Pop Culture

Professional Barber Teaches Amateurs How to Do a Fade

00:00

You’re going to put a line there

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and just follow the line all the way around his head.

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You’re going to fade that line out.

00:06

That’s the point of no return.

00:08

So, this is the hair cut you requested.

00:11

Yeah, I shoulda went with something easy.

00:13

[laughs]

00:14

What up guys, I’m Daddy Ramazani.

00:16

I’ve been looking crusty,

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like most of you during quarantine.

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I don’t usually let my hair go out this much.

00:23

I like keep it real low.

00:24

I got this guy right here, my brother.

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Tell him your name, Ben.

00:27

Ben.

00:28

[laughing]

00:29

I’m Ben Ramazani and I’m cutting his hair today.

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[Daddy] We got a professional barber Mark out in England,

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who’s gonna be helping us out.

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He sent Mark a photo of what my hair used to look like

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and we gonna see if Ben can recreate it.

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You think I can cut your hair after?

00:45

I’ve never let him cut my hair.

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Never, ever.

00:51

What’s up Mark.

00:52

What’s up, man.

00:53

How you doing?

00:54

I’m good.

00:55

I’m excited that you’re black because I was nervous at first

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when they were like, we got a barber.

01:00

I was like…

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Don’t worry. It’s going to come out good.

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As long as you follow the directions,

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it will come out good.

01:09

All right, so guys, let me get a look at your head and

01:11

let me know what kind of style you’d like.

01:13

I haven’t had a haircut since probably like

01:16

a few weeks after Valentine’s day.

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It’s generally just like cutting it all like

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super low on top and just fading everywhere else.

01:25

This is number one on top.

01:26

And there’s going to be a skin fade on the side.

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See, when you say it with confidence, it sounds right.

01:32

Number one on the top and…

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You’re the barber, brother.

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You need to have more confidence.

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Number one on top and a fade on the side.

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What kind of fade?

01:42

Skin fade?

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[laughing]

01:44

Great, so now we can get into the cut.

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And me helping you go through this,

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I’m not going to go through every single detail.

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I just want to give you the bare minimum to get you

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through the haircut.

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‘Cause ultimately, you know, you’re not training

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to be a barber, your trying to give someone a haircut.

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If you just follow along with everything I’m saying to you,

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it will be good.

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You’re going to start off by using a two.

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You know, like with the different growths and direction

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that, you know, someone’s hair grows in.

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So, I always advise go with a higher level first,

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so you can bring it down and then you can look at the hair

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and see the appropriate direction.

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If you go with the number one,

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the issue is around this point here.

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If you get it wrong,

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you might end up with a patch on his head.

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So when you’re cutting this,

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if you hold your finger on there, not tight.

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Don’t have to be tight.

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But just hold your finger on there,

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then that will secure it,

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and it means it’s not going to flick off.

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A weighted and a number two

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and go on the top and just go forward,

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like going with the grain.

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So going forward in this direction.

02:39

[yelling]

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You don’t have to be over neat with this part

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’cause you’re just reducing the hair,

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and you have, am actually bringing it down

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to the level he wants yet anyways.

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So you just kind of like,

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just getting rid of all of this bulk.

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Oh lord!

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The majority of people,

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their hair at the top will grow this way.

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The hair on the sides will grow down.

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It might just slightly to one side, but going down.

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The hair at the back going down.

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So now you’re going to follow the direction that

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his hair has been in.

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So basically the front, go forward, on the sides, go down.

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You’re just reducing that neck still.

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Oh we cuttin’ for real.

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You’ve got good handling.

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Oh no, see he messed up!

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He messed up!

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I touched it and it fell off.

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I’m going to reduce a little more.

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That’s cool for now.

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So we’re going to step two.

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You’re going to put the barrier into

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where you’re going to start your fade.

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You’re going to put a line there

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and just follow the line all the way around his head.

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You’re going to fade that line out.

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Take the gauges off, so it should be just like that.

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Just the clip itself.

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That’s the point of no return.

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This is the haircut you requested.

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[laughs]

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Yeah, I shoulda went with something easy.

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The clipper should be flat on his head.

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It shouldn’t be doing that,

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’cause that’s how you can cut someone.

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You were wondering how high up you should go?

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No, I mean, I know it’s like, like to your eyebrow.

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That’s a good place, yes.

04:06

All right, man. You got this, man,

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I’m going.

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I need you to not move, okay, don’t talk.

04:13

Oh, it’s fading.

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Well it shouldn’t be fading,

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you should be putting in a line.

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Just follow that line around his head.

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Trying to be gentle. Ah, don’t be scared, bro.

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Just go in, go in, go in.

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You’re doing well because he’s not complaining.

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Yeah, don’t worry about like making it like blade.

