Haircutting For Dummies. Jeryl E. Spear

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Elevating Your Haircuts

Degrees of elevation are based on the hair’s direction at the scalp. How high or low you hold the hair determines whether the hair will be cut at a 0-degree elevation for a blunt, one-length bob; a 135-degree elevation for a long-layered haircut; a 90-degree elevation for more structured layers; and so on (see Figure 5-4).

      © John Wiley & Sons; Illustration by Lisa Reed

      FIGURE 5-4: There may be six degrees of separation, but these are the five main degrees used when cutting hair.

Know your degrees of elevation:

       0° = combed straight down

       45° = equidistant between 90° and 0°

       90° = straight out from the head

       135° = equidistant between 90° and 180°

       180° = straight up from lower area of the head

      

The Golden Rule of Elevation: Anything below a 90-degree elevation adds weight to the hair design; anything above a 90-degree elevation removes weight from the hair design. You’ll be referencing this diagram often as you cut your way through this book, so make sure to bookmark or dog ear this page.

      

As you’re getting familiar with elevations, try this quick activity. Nab a resident human (or yourself). Separate and comb different areas of the hair into various elevations that are detailed in Figure 5-4. Notice how elevations above 90-degrees create a diffuse, light layering, while holding the hair at 90-degrees (straight out from the scalp) creates bulkier, more defined layers.

Getting a Handle on Cutting Lines and Angles

      Cutting angles can be straight or curved:

       Straight angles can be horizontal (straight across), vertical (straight up or straight down), or diagonal (at an angle, most common is 45-degrees). Straight cutting lines create strong cutting lines.

       Curved angles are customized to the curvature of the head and what you want to accomplish. For instance, a curved angle can seamlessly connect where the top of the head meets the parietal ridge. Curved cutting lines create softer end shapes.

See Figure 5-5, which visually explains different cutting angles, and Figure 5-2 to view the location of the top and parietal ridge.

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

      FIGURE 5-5: Haircutting angles determine the shape of each haircutting section. Taking all angles used in a haircut into consideration, they determine the overall shape of the finished haircut.

Figures 5-6 and 5-7 show straight cuts and rounded or oval cuts.

      © John Wiley & Sons, Inc.; Illustration by Lisa Reed

      FIGURE 5-6: When you are cutting a straight-across perimeter on one-length hair, you are cutting a horizontal line.

      Fingers play an important role in cutting hair by holding each cutting section at the desired elevation. Using the second and third fingers of your non-cutting hand, grip the cutting section at the proper elevation with moderate tension and move your fingers to the desired angle. Following your top finger, trim the hair.

      © John Wiley & Sons, Inc.; Illustration by Lisa Reed

      FIGURE 5-7: When you are cutting a rounded or oval perimeter on one-length hair, you are cutting a curved line.

To practice cutting angles, you can do the following activity. I suggest that you practice all the cutting angles shown in Figure 5-3.

      1 Identify the four points at the top of the head (see Figure 5-3).

      2 Create the top section by parting the hair and using the four points as the guideposts for your section.

      3 Pin away the rest of the hair to avoid cutting confusion. Dampen the top section.

      4 Part out a ¼-inch (0.6 centimeter) deep and a 2-inch (5 centimeters) side-to-side subsection.

      5 Comb the hair straight up (90-degrees) from the scalp (see Figure 5-4).

      6 Holding the hair with your second and third fingers of your non-cutting hand, position them so they are horizontal to the scalp and ½-inch (1.3 centimeters) away from the ends. Following your finger angle, trim ¼-inch (0.6 centimeter) off the ends (Figure 5-3).

      Repeat these practice steps, cutting the ends at vertical and diagonal angles. Lastly, practice curved angles.

Guiding the Cut

      Guides are to haircuts what patterns are to fashion designs; they act as a template for the length and shape of every style. When cutting the perimeter of a one-length hairstyle, for instance, you make a ¼-inch (0.6 centimeter) to ½-inch (1.3 centimeters) parting at the back/bottom hairline and comb this hair straight down. You then cut this thin section of hair to the desired shape and length of your finished style. This is now your guide. Every subsequent section of hair you section out and cut is combed down and cut to the same length and shape of this guide.

      

When cutting your guide, keep these two factors in mind:

       Hair shrinks when it dries. The more texture the hair has, the more it will draw up during and after drying. (Straight, wavy, curly, and coily hair types are discussed in Chapter 4.)

       Hair is more elastic when it is wet. This makes it important to never create more than mild tension on straight hair, and no tension on curly hair types when establishing your guides.

      

If a person has naturally curly hair, but the hair has been chemically straightened, you should evaluate and cut it as you would straight hair. (See Chapter 4 for more information on hair types.)

      

Be sure to avoid these four pitfalls when following your guide:

       Cutting the guide along