Phrases, vocabulary, how to do things

1. Make a central part

Comb hair from front to back in the direction the part will be made.
Place one end of comb in the center of the front hairline right above the center of the nose.
Draw the comb back with only the end of the comb in the hair. The index of the left hand
follows the end of the comb and is used to pull hair away from the part line being made by the
end of the comb.



2. Make a natural part

Comb the hair straight back.
From behind place your hand in the crown area and gently push the hair forward.
Note where the hair naturally separates. Part along this line.



3. Connect natural part with central part in nape.

Make a natural part as above.
Make a central part in the nape area extending through the crown.
Connect the end of the natural part to the central part with a slanting line.


4. Make a diagonal forward or diagonal back part.

Diagonal parts are named forward or back depending on which direction the lower part of the
part is moving. For example if you enter the front hairline above the level of the eyebrow and
make a part going slightly above the ear, the part will be diagonal back.
It is diagonal because it is slanting and it is back because the lower end of the part is going
to the back of the head.

Another example. If you enter the hair line behind the ear and make a part following the
hairline down the neck this will also be diagonal back. It slants back and the bottom of the part goes to the back of the head.
Parting from the occipital bone to the hair line below the level of the ear is diagonal forward.
It is diagonal because it slants and it is forward because the end is moving to the front of the
face as it moves away from the center back.
Some people describe these parts as vertical or horizontal. For example a part from the
occipital bone to 1/2 inch from the center, would be called vertical diagonal forward.
Similarly if the part is from the occipital bone to the bottom of the ear it may be called a
horizontal diagonal forward part as it is flatter.

5. Pull a section to 90 degrees

Once you have parted the hair to make a section, grip the hair with the first two fingers of the

non-cutting hand. Lift the hair away from the scalp so that all the hair in the section is making a

right angle with the scalp. This will look like all the hair being held is coming straight out of the

head. None of the hair will look like it is slanting or leaning as it exits the scalp.

A way to see what the 90 degrees will look like in the section is to put the end of the comb on the

area where the section will be. With the end of the comb flat on the head the comb will point to

90 degrees.

6. Cutting a section to follow the head shape

Pull a section to 90 degrees as described in 5. above. Hold the section with the holding fingers

following the shape of the head. For example if you have taken a vertical section (going from the

floor to the ceiling) over the parietal ridge, your holding fingers will curve to follow the curve of

the parietal ridge. Cut the section along the curve of the fingers.

7. Cutting a section flat with the wall or the ceiling

In this procedure the client's head is seen as enclosed in a room with sides of the room parallel to

the sides and back of the head. The ceiling of the room is seen as parallel with the top of the

client's head top. The head of the client is upright.

Pull a section to 90 degrees as described in 5. above. The holding fingers are then aligned so they

are parallel with the side closest to it. If the section is on the top of the head the section is held

with the fingers parallel to the ceiling. Cut along the fingers.

8. Making corners

Cutting to the wall is important when you want to make a corner(increase the amount of hair in

this location) in the shape of the hair cut in the mastoid area or along the parietal ridge. In the mastoid area the corner is vertical and along the parietal ridge it is horizontal

To make a corner at the mastoid area, all the hair in the back (the area behind one ear around

the back to the area behind the other ear) of the head is pulled back to the wall behind the client.

This will lead to over direction (pulling the hair horizontally from its natural fall) of the hair to

the back as the head shape in the back curves away from the wall behind. The over direction

back will be greatest at the area behind the ear in the area of the mastoid process. By over

directing this hair straight back to the wall behind the length of the hair is left longer than if it

were cut 90 degrees to the head shape.

Once the back or nape has been cut go to the side (the area from the front hairline to behind the

ear) and pull sections to 90 degrees and cut parallel to the wall. In the area behind the ear over

direction is greatest behind the ear as the head shape curves away from the wall that is parallel

to the side. The result is that this section of hair is left longer.

Cutting the hair in back and on the sides flat with their respective walls leaves the hair in the

mastoid area longer and fuller thus creating a corner.

Creating a corner along the parietal ridge follows the same thinking as a corner behind the ear.

The side sections are cut flat with or parallel to the wall at its side. The hair on the top of the

parietal ridge and above is left longer as that part of the head curves away from the wall. When

this hair is released it leaves more hair where the longer hair falls.

9. Round haircut

Cut in which the perimeter is shortest in the front and longest in the back.

10. Triangular haircut

Cut in which the perimeter is shortest in the back and longest in the front.

12. Square haircut

Cut in which the perimeter is the same length front, sides and back.

13. Distribution center

This is the area in the middle of the crown. It is sometimes referred to as "top dead center."

There may be whorls and colics in the middle which are not right in the middle. If the hair is long in the crown, it may lie down according to the pattern of the growth or even against the growth pattern. If it is shorter it may be necessary to comb the hair into the growth pattern before cutting being sure to leave enough hair length to let it lie smoothly. This can some times be helped by using thinning shears in the underneath layers of the hair as when cutting some of the Asian hair textures.