So today I’m sharing this haircut thing, right? The undercut fade. Sounds simple but explaining it to someone else? That’s where stuff gets messy. Here’s how I figured it out by actually doing it.
Getting in the chair
Walked into my regular barbershop this morning. Same guy, Marco. I sat down, pointed at my stupid messy hair, and just blurted it out: “Yo, need an undercut fade.” Dude just nods, asks “Which one?” My brain froze. Shorter sides, longer top? Cool. But which level? How short on the sides? How sharp the line? Suddenly I’m sweating.
The explaining mess
Started waving my hands around my head like an idiot. “Uh… shorter on sides… like really short… but blended… longer on top?” Marco waited. Patient guy. Realized I sounded like someone describing fog. Needed better words. Looked him straight in the eye and tried bullet points:
- Undercut first: “Shave this entire section,” I drew a line with my finger from above my ears around the back of my head, “way shorter. Like skin-level short? Not yet, but almost.”
- The Fade part: “Then, start blending it,” I gestured up from that shaved section towards my crown. “Go from that super short bit, gradually getting longer. Like steps disappearing?”
- Top Length: Grabbed a chunk on top of my head. “Leave all this WAY longer. Like maybe 3 inches? Just trim the tips off, that’s all.”
- The Line: Traced a sharp line above my temple. “Make this split super crisp? Super defined? Not soft.”
Marco nodded slowly. “Ah. Hard part.” Finally, some recognition. He started nodding faster. Okay, seemed he got it. Relief.
Tools coming out
He grabs his clippers. We agreed on the fade guards:
- Bottom: Bare blade guard for the super short part.
- Mid: Small guard for the blending start.
- Higher: Bigger guard for finishing near the crown.
Scissors for the top. He started buzzing right there, no turning back. Hair flying everywhere. The cold clippers on my skin, rough scrape sound – kinda scary. Hoping my stupid explanation worked.
The result
Wiped down, brushed off, mirror time. Held my breath. Side profile looked clean. Touched the sides – super short, almost scratchy. The fade felt smooth going up. The line above my ears was sharp, like drawn with a ruler. Top? Still thick, just neatened. Stood up. Walked around. Felt lighter, sharper. Looked like the picture in my head? Pretty dang close. Way better than my awkward flailing earlier.
What stuck: Keep it simple. Break it into chunks. Undercut section first. Fade means blend levels. Top stays long. Define that line sharp. Pointing at your own head helps way more than fancy words.
