Hey, guys. So, my name is Diego Elizarraras,
and I've been in the industry for roughly about 20 years.
I am known in this industry for the 3D highborn.
I feel like that's one of the haircuts
that really catapulted me to the next level
as far as that artist that did creative haircuts.
So, when my client asks for the highborn,
I envision the design or the lines
or the parts anywhere before I do it.
So when I'm doing that with my finger,
I have to really incorporate their facial features
and their strong points
as far as where their corners are at.
If it's the corner of the eye,
bringing the line from there
and making it go all the way around,
because it will make the overall haircut look a lot better,
as opposed to just adding random lines
that don't really go or flow.
So you have to look at the facial features
and things like that to really incorporate those lines.
So, right here, I'm using a Andis T-Outliner,
and I'm just sharpening the edges,
the top and the bottom of the line,
just making it really crispy.
So that way I don't have to do as much razor work
as I need to, per se.
Here I'm just trying to get it as sharp as I possibly can.
As you're doing it,
you're essentially creating that art piece, right?
You're using your clippers as your paintbrush,
and you're bringing it to life little by little.
And just really making those lines
supersharp and clean is satisfying.
It does take some skill.
Although it is a very simple design,
it does take some skills.
So, here I am adding the line above it
that's going to separate the fade from the design,
that's going to give it that illusion
that this design is popping out
and creating that 3D effect.
So here is where it gets tricky.
So, you have to flip your clipper on the opposite end
and use only the corners of the clipper,
which is three or four teeth.
So that's what I'm doing. I'm just scooping up
to get that nice, thin, sharp line,
because if this line were to get any thicker,
it can possibly mess up the effect of the 3D look.
So, now I'm using a different clipper here,
which is a Wahl Senior,
and I'm beginning to fade out on top of those lines
that I created on top of the design.
I'm just using small little strokes
to get a nice little fade to give it that illusion
and make that dark hair that's there in between those lines,
give it more of a contrast, more of a darker look
by fading the outsides of the design.
So, on this area here
I'm only going to use the corner of the clipper,
which is the Andis T-Outliner.
Going up, and then flip the clipper upside down
to fade going downwards.
Yes, you have to be creative,
and, yes, you have to be good with your clippers,
but you have to just let it flow
and let the clippers do the work.
So, in this clip here, I'm using
the same T-Outliner clipper
to slowly scrape downwards to create a soft blend
as soft as I possibly can.
These trimmers are aggressive,
and if you apply too much pressure
you will leave a demarcation line.
So what I'm doing is I'm just
scooping out softly around the design.
If you can see here,
it almost looks like it's starting to come to life,
the design, right?
So to get that 3D effect is very, very hard.
But for me, I've been doing designs for such a long time
that I can look at this piece in particular and say
it's right around the middle of how hard things can get
when it comes to designs and things like that.
What the highborn is leading into
is it's going to wrap around the head,
and there's three lines.
And it's a small pocket to work these fades,
so the technique has to be very, very,
very carefully fading in between those pockets.
And in order to get a small fade,
and in a small pocket like that,
you have to use a level to open and close it.
So, when you push the leveler down,
you are essentially expanding the clipper, the blade.
You're leaving more hair.
When you bring it up, you get the blade closer,
and you can take off more hair that way.
So, this highborn design in particular is 3D.
So there's different renditions of it.
But as long as the main design is there,
you can mess around with the haircut, add fades in between,
and incorporate it to the longer hairstyles up on top.
And in this area here I am using the corner of my clipper
just to get a nice C hook around the side of the head
using only the corner.
And notice that this clipper is very sharp,
so it almost gives me a ash line
as I do the hook along the head.
And then here I'm doing the hairline.
And it's very important to get a nice,
straight, crispy hairline
to really make the overall haircut pop.
There is a lot of lines going on here,
so the straighter they are, the sharper they are,
the better it's going to make the haircut look.
And then clipper over comb, it's very important here
because you have to try to create a nice shape
along the side of the head
and I have no guard on my clipper,
so the comb acts like a guard.
It almost protects me from going in too much.
And then here I'm freehanding on the opposite side,
where there's more hair.
I'm essentially sculpting here,
so I have to be very careful with the clipper.
I have to keep a steady hand
and use only the flat blade to really help me create
that nice, straight, squared shape on the side.
What I'm doing here is I'm point-cutting deep in
so I can remove some weight
to be able to style my client's hair a lot better.
His hair is kind of heavy on top,
so I have to point-cut going in
to remove some of that hair
so I can have more control over it.
But this client here in particular
has great hair for designs,
because he does have thick, dark hair.
And his type of hair is a lot better
than using somebody that has less dense or lighter hair.
Now, here with the straight-edge razor,
you have to be very careful.
You have to be stretching out the skin
in whatever areas you're going to shave at with the razor,
because you can cut somebody if you don't.
And I'm using most of the blade here
to create that nice, straight line.
I don't think I've had any client
that didn't like their highborn design or any design.
That for me is super satisfying,
because it's a lot of work to do a design like that.
And then for them to be happy with the end result,
it's the best.
And one of my things that I've always stuck to
was do something that you love every day
that you would do it every day for free,
and then find somebody that'll pay you for it.
That's a famous quote by DJ AM.
And I found barbering, I fell in love with it,
and I turned it into a profession,
and now I get paid top dollar for it.