Cutting and Styling
What this domain tests
Sectioning, elevation and distribution; the named techniques; how a guide line is set and followed; and the finishing skills - blow-drying, roller and thermal styling - that hold a shape.
Rules that govern every cut
- Elevation decides the shape: 0° gives a solid one-length line, 45° low graduation, 90° uniform layer, 135–180° long, disconnected-looking layers.
- The guide line is the reference; every subsequent section is cut to it, with consistent tension and clean partings.
- Distribution (natural fall, shifted, perpendicular) controls where length lands; overdirection moves weight.
- Techniques: club/blunt cutting, point cutting, notching, slithering, freehand, razor, thinning and scissor-over-comb. Fine hair loses volume quickly with heavy thinning.
- Always cross-check: horizontally, vertically and diagonally.
Styling
Setting places a wet shape that dries into memory: on-base, half-base, off-base and indentation roller placement control root lift and direction. Blow-drying follows the same geometry - root lift then smooth the ends.
Worked example
A fine, straight bob to the jawline. Cut the baseline at the nape at 0° and use it as the guide for horizontal sections pivoting around the head, keeping the client's head upright so the line does not tilt. Then take 1 cm vertical checks from crown to nape and confirm every section reaches the same line at 0°. Add interior 90° layers for movement only after the perimeter is solid, and skip heavy thinning.
Traps that cost marks
Cutting a section longer than the guide, or lifting elevation midway through; inconsistent tension on curly hair; over-thinning fine hair; forgetting the dry cross-check; cutting a fringe before the main shape is agreed.