SHORTER SCISSOR CUT (UNDERHAND)

WHEN WE CUT SHORTER HAIR WITH JUST SCISSORS, WE REVERT FROM AN OVERHAND CUTTING METHOD TO AN UNDERHAND SCISSOR CUTTING METHOD. THE GENERAL RULE IS IF THE HAIR IS ABOVE THE SHOULDER WE USE THE UNDERHAND METHOD.

ENSURE THE HAIR IS WET THROUGHOUT EVENLY. STARTING AT THE RECESSION POINT, SEPARATE THE TOP OF THE HAIR FROM THE SIDES. COMB THE HAIR ON THE SIDES DOWN VERTICALLY AND THE HAIR ON THE TOP OVER THE HEAD. PICK YOUR LENGTH BY PUTTING IN YOUR BLOCK GRADUATION.

STEP 2: LAYERING THE SIDES

PICK UP THE FIRST SECTION FROM THE FRONT HAIRLINE AND REST YOUR KNUCKLES ON THE MOST PROTRUDING BONE ON THE SIDE OF THE HEAD (THE ROUND OF THE HEAD).. PULL STRAIGHT OUT AND FIND YOUR GUIDE FROM YOUR GRADUATION. WHERE THE TENSION IS THE TIGHTEST, CUT ALONG THE FINGERS STRAIGHT. DO NOT CUT PAST THE SECOND KNUCKLE. THE FINGERS SHOULD BE POINT UPWARDS TOWARDS THE CEILING WITH THE SCISSOR POINTING DOWN TOWARDS THE FLOOR WHEN CUTTING. CONTINUE LAYERING THE FIRST SIDE IN SECTIONS MOVING TOWARDS THE BACK OF THE HEAD.

STEP 3: LAYERING THE BACK

EXTEND THE HORSE-SHOE SECTION INTO THE BACK WORK DOWN TO THE NAPE. ENSURE THAT THE FINGERS ARE STILL RESTED ON TOP OF THE MOST PROTRUDING BONE. AS YOU WORK AROUND THE BACK OF THE HEAD, MAKE SURE YOU ARE STANDING DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF THE SECTION THAT YOU ARE CUTTING. PULL THE SECTION STRAIGHT OUT MAKING SURE NOT TO OVER DIRECT. WHEN CUTTING BELOW THE OCCIPITAL BONE POSITION YOUR CLIENT'S HEAD FORWARD TO ALLOW SPACE FOR YOUR FINGERS. USE THE PREVIOUSLY CUT HAIR AS A GUIDE WHEN MOVING DOWN THE HEAD TOWARDS THE NAPE. REPEAT THIS METHOD THROUGH THE BACK AND THEN CONTINUE WORKING THROUGH THE UNCUT SIDE, FROM THE BACK TOWARD THE FRONT.

STEP 4: CUT THE PROFILE LINE

STAND BEHIND THE CLIENT AND CREATE THE PROFILE LINE. THEN MOVE TO STANDING ON THE SIDE OF THE HEAD IN ORDER TO CUT FROM THE APEX TOWARDS THE FACE. RIGHT-HANDERS STAND ON THE LEFT OF THE CUSTOMER. LEFT-HANDERS STAND ON THE RIGHT OF THE CUSTOMER. PINCH THE SECTION TO LIFT THE HAIR BEFORE COMBING - THIS WILL ENSURE YOU DO NOT PICK UP HAIR FROM ANYWHERE ELSE ON THE HEAD. REGARDLESS OF THE LAYERING SHAPE YOU ARE CUTTING, THE PROFILE LINE ALWAYS REMAINS SQUARE. ONCE THE PROFILE LINE IS COMPLETE, COMB THIS MIDDLE SECTION INTO THE FRONT RIGHT SIDE (LEFT-HANDERS OPPOSITE SIDE) SO IT CAN BE USED AS YOUR GUIDE.

STEP 5: LAYER THE TOP

FOLLOW THE GUIDE FROM THE CREATED PROFILE LINE AND CUT THE TOP INTO A ROUND OR SQUARE SHAPE. START FROM THE FRONT HAIRLINE GOING BACK.

STEP 6: EXTEND THE PROFILE LINE TO THE BACK AND CUT THE BACK SECTION

EXTEND THE ORIGINAL PROFILE LINE FROM THE CENTRE OF THE TOP OF THE HEAD DOWN THROUGH THE BACK OF THE HEAD AND NAPE OF THE NECK. THIS SHOULD BE A COMB'S WIDTH.

USE THE PROFILE LINE TO CREATE THE FIRST SECTION STARTING FROM THE APEX DOWN THE CENTRE OF THE BACK OF THE HEAD. THE APEX IS THE PIVOTAL POINT FOR ALL SECTIONS AT THE BACK, AS THIS WILL CONTAIN THE TRUE GUIDE. WORK IN SECTIONS FROM THE CENTRE PROFILE AND MOVE OUT TO CONNECT THE SIDES IN PIZZA SHAPED SECTIONS.

