Читать книгу Haircutting For Dummies - Jeryl E. Spear - Страница 61

A traveling guide — also called a moving guide — travels with each haircutting section. It establishes the perimeter of the haircut and enables you to create uniform or graduated layers. The traveling guide, shown in Figure 5-9, is the most common type of guide used in haircutting, so it’s important to show it who’s boss at the beginning of your home-cutting adventure.

What you’ll need: A willing participant or a mannequin with long hair; scissors, cutting comb, clips or clamps, and a spray bottle filled with warm water (see Chapter 2).

One of the easiest cuts is removing a small amount of length to refresh the ends and keep them looking thick as opposed to straggly. Cutting ¼ inch (0.6 centimeter) of length off every two weeks will keep the hair a consistent length. (Hair grows about ½ inch [1.3 centimeters] per month.)

© John Wiley & Sons, Inc.; Illustration by Rashell Smith

FIGURE 5-9: A traveling guide moves as the haircut progresses to keep your design on track.

When you’re ready, follow these steps:

1 Brush the hair to ensure it is tangle-free. Lightly spray the hair with water until it is slightly damp. Comb, divide, and secure the hair into six sections — four sections in the back and two sections in the front.See Chapter 6 for more information on sectioning.

2 Part out a horizontal, ¼-inch-thick section closest to the hairline from each of the back sections. Dampen and comb the freed hair straight down.Make sure the person or mannequin head you are about to cut is facing directly forward, and the jawline is parallel to the floor.

3 Visually divide the ends into three sections: middle and two sides. Place the teeth of your comb ½ inch (1.3 centimeters) above the existing ends of the middle section.The comb secures the hair and prevents it from drifting while you cut.

4 Cut ¼ inch (0.6 centimeter) off the ends of the middle section.Comb, smooth, and place the hair once again.

5 Incorporate an outside strand of your middle section into your side section. This additional strand is now the traveling guide. Cut the side section from the middle out, based on the length established by your traveling guide.

6 Comb once more and repeat steps 1–5 on the other side section.

Always check to make sure the hair is combed straight down from the scalp. Double-check the length of the first side section before cutting the second one to ensure it’s the proper length.

If you have an inconsistent length on one side, dampen the hair and comb through the ends. Check your haircut from the middle to the right or left side. Somewhere, while you were traveling, you lost your way. Find your guide and adjust accordingly.