Vent: My neckline work was always a bit off until a client pointed it out

I was finishing a fade on a regular, and he asked if I could 'square it up a bit more' because his collar kept hitting the line wrong. I looked closer and saw I was rounding the corners too much, basically following the natural hairline instead of creating the sharp shape. How do you guys make sure your necklines are crisp and straight every single time?

5 comments

5 Comments

fisher.jessica1mo ago

Honestly, that's why I always step back and squint at it from a distance before I call it done.

shane1701mo ago

Yeah, that "square it up" comment would've made me look closer too lol. It's a simple thing that's easy to miss.

sarah_davis1mo ago

So what's the actual fix when you see something like that, just a quick re-measure or is there a better way to catch it early? I've definitely sent stuff to print only to realize a shape was off by a tiny bit. It's one of those things that feels obvious after the fact, but in the moment you're just focused on the bigger picture. Makes you wonder how many little errors slip through because no one said the magic words to look closer.

patricia_hill605d ago

Man, do you use a level or just trust your eye on those lines?

michael_williams5d ago

The first time someone told me to "square it up" I basically had the same realization you did. I was following the natural curve too close and it made the line look soft instead of sharp. What helped me was using my mirror to check the back of the neck from the client's side, like I'm looking at it the way they will in their bathroom mirror. I also started using a fine clipper trimmer to trace the exact straight line I want before I even start fading anything, that way the shape is locked in from the jump. Once you get that initial straight line marked out, the rest is just following it carefully without drifting into the natural hairline again.