STEP 7: CONNECT THE SIDES TO THE TOP

THE LONGER HAIR ON TOP OF THE HEAD WILL CREATE SOME EXCESS OVERHANG ON THE BACK AND SIDES. IF THIS EXCESS HAIR PROTRUDES OUT OF THE FINGERS, THEN CONNECT THE HAIR ON TOP TO THE BACK AND SIDES. CUT THE OVERHANG SQUARE AT 90 DEGREE ANGLE CONNECTING IT WITH THE BACK AND SIDES.

STEP 8: CROSS CHECK THE LAYERING SHAPE

CROSS CHECKING IS WHEN WE PICK UP THE HAIR THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION WE LAYERED IN TO CHECK THE LENGTHS HJAVE BEEN CUT EVENLY. BRUSH THE HAIR ALL THE WAY TO THE RIGHT HAND OF THE CUSTOMER AND STAND TO THE LEFT HAND SIDE.

PULL UP SECTIONS OF HAIR FROM ONE SIDE OF THE HEADTO THE OTHER AND PULL UP TO SEE IF THE HAIR HAS BEEN CUT EVEN.

STEP 9: POINT CUT OUTLINES (OPTIONAL)

FOR A SOFTER AND MORE NATURAL LOOK, POINT CUT AROUND THE OUTLINES TO THE CUSTOMERS REQUIREMENTS. ENSURE THAT THE HAIR IS WET WHEN DOING THIS AND YOU CAN REFINE WHEN THE HAIR IS DRY. USE YOUR COMB TO PUSH THE HAIRLINE ON THE SKIN AND HOLD THE HAIR AND THEN CUT THE HAIR KEEPING THE SCISSOR BLADE FLAT AGAINST THE SKIN. ENSURE YOUR SCISSORS STAY UPRIGHT TO LOWER THE RISK OF CUTTING THE CLIENT. USE CAUTION WHEN CUTTING AROUND THE EAR.

STEP 10: CLIPPER OVER COMB OUTLINES

CLIPPER OVER COMB THE BASE OF THE HAIRLINE WITH THE DETAILERS AND COMB. BEVEL THE COMB OUT AT A 30-40 DEGREE ANGLE TO CREATE A SOFT AND TAPERED FINISH AROUND THE NATURAL HAIRLINE.

STEP 11: TAPERING THE NECK

TAPER THE BOTTOM HAIRLINE STARTING WITH THE 2 GRADE FROM THE HAIRLINE JUST BELOW THE OCCIPITAL BONE. WORK DOWN AS MANY GRADES AS YOU NEED TO BLEND OUT THE HAIRLINE. YOUR HIGHEST GUARD MAY CHANGE DEPENDING ON THE LENGTH YOU HAVE CUT ON THE SIDES - AS A RULE, WE ADVICE BLENDING DOWN TO 2 GRADES LOWER THAN YOUR STARTING GRADE E.G 2 DOWN TO A 0.

STEP 12: OUTLINES

USE YOUR TRIMMER AND SELECTED COMB TO REFINE AND SHAPE THE CUSTOMER'S OUTLINES. START AT THE FRONT HAIRLINE AND THEN WORK BACK AROUND THE EAR. CONTINUE BEHIND THE EAR AND THEN INTO THE HAIRLINE AT THE BACK OF THE HEAD TO CREATE A WALKING STICK SHAPE - LOOK DOWN THE HAIRLINE HERE TO CREATE THE CORRECT SHAPE.

STEP 13: SCISSOR OVER COMB BLENDING

START TO SCISSOR OVER COMB THE HAIRLINE STARTING AT THE BOTTOM AND WORKING YOUR WAY UP THROUGH THE BACK AND SIDES. WORK IN COLUMNS, ALWAYS MOVING AGAINST THE HAIR GROWTH. THE COMB MUST MOVE SLOWLY AND THE SCISSORS MUST MOVE FAST IN ORDER TO CREATE A SMOOTH BLEND. AFTER EACH PASS UP THE HEAD, USE YOUR COMB TO RESET THE HAIR BACK INTO ITS NATURAL POSITION BY COMBING IT.

STEP 14: TEXTURISE, FINISH & STYLE

SEPARATE THE TOP OF THE HEAD INTO 3 COLUMNS TO ENSURE THAT YOU DO NOT OVER TEXTURISE THE SAME AREA. YOU CAN TEXTURISE FROM THE FRONT TO BACK OR BACK TO FRONT DEPENDING ON THE LENGTH OF THE HAIR. FOCUS ON REMOVING THE WEIGHT AS CLOSE TO THE ROOT AS POSSIBLE WITHOUT CHANGING YOUR CREATED LENGTH. WHEN THE HAIR IS SHORTER, PICK UP THE HAIR WITH THE COMB INSTEAD OF YOUR FINGERS. ONCE COMPLETE, CLEAN YOUR CLIENT, SHAVE THEIR NECK AND APPLY SOME STYLING PRODUCT