styling brushes or let it dry naturally. (Example: finger drying)
4. Graduation
Generally a graduation is cut short at the nape of the neck and gradually gets longer to the top.
Cutting techniques
Ways of cutting hair vary according to the effect you want to achieve, but there are several basic techniques that a hairdresser is likely to use.
1. Blunt cutting, where the ends of the hair are cut straight across-often used for hair of one length or definite lines.
2. Point cutting, is where scissors are pointed into the haircut to break up straight lines and add texture.
3. Slide cutting, is a way to thin, thick hair and gives a soft finish. This technique is often done using open scissors to slice the hair.
4. Razor cutting, is literally using a razor rather than scissors and create softness and make the hair move freely. It can also be used to shorten hair.
5. Thinning, is done either with thinning scissor or a razor, it removes bulk and weight without affecting the overall length of the hair.