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You know, that super sharp line.

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‘Cause you’re going to fade it out so it doesn’t matter,

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so don’t worry about that.

04:41

All right.

04:42

Now what I want you to do is literally

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just all the excess hair at the bottom,

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just get rid of it now.

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So go down?

04:47

No, go up, go up.

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I feel like I have the monk haircut right now.

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See, all I needed was just the right coach.

04:58

Okay, now look at that.

05:00

Now I can see everything.

05:02

Well, you know, we just started, so…

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Now we’re going to get into the fade.

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And this is now step three.

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So, we’re not going to fade it all in one go.

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We’re going to break it down into parts.

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Basically, imagine that I had a line here.

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I’m going to put the skin line there.

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I’m gonna take the clipper,

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I’m gonna create a barrier, coming from here, just to there.

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And then you’ve gotta fade out that line,

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and you want to fade out the top parts.

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So you’re gonna take your clipper, gonna open it up.

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So the lever should be more down

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to the bottom of the clipper.

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So when it’s open, create a barrier.

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Just a little barrier, like that small.

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Come from underneath the line,

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through the line, and just stop.

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And then create that barrier the whole way round.

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When I go up, don’t go too far up.

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Go up like about a centimeter.

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Yeah, go up a centimeter.

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Up down, up down, up down, all the way around?

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Yep.

05:53

This is the subtle, subtle game right here.

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Subtlety.

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I didn’t define it too much.

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Like it was just like, I, let me just be careful.

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That’s fine. It’s better to be cautious because at least

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you don’t make mistakes.

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You go to competence now and you can see what you didn’t do.

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Go through it again.

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Aight.

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So from underneath the line,

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just go through the line and come out.

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Look at the racer.

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Yep, and go around, go the whole way around.

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Don’t spend too much time trying to do this.

06:32

All right, I went all the way around.

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You get your lever.

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A little bit more. Push it down a little bit more.

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Then do exactly the same thing.

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Come from underneath the line, through the line, flick out.

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Yep, that’s cool.

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Lower it more,

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and do exactly the same thing then the whole way round.

06:56

You see the line disappearing?

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Yeah.

06:58

All right, then you’re doing the right thing.

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All right, and then one more time.

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Literally, one more time.

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Bring it out a little bit more.

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And you’re doing good now.

07:07

You’re going to a good pace as well.

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You’re not over doing it or overthinking it.

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That confidence shining through boy.

07:14

[upbeat music]

07:18

Step four is now the top half which you left.

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Now, we’re gonna fade that in.

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On the sides here, pick the number one.

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Going with the grain, which is going down.

07:26

I just want you flatten his hair on the sides.

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Take off as much as will come off.

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So, all you’re doing now is literally reducing the bulk.

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At this point here, you need to create an invisible line.

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Your invisible line is saying that

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I’m not going to go any higher than that line.

07:42

Because right now you could end up fading it and

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then end up fading it up here.

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[laughing]

07:48

Then you give him a Mohican.

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Sometimes I tell beginners,

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take the comb and literally just put a soft line in it.

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So, at least even if you don’t remember,

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you can still see it.

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Just know I’m not going above that line.

08:00

All right, okay, okay.

08:01

So, all right, I got it.

08:03

Let me not overthink.

08:06

All right.

08:10

Yep, that’s exactly what you should be doing.

08:12

[upbeat music]

08:22

What you’re going to do now is,

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the same number one, you’re going to open it.

08:28

So the lever should be at a bottom, open.

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And then you’re going to go from where the bulk starts.

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So, you know, from the line we created.

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Fading to the top half now, so from where the line is.

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You’re going to come from underneath the line,

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through the line.

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As you get to the invisible line, flick up.

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So, the motion will be literally…

08:48

So exactly the same thing what you doing before,

08:50

but now you’re doing it with a different

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length of hair and your stroke is longer now.

08:54

The flick up creates the fade.

08:56

And get your comb in the rough.

08:58

So, like, comb his hair up.

09:01

When you go through it now,

09:04

you’re going to change the direction of his hair.

09:06

So the comb brings it back.

09:09

Looking good, looking good, looking good.

09:12

Well, what I’ve seen there is,

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his hair is not lying flat.

09:17

So when you’ve got up with the clip bar,

09:20

you haven’t combed it back down.

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So when I saw it, I see some areas are,

09:23

it’s looking blended, but it could blend a lot more.

09:27

So, every time you go up, comb down?

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You gotta do like in the barber shops.

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And they’d be like.

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I used to be like, man, what’s all this showmanship?

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Now I’m like, oh, it’s like, oh it’s for real.

09:38

You thought they was just playing.

09:40

Oh, he’s just trying to get a good tip. Like yeah.

09:43

Your comb is your friend.

