Haircutting For Dummies. Jeryl E. Spear

and key points found throughout the head

       Elevations: How high or low you hold the hair to create or prevent layering and control bulk

       Angles: Horizontal, vertical, diagonal, or curved cutting lines that control the shape and bulk, and create uniform or graduated layers

       Guides (also called guide lines): Templates that you create to maintain the desired length and shape of each haircutting section

      The remaining sections in this chapter focus on each of these four pillars.

      

The most important takeaway from this chapter is the need to familiarize yourself with the mechanics of haircutting, which includes very basic geometry.

      If you find yourself suddenly regretting that you slept through math class, please relax. While there’s a lot of technical information in this chapter, you can easily master the four pillars of haircutting that I share by engaging your mind and using your hands to play along.

      

This chapter contains information that you will use as part of every haircut included in the book, as well as all haircuts you will do in the future. In terms of the geometry involved in haircutting, please know that it’s tangible math that you create with your hands, as opposed to textbook, two-dimensional drawings. And, if it makes you feel any better, I confess that I have always struggled with math. If I can understand and use the four pillars of haircutting, you can too.

Identifying Head Shapes and Points of Interest (a.k.a. Head Mapping)

As you follow the haircutting tutorials in this book, I keep both of us on the same page by referencing different areas of the head during haircut tutorials, such as addressing the nape of the neck … starting at the occipital bone … beginning at the parietal ridge … or locating the apex of the head. Figure 5-1 visually explains what I am referencing every step of the way.

      © John Wiley & Sons; Illustration by Rashell Smith

      FIGURE 5-1: Key anatomical features of the head.

We’ve all known more than a few blockheads, but none are based on the actual shape of their head. A human head has flat, rounded, and curved areas that you need to keep track of when cutting hair. (You can help keep yourself on track by frequently referencing Figure 5-2.)

Because most haircutters are visual learners, here’s a quick activity to help you become familiar with head mapping. You can identify the following head points on yourself as well as other people. You can also extend your activity by checking out the head shapes of your dog (top ridges) and ducks (very smooth). Every living thing is fair game for this activity. Make sure to have Figure 5-2 close by while doing the following:

      1 Locating the apex.Locate the apex by placing a styling comb on top of the head as shown in Figure 5-2a. The apex, which is the highest point of the head, is where the comb makes contact with the scalp. Finding the apex is key to mapping the top section of the head.

      2 Identifying the parietal ridge.Identify the beginning and ending of the parietal ridge (shown in Figure 5-2b). This is where the head curvature begins along the side of the head.

      3 Finding the occipital bone.Identify the position and shape of the occipital bone as shown in Figure 5-2c. Because everyone’s occipital bone is shaped differently, this feature poses unique considerations for every haircut.

      © John Wiley & Sons, Inc.; Illustration by Rashell Smith

      FIGURE 5-2: Locating key points of the head shape should be done before every haircut.

      The four corners of the head

      Locating the four corners on the top of the head helps to guide how you will cut the hair at top of the head, where the head starts to slope down the sides and back of the head; and how to adjust the hair elevation based on the changing head shape. Practice mapping the four corners on your family members’ heads, and while you’re at it, map your head too.

How to locate the four corners:

      1 Place a cutting comb on each side of the head, starting at the front of the ear and straight up toward the top of the head. Repeat this action on the other side of the head. The points where the comb loses contact with the head are the front two corners.

      2 Place the comb at a diagonal, going from one of the front corners to the opposite side of the back of the head. Repeat this action on the other side. The points where the comb loses contact with the head mark the back corners (see Figure 5-3).

      3 Create a top section by parting out the hair using the corners as your guide. When done correctly, the section will be in the shape of a rectangle.

      © John Wiley & Sons, Inc.; Illustration by Rashell Smith

      FIGURE 5-3: The four corners of the head help to guide many aspects of individual haircut designs.

      

Everyone’s head shape is unique. If a person has a pronounced occipital bone, for instance, not taking that into consideration could make the hair collapse on the underside of this prominent bone. If a person has a flat occipital bone, building more hair volume in that area will create a far more pleasing shape. A person’s head shape and its key points should guide every decision you make during a haircut.

      Knowing how to identify key areas of the head is also important in terms of following all haircutting directions, whether they are included in this book or elsewhere.

Thinking back to all the great salon haircuts that you’ve had in your life, you may or may not remember a stylist using a comb to map out key areas of your head. While an experienced stylist doesn’t always use a comb to do this, they still use their fingers to surreptitiously check out your head shape while going through your hair. They’ll place their hand over the entire occipital bone to get a 360-degree read on its shape; put their hand on the top of your head and lightly contract their fingers to feel where the parietal ridges begin and end; and so forth. When it’s necessary to map the four points at the top of the head, most stylists will still use a comb.

      

The next time you are having your hair cut by a stylist who doesn’t know your head shape, pay attention to what they’re doing. This is important because some of the not-so-great salon haircuts that you had in the past could have been caused by the stylist not analyzing your head shape.

      

If knowing the key points and shapes, and how to find them, is still a bit fuzzy after finishing this chapter, I promise that by the time you cut your way through this book, you’ll be able to recite and identify them in your