What guard should i use to cut my hair

Knowing your clipper guard numbers are the best way to get the perfect cut. Even though some brands may vary very slightly in length, they are mostly consistent across the board. Guards go sometimes up to 10 depending on the brand. Different brands will vary the length of the number or how the number is displayed so make sure to talk to your stylist beforehand.

Know the length that you are aiming for, and communicate that to your stylist. Where you start is up to you. You can start at the back or move from one side to the other. You can also start at the top if you prefer. Whatever way you choose, try not to skip around so you don't miss areas. Move against the growth of hair. If you think about how your hair grows, it grows down the sides and back.

When you're using clippers, you want to go against that growth, so you'll move up the sides and back. Similarly, on the top of your head, you'll generally move from front to back. Scoop the hair with the blade. Start by moving in close to the skin with the clippers. As you come up, scoop outwards a little bit. Use short scooping strokes all over your head, which creates a softer cut. Blend with a guard in between the two lengths.

If you've used more than one blade, you'll notice there may be a line between the shorter and longer length.

To help fade that out, use a blade guard between the other blade guards you've chosen. So if you've used 2 on the sides and 4 on top, blend with 3. Just go along the line and smooth out the border between the sections.

Part 2. Use guard 1 for a burr cut. A burr cut is a typical military-type cut where you buzz off your hair to one short length. Use guard 1 to move all over your head. Start at the back, and proceed to the sides. Finally, buzz off the top. Do a high and tight with guards 2 and 1. Start by buzzing your whole head with the 2 blade. Then come back and shave down the sides and back with the 1 guard. Work up from the button, making an even line around your crown. Go from one side to the other so you get all of the hair.

Begin with a guard 2 or 4 for a crew cut. Start by cutting the sides and back with a 2 or 4 blade. Choose which one you prefer based on length.

Transition up to the crown by moving up guard sizes, leaving the top for last. Trim the very front with the longest guard you want to use, then gradually reduce the guard size as you cut back to the crown in rows. Use a shorter guard to create a basic boy's cut. Begin by buzzing the whole head with a 3 or 4. Once you've got the whole head buzzed down, change out the blade for a shorter one. Move up the sides to shorten them to your desired length.

Make sure you keep a clean line at the top around the skull if you want longer hair on top. Use it to guide the clippers, so you don't take the clippers too far up your head.

You can start in the back or move around from one side to the other. Part 3. Switch to a lower number around the ears. Even if you want your hair all the same length, it's still a good idea to switch to a lower guard number when doing your ears and sideburns.

That will give you a cleaner look overall. Trim the sideburns and back of the neck with trimmers. You need to even out the sideburns for a clean, finished look. When trimming, you move with the growth, so you'll move downwards.

Cut one sideburn to the desired length. As you do the other one, make sure you are getting them even by looking at the person from the front or looking at yourself in the mirror. Trim up around the ears with scissors. It can help to trim a bit with scissors once you've finished cutting the hair because you may have some scraggly hairs around the edges.

For instance, you may want to trim around the ears with scissors. If you're in a pinch, try a small, sharp pair of embroidery scissors. Use a lint roller to pick up loose hair at the end. A lint roller can help get that pesky hair off the person's neck and clothes.

Just roll it up and down a bit on the person's neck and back to remove the hairs. Part 4. Clean the blades off in soap and water. Brush or rinse the hair off the clippers. Scrub them down with soap and water, using a cloth or light brush to get in the nooks and crannies. Leave them to dry on a towel. Brush the hair off the blades and exterior. Don't use water on the actual clippers, as that is dangerous. Instead, use a brush to get off as much hair as you can from the blades and the exterior.

Oil the blades. While he notes that realistically, Japanese-made steel shears designed for haircutting are the best ones out there, he also recognizes that they tend to cost hundreds of dollars, if not more. Since hair is elastic, it might look shorter than you expected once it dries. With hands vertical—preparing to cut up and down rather than horizontally—and your palm facing the head, pinch hair between the tip of your index finger and your first knuckle. Then, go back to the right temple and position your hands a little bit higher, working over to the other side once again.

One way to ensure this is to avoid cutting inward once you reach the widest point of your skull, called the parietal ridge. The first thing to come to terms with? With that expectation set, you can still get solid results with some pro tips. One key pointer: The fade should start at the parietal ridge.

Using the Wahl, start with a number four guard and use that right up to the parietal ridge. Then, a half inch below where you started the first time, use the number three guard from there down, all around the head. Repeat a half inch below with the number two guard, and then the number one.

At that point, you should be level with the ears, where the hair will be the shortest. Capizzano suggests taking a comb and pushing sideburn hair forward, and then cutting straight up where the sideburn hair meets the skin.