09:47

Yeah, it’s looking nice.

09:51

Yeah, so now you can do is close the lever.

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It’s going to take off more hair.

09:58

So combing, make sure you’re combing, you’re combing,

10:00

you’re coming, and then go through it and flick out.

10:03

[upbeat music]

10:06

Should he be combing down?

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He should be, he should be.

10:10

We got cut off.

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What have you done now?

10:12

Okay, you’re doing a good job, doing a good job.

10:15

This area here, where you can see the line on the head,

10:20

right there.

10:21

When you’re going through the hair,

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you’ve got to comb it out.

10:24

That’s the area you need to focus on.

10:25

Just touching that line cause it’s heavy.

10:28

So you gotta go through it with the number one.

10:29

All you want is that area to be a little bit lighter

10:31

and that’s look like a good blend.

10:33

So do that side piece and then you go to the back.

10:41

Comb it in the direction it’s growing in.

10:47

All right, this is as good as this fade is gonna get

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at home and we’re going to hop onto

10:53

the next lesson by Mark.

10:55

Right.

10:56

Step five, the shape up.

10:59

Now when you’re gonna shape him up,

11:01

what you need to do before you actually put the shape up,

11:03

or start the shape up should I say,

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is literally make sure that the front of his hair is flat.

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So, take a number one and literally just rub over the edges,

11:12

just to make sure it’s flat.

11:17

You got your shape-up clipper.

11:18

Wherever you see the line is,

11:21

that’s where you going touch it.

11:22

You’re not going to worry about trying to get sharp.

11:25

You’re not going to worry about trying to get straight.

11:27

What are you going to worry about is literally

11:29

touching the edge of wherever the hair is.

11:32

Basically, go first round to shape it up, just touch it.

11:34

And the second round is kind of like,

11:35

what can I, can I make a sharper, can I improve it?

11:38

Can I make it straight up?

11:39

But in your first round, literally just touch the H.

11:44

It creates some shape for you to go off.

11:46

Press down on his head and pull away.

11:49

But literally just kind of like this touching it.

11:53

And also on the sides, same thing.

11:56

You’re pulling away.

11:56

So basically you’re always trying to pull away

11:57

from the hair.

12:03

How’s it looking now?

12:04

Better.

12:06

Well, like you said, it’s not about making a sharper,

12:09

but I feel like that’s what’s left.

12:11

See from the front of his face, see from where his,

12:14

you call it widows peak.

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What you want to do is just follow that line,

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touching it great in a straight line across.

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Once you do that, it’ll be fine.

12:22

Like this haircut will be fine.

12:24

All right, want to see?

12:26

Yes, please.

12:27

Again, I think there’s still a slight issue with the…

12:33

Yes, but what I would say is to basically leave it.

12:39

That the point is you’re not going out

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and this is not like a professional job.

12:42

No offense to you.

12:46

No offense.

12:48

Just real talk.

12:48

It’s good to leave a customer in a place when he or she

12:52

decides to go to their barber.

12:54

Their barber won’t be like, oh,

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why did you pull your hair all the way back here?

12:58

You could stay here all day trying to improve it.

13:01

And that’s when you end up making mistakes.

13:03

So the whole point is actually,

13:04

can you do a home haircut and get to a decent level,

13:07

but you have. The only thing you need to do now,

13:08

is literally the hair which you see high at the back there.

13:11

So you take the number one

13:13

and just, you know, lower the hair like you said.

13:16

We done.

13:17

I’m just gonna wipe myself down and

13:19

then I’ll show you what we’ve got.

13:23

The end result, it looks better

13:25

than how you had it before. It looks cleaner.

13:26

He looks neater.

13:27

In the beginning, everything is super slow.

13:30

And then towards the end you picked it up

13:32

and your performance got better.

13:34

Your handling got better.

13:35

Your technique got better.

13:37

You know, if you’d had that same technique in the beginning,

13:39

it woulda been a quicker haircut

13:41

and the haircut would even be better,

13:43

which means that the next haircut you do,

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if he let’s you cut his hair again,

13:48

we’ll be able to tell.

13:51

All right, thank you, Mark.

13:52

Bye guys.

13:53

This is what I’m working with now.

13:55

Looking real clean, you know, smooth.

13:58

I think I did a great job.

14:01

I know I could have done a greater, but…

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No, go on.

14:06

Just glad we had Mark to walk us through,

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’cause there’s so many little details and stuff

14:12

that I feel like we didn’t know about that

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just make all the difference.

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The best thing I can tell you is to mess up

14:21

and be comfortable with messing up,

14:23

’cause that’s how you get better.

14:24

And if you can get a hold of Mark, go ahead.

14:28

Hit up Mark.

14:29

Go to England and get your hair cut by Mark.

14:33

Peace.

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