Haircutting and Styling
What a candidate must know
Landmarks and sections. Know the parietal ridge, occipital bone, apex, nape, and the four corners. Sections run horizontal, vertical, and diagonal; diagonal sections forward or back control the line of the cut.
Elevation and guidelines. Elevation (angle at which hair is held) determines structure: 0° = one-length/blunt, 45° = graduated or wedge, 90° = uniform layers, 135°–180° = long layers and heavy graduation. Guidelines are stationary (fixed - used for graduation), traveling (moves with each section - used for one length and layers), or section guidelines.
Techniques. Clipper work - taper, fade, arch, outline - plus shear-over-comb, clipper-over-comb, point cutting, slide cutting, notching, and texturizing. Understand tension, distribution, and over-direction.
Styling. Blow-drying (80–90% dry before styling), wet sets and pin curls, finger waves, rollers (on base, half base, off base), and thermal irons - temperature chosen by texture and condition; test irons on a tissue or light strand. Thermal burns are the safety issue.
Safety and etiquette. Drape and neck strip for every client, clean cape per client, clippers oiled and disinfected, shears handled safely and never carried open.
Traps
- 0° and 180° are commonly swapped: 0° is blunt, 180° is long layers.
- A stationary guideline graduates; a traveling guideline follows the head shape.
Rule of thumb
Elevation ladder: 0° blunt, 45° graduation, 90° uniform layer, 180° long layer. If hair is held farther from the head, layers get longer and more disconnected.