hello everyone and welcome to another video from rum barber in a recent tutorial
I mentioned that I was going to make a video about why I feel is important to
cut the top of the hair first before using clippers on the side in this video
I'm going to try and explain why I think you should always cut the top first in
our tutorials you will see us establish the top shape of the haircut prior to
any Clipper work of the sides this is different to some of the tutorials you
see on YouTube where the majority of the Clipper work is done first and then the
top is cut to connect to the sides so why cut the top first let me ask you
this question if you were cutting someone's hair who wanted just a number
4 on the top would you fade the sides and then at the end run a number 4 over
the top probably not most barbers would cut the top with the number 4 first so
why use the number 4 first when you're blending the sides into the top you know
what you're working up to you know the target length that you're blending into
it makes sense to do this when running a guard over the top so why not when
you're cutting the top with scissors if we take a standard horseshoe section on
the top and clipper directly up to the parietal ridge where our Clippers leave
the head creates a guide line that we then have to use to connect to the top
length this is okay when we have a perfectly even head shape to work on or
when you flick out or come off the head with your Clippers that you're creating
a perfectly balanced graduation for example if you have a head shape that is
very flat especially at the occipital bone at the back and the crown is very
close to the ridge going straight up with the clippers initially can cause
the crown area to be cut too short and as a result the hair there will
inevitably stick up if we cut the crown in first build a shape and establish a
length allow it to lay correctly then we can clipper up to this length and
achieve a better result or we may have an uneven head shape to work on
one side may protrude more than the other meaning the area where your
clippers leave the head will be different on either side if you're using
this point to connect to the top then your balance will already be off
assessing the head shape prior to cut is essential you can identify flatter
areas in the head that require more weight to be built in order to create an
even shape also identifying hair growth patterns that need to be accommodated is
key to prevent issues that might impact the shape when you balance the head
shape with layering and graduation you can then clipper to this shape which
will result in a stronger more balanced shape again if you start with clippers
and flick out as you reach the ridge you are building a graduation then when you
blend up to this graduation the angle is moving away from the head if you want to
achieve a square shape and cut a square line across the top you'll have two
corners created by this graduation on either side that will need to be cut off
and rebalanced with clipper or scissor over comb this takes more time instead
of just having a slight edge to refine if you had cut the top to the correct
shape first I genuinely find that cutting the top to the desired shape
prior to clippering saves time and eliminates extra work and refining the
edges I know a lot of barbers will not agree with me as many barbers prefer to
get right into working on that fantastic fade but all I ask is that you give it a
go try a few cuts where you complete the top first and if it doesn't work for you
then that's cool at least you've tried it and if it improves your work then
that's even better if you try cutting the top first and it's not something you
normally do please let me know how you got on with it in the comments section
of this video as I would really like to know how you
got on or if you have any questions about this video please ask and I will
do my very best to answer them as always thanks very much for watching
see you next time