Don't Believe the Buzz

Clippers are renowned for creating the perfect men’s buzzcut, however you can do so much more when you think outside the box

A natural textured look

“The main goal for this look was to hold onto the femininity within the model’s strong character. It shows a crossover between contemporary hairdressing techniques and traditional barbering skills. I introduced a lot of texture without too much structure as I didn’t have an excessive amount of length to play with. I wanted to retain enough length in the fringe for it to remain soft. I kept the fade as natural as possible at the sides. I also maintained a natural hairline and didn’t go too close to the skin. I used the Andis US Pro Li to create this haircut and achieved the fade by applying a descending technique. I finished this look by placing a matte product onto damp hair and drying it through. This was to give the hair maximum texture and movement as well as keeping the look pliable.”

Eoin McCarthy, Andis educator

An anti-perfect vibe

“Raf Simmons has always been a massive inspiration of mine and his book Isolated Heroes is a great source of that iconic 1990s hair content. We used these references to create a series of experimental portraits and this is one of my favourites. It takes a lot of precision to create something like this. I used the BaByliss PRO Super Motor Clipper range -the high torque motor and super sharp blades give you next level control. We worked visually on the shoot and the detailed technique was applied freehand with the BaByliss PRO Super Motor Skeleton Clipper to create strange angles on the head. The whole vibe was anti-perfect and anti-beauty.”

Jody Taylor, BaByliss PRO ambassador

THE MODE

Simon Shaw and Sam Campagna at WAHL explain how to create this look

1 Wet hair and comb in a slicked back position. Centre part to crown and choose your first section. Using the clipper over finger technique with the WAHL Genio Pro, start front to crown ensuring the front remains the longest.

2 Using the same technique follow the guide from the profile guide, working with the same pattern to the transitional area or until you reach a 90-degree angle from the sides. This will be done on both sides.

3 Using an all-in-one blade on setting 3, start from the sides in the transition area and peel back towards the nape allowing your hand to follow the curve of the head. Repeat this process until you reach the bottom hairline.

4 From the crown, join up the sides peeling downwards to the nape.

5 The hair should be back to the starting point and be all pushed back. Section from temple to ear and push the section below forward using clipper over comb.

6 Create the fade by starting with a 0.5 on a cordless clipper, creating a 1cm guide at the bottom, working from short to long by graduating up the guards in increments.

7 Use a trimmer to strengthen the hairline from the temple down. Use the same technique around the ear, then behind the ear. Curve the trimmer to join the longer back area to create a strong outline.