What To Know About Taper Fade Hair
Taper Fade Hair. Photo via Photobucket.com
What to know about taper fade hair is important when it comes time to get a haircut that looks nice and tight much the way the classic military haircuts known as “high and tights” look on most Marines. It has a clean, neat and up-to-date look to it yet is still timeless in appearance. It is a component of many different kinds of haircuts and can be added to almost every style nowadays.
Taper fade hair is not a haircut in and of itself. It is actually two components combined into one look. You have a taper cut that is combined with a fade cut to the hair along the sides and back of the head extremely close while also providing a very professional and neat taper down to the bottom of the neck. It usually starts just above the ears and ends at some point above that.
Fades go by many names, including the Brooklyn fade and the Philly fade. Taper cuts are basically cuts that start along the side and back of the head and which taper downwards to a neat stopping point at the bottom of the neck. There is a straight line from one side to the other at the bottom of the neck. Hair is blended smoothly all around and with no stair-step lines at any point.
Combining a fade and a taper together is a good way of producing a haircut that features slightly longer hair on the top of the head (though it’s still short) that becomes progressively shorter (to the point where it’s almost non-existent at the bottom) as the fade blends into the taper. It gives off a very neat and clean appearance and looks super sharp and stylish, too.
To pull off a taper and fade together, just take a set of clippers and put on the highest number razor guard available. Begin cutting the hair on the sides and the back of the head, going all the way around. After passing around once, go to the next lower guard and cut around again, taking care to stop your cutting at the point where you want the taper to start.
Repeat this process until you’ve reached the lowest number of razor guard that you see cutting your hair down to extreme shortness or where you’re most comfortable. Make sure to end the cutting about 1/8 inch from each previous cut. Also, make sure to cut in a straight line all the way around. After each cut, comb the hair downwards and then cut again. Stop cutting when you reach the taper bottom.
Keep track of which razor guards you used along the cuts. Wash out the hair that’s been cut and then examine the fade and the taper to make sure it’s smooth and even. If it doesn’t look even enough, that’s no big deal; just start all over again on the razor cuts with the clippers and then repeat until you have a fade and taper that looks professional.
