Written by Gilad Goldstein (@myguiltycrown)
There always will be two types of haircuts: blunt or graduated. When we cut hair, we can either cut the hair at no elevation for a completely blunt look, or we elevate the hair to create graduation or layers. Believe it or not, cutting at no elevation and creating a clean, straight line can be a lot more challenging than creating a layered look. Let’s break down the blunt bob haircut simply to shine some light on creating that perfect, oh-so-satisfying, clean line!
We must think of three elements when cutting any haircut: elevation, overdirection and finger angle. These are the principles of movement that occur every time we pick up a piece of hair and cut it.
ELEVATION is an up and down movement. Elevate low to create graduation, elevate high to create layers. A shag haircut with lots of layers will be elevated high to create that shaggy texture.
OVERDIRECTION is moving the hair side to side out of its natural fall. Overdirection creates more weight and length in the opposite direction of where the hair is cut. When we cut an inverted bob, we overdirect the front of the hair to the back when cutting to create shortness in the back that becomes longer towards the front. The more we overdirect the hair from its natural fall, the longer and heavier the hair will be when it falls back in to its place.
FINGER ANGLE is the actual line we cut in the hair. This places the volume, or amount of hair in a cut section. When we cut a face frame, our finger angle will cut shorter layers towards the face and leave length or volume of hair towards the bottom. Finger angle is our ultimate creative tool, and is where we can customize our cuts to create unique looks for our clients.
All these movements occur every time we cut hair. For a blunt bob with the cleanest line, we want to have no layering. This means that our elevation would be nonexistent, or zero degree elevation. For a true blunt look with an even length all around, we want to have no overdirection. Finally, we must make sure that our finger angle is horizontal in relation to the room. This will make our bob appear completely straight and even when laying in its natural fall.
Take this knowledge and think of how to apply it to your every day haircuts. Using these principles of movement, we can create any shape, and easily duplicate it when our guest returns for their monthly trim! Understand the principles of movement, and succeed at any haircut that sits in your chair.