Haircutting and Hair Shaping
What this domain tests
Haircutting items test your control of sectioning, distribution, elevation, tension, and cutting line, and your ability to cross-check a finished shape.
The four controls
- Sectioning divides hair into workable areas; subsections should be no wider than the tool.
- Distribution is where hair is combed relative to its section: natural fall, perpendicular, or shifted and overdirected.
- Elevation (projection) is the angle at which hair is held away from the head: 0° builds length and weight, 45° builds graduation, 90° builds uniform layers, 180° builds long layers and removes weight.
- Tension must be consistent; too much tension on wet, curly hair shortens the finished length.
Cutting lines: horizontal builds weight, vertical removes weight, diagonal blends. Blunt or one-length cuts use 0° elevation; graduated cuts use increasing elevation; layered cuts use 90° or higher.
Worked example
A client requests a graduated bob, chin length in front, stacked at the nape. Reasoning: section the back into horizontal subsections, establish the perimeter at 0° at the nape, then elevate each following subsection to 45° and overdirect to the previous section for a smooth build. Cross-check by taking horizontal slices across the crown and nape to confirm the line is level. In front, elevate less so the angle softens rather than stacks.
Finishing and texturizing
Point cutting, notching, slicing, and channel cutting remove weight without changing the perimeter; they are done on dry hair for control. Clipper fades require clean blade guards, consistent guideline movement, and upward blending. Razor cutting creates soft, diffused ends but is avoided on fragile or overly textured hair.
Traps
- Confusing distribution with elevation.
- Cutting curly hair at its wet, stretched length.
- Not cross-checking, so one side is heavier.
- Using dull shears, which push and split ends.
- Cutting past the skin line or omitting a neck strip.