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A Barber's Tips on Doing A Men's Fade Haircut

This Barber's Easy Tutorial Will Teach You How to Do a Fade Haircut In Under 20 Minutes

Searches for at-home haircut tutorials have spiked recently, and though plenty of stylists have stepped up to the plate and given us the step-by-step how-tos we've been looking for, some people are understandably still having a hard time. Like people with short hair, for example, who've been forced to become their own personal barbers and learn how to use those electric clippers for a fade technique at home.

Thankfully, there are a ton of tutorials around this already on YouTube, and one barber in particular shared a video that details the process from start to finish in under 20 minutes. All you'll need are a pair of clippers (with specific attachments that shave closer to the head), a trimmer, styling comb, and mirror. Read ahead to see our breakdown of the tutorial.

Step 1: Shampoo Your Hair

In this case, unwashed hair can make your hair slightly harder to cut, so if you haven't shampooed in a few days (don't worry, you wouldn't be the only one), make that your first step to prevent the oils and dirt on your scalp from affecting your ability to get a clean cut.

Step 2: Form Your Guidelines

A guideline is the first cut you'll make, and it serves as a way for your barber (or, in this case, you) to determine what length to cut the rest of the hair. To form your guideline, comb your hair in the direction that it naturally grows, and then use a hairspray to set it in place. In the video above, he uses a 0 attachment to shave closer to his head and fully closes the lever on his clipper. He then places his first guideline just above both ears before shaving off the hair below that line.

Step 3: Begin Fading

With a fully open lever, start shaving the hair about a half an inch above the guideline. Follow that by closing the lever halfway and then blending the guideline out before switching to a 1 attachment and forming a new guideline slightly above your first one. You can refer to the video for a more detailed explanation on how to fade out the guidelines and which guards you should use.

Step 4: Line Up the Sides

Use this step to go around your head with the clippers to sharpen your hairline.

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