Читать книгу Haircutting For Dummies - Jeryl E. Spear - Страница 59

Guides are to haircuts what patterns are to fashion designs; they act as a template for the length and shape of every style. When cutting the perimeter of a one-length hairstyle, for instance, you make a ¼-inch (0.6 centimeter) to ½-inch (1.3 centimeters) parting at the back/bottom hairline and comb this hair straight down. You then cut this thin section of hair to the desired shape and length of your finished style. This is now your guide. Every subsequent section of hair you section out and cut is combed down and cut to the same length and shape of this guide.

When cutting your guide, keep these two factors in mind:

 Hair shrinks when it dries. The more texture the hair has, the more it will draw up during and after drying. (Straight, wavy, curly, and coily hair types are discussed in Chapter 4.)

 Hair is more elastic when it is wet. This makes it important to never create more than mild tension on straight hair, and no tension on curly hair types when establishing your guides.

If a person has naturally curly hair, but the hair has been chemically straightened, you should evaluate and cut it as you would straight hair. (See Chapter 4 for more information on hair types.)

Be sure to avoid these four pitfalls when following your guide:

 Cutting the guide along with the rest of the cutting line. This changes the length and sometimes the angle of the hair as you move through the haircut.

 Failing to keep your guide at the proper elevation from the scalp.

 Taking thick cutting sections and losing track of your guide.

 Mistaking other hair as your guide.

The following sections introduce you to the two types of guides: the stable guide and the traveling guide.