I watched an old timer fade a dude's high fade in 7 minutes flat

This guy at the shop next door in Houston didn't even use a mirror or a trimmer guard, just clipper over comb the whole way through. The blend was so smooth I could barely tell where the 1 ended and the skin started. How do you even develop that kind of touch without a guard?

3 comments

3 Comments

patricia_hill601d ago

You got it a little backwards there. Those clipper over comb techniques are actually harder than using a guard because you have to rely on your hand's stability and the comb's angle instead of a plastic piece doing the work for you. It's more about muscle memory and hours of practice than some special touch. If you want to get that smooth, start by practicing on a mannequin head at home with a good clipper and a fine tooth comb. Have you tried watching some YouTube tutorials from barbers who break down the hand movements?

jamesc791d ago

Hold on wait, you're telling me clipper over comb is actually the harder one to learn? I always figured those barbers who do that were just taking the easy route cause they didn't wanna mess with guards. That's crazy to think about, all that stuff about muscle memory and hand angles.

finleym371d ago

Respectfully, I see it a little different than @patricia_hill60. Clippers with guards have their own steep learning curve too, especially when you're trying to do fades and blend lines without leaving a hard edge. You can mess up a guard fade just as bad as a clipper over comb if you don't know what you're doing. In my experience, clipper over comb is just a different skill set, not necessarily harder overall. Both take a ton of practice to get right, your mileage may vary on which one clicks first for you.