PSA: I finally figured out why my fades were always off after 3 years behind the chair

Last month I was watching this old barber from Chicago on YouTube trim up a client and I noticed he kept his clipper blade almost flat against the head the whole time. That hit me because I was always tilting the blade up way too early trying to blend faster. I went back and tried his method on a regular of mine named Marcus who has that tricky cowlick on his right temple. Man the difference was night and day. His fade looked smooth all the way through without those weird dark spots I used to get near the parietal ridge. I mean it took me like 4 tries to really get the feel right but now I can knock out a solid fade in 20 minutes instead of 30 plus. Has anyone else had that moment where you realize you've been holding your clippers wrong the whole time?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_kim1mo ago

I used to think tilting early was the move. Flat blade changed everything for me too.

tara_palmer1mo ago

The flat blade trick is legit but one thing that helped me even more was matching my lever position to the head shape first before even starting the blend. Those cowlick spots get way easier when you map out the natural curves beforehand.