Read on as we outline some basics in this mini men’s guide to barbershop lingo - it’s like a little dictionary with pictures.

Skin Fade 

This term describes a gradient from bare skin to longer lengths of hair. The gradient may be positioned down ‘low’ on the head, at a ‘mid’ level or up ‘high’. Generally the higher the fade, the shorter the hairstyle would need to be to remain complimentary.

Taper

‍Most men’s hairstyles involve some kind of taper. The term describes the gradual shortening of the hair length. Quite often the length of hair is tapered down the back and sides of the head so that the hair at the nape of the neck and sideburns is shorter than the hair up at the crown and top of the forehead.

Boxed Up

This describes the technique of squaring up the hairline at the forehead and temples. Using a trimmer and razor blade the barber will shape the hairline into straight lines, hence the terminology ‘boxed up’.

Blunt Fringe

This term is used to describe a fringe that has been cut straight across, basically removing any points and fangs of hair. The barber will use a trimmer to cut off all the edges leaving a blunt edge all the way across the fringe.

Hard Part

This terminology describes the act of creating a definitive part within the hairstyle. The barber will use a trimmer and sometimes a razor to cut a line and create the ‘hard part’. This technique makes styling easy as the part is predetermined and doesn’t need to be created each day.

Thinned Out

This is the process of removing unwanted volume from the hair. This technique can significantly help to make hair more controllable and manageable for styling. The barber uses special scissors to achieve this and may use the same technique on men's beard as seen here.

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