The 3 c’s of cutting

Welcome to the basics of cutting hair

I want to discuss with you what I like to call the 3 c’s of haircutting Control, Calculation, & Cut. These rues are generally for the newcomer to haircutting it can even help the most seasoned vet to tighten up those technical skills. The 3 c’s are explained as follows:

Control

This is one of the most important aspects of haircutting because without control you leave your guest with a haircut that isn’t what’s was asked for. This is why the shampoo is the most important service on the menu. You can catch any mishaps when the head has been wash and in its most natural state.

Here’s what being in control means! Every individual has what is called a growth pattern this determines in which way the hair grows. When combing the hair out from crown we must determine the stream of the hair growth. Which way is it flowing. While some hair stream goes forward others can take a reverse direction of growth or even a lateral way of growth. 

Control is where we comb/brush the hair in it’s natural way of growth so there will be no miscues when cutting the hair. You can make the mistake of plugging a hole in someone’s hair growth easily by cutting against the grain or across a cowlick that will cause a clear cut. I’ve done this once or twice and witnessed others do it on multiple occasions.

Cotrol also ensures a smooth transition between blend lines. Brush/comb area cutting for a proper gauge on the blend process. When you comb out the hair at the root you can check how well your blend is coming along Cutting no more or no less of the necessary clippings. Before you make the cut on any area of the head ask yourself, Do I have control?

Calculate

Here is where we make a decision how much is coming? and what technique will you use? 

Hair is described as Coarse, Medium, and Fine so results will vary when cutting depending on it’s density. When making your calculatins I advise you to work your way in from the largest guard down to the smallest. The rules is you can always remove more but once it’s gone you can’t put it back!

The dark shades where you won’t see scalp after a cut is your numbers 2 and above the higher the numbers on your guards the more hair will be left on the head

Your lighter shades where you begin to see scalp after you cut is your numbers 1.5 and below. The lower the number on your guards the less hair will be left on the head.

Thin hair has less hair per sq. inch so when cutting thin hair it may appear lower then expected when a cut is made. So the importance is to calculate How much to leave for styling purposes. 

The thicker the hair his per sq. Inch the more aggressive you can be.

Will you cut with scissors or clippers? Will you use shear over comb, finger work, clipper over comb, or plain clipper cut? When I find out the way the hair grows, and how I will attack the haircut it’s time to cut!

Cut

Now the fun part begins! We make the cut. This is where we take our time and stick to our calculations. If it’s thin hair we take off a little until we reach desired length. Thick hair is a little easier to recover when a mistake is made, however using the same safety precaution should be used. 

Technique comes with practice I suggest practicing working with your shears before moving to clippers and when both are mastered enter in the shear over comb technique along with the clipper over comb technique. When it comes to cutting it’s important to remember that you will always get better the more you practice. Challenge your skills at every chance you get. 

This is just a quick lesson on cutting. Stay tuned for more instruction and demostrations!

Thanks for reading,

Shannon kamal