Haircutting and Styling
Every haircut is built from four decisions: sectioning, distribution, elevation and tension. Learn them as a system, because exam items almost always isolate one and ask what happens when it changes.
Elevation (projection) is the angle at which hair is held from the head, and it is the most tested idea in the domain. Zero degrees produces a blunt, one-length line. Forty-five degrees produces graduation - length builds up from a longer perimeter. Ninety degrees produces uniform layers, where all lengths sit at the same elevation. One hundred eighty degrees produces long layers, with shorter lengths on top and maximum length retained at the perimeter. High elevation removes weight and adds movement; low elevation keeps weight and length.
Distribution is how hair is combed relative to its section: parallel (natural fall), shifted, radial from a single point, or directional/overdirected. Overdirection moves weight toward or away from a design line and is a favorite trap - students forget that the hair lands where it is directed, not where it grows. Tension matters too: hair cut under tight tension dries shorter.
Head-form landmarks you must name: nape, occipital bone, parietal ridge, apex, crown, sides, fringe, and the recession at the temples.
Worked example: a 45-degree graduated back. Take horizontal subsections at the nape, distribute each parallel to its section, elevate to 45 degrees, and cut to a traveling guide from the previous subsection. The perimeter stays long while weight accumulates through the occipital area - if a question says the perimeter got shorter, elevation or guide placement was wrong.
Styling concepts to review: blow-dry and thermal control, wet sets, base and stem direction, pin curls, finger waves and roller placement.