Alright, so my hair was getting to that stage, you know? Just a bit too much, flopping around, looking kind of messy. I’d been thinking about a change for a while, something cleaner, easier to manage. Saw a few guys with that undercut medium fade, and thought, “Yeah, that looks pretty sharp, not too over the top.” Decided it was time to give it a shot.
Getting Started
So, I headed down to my usual barber shop. It’s nothing fancy, but the guy there usually gets what I’m saying. Luckily, it wasn’t too crazy busy, so I didn’t have to wait long. Sat down in the chair, and he asked the usual, “What are we doing today?”
I pulled out my phone, had a couple of pictures saved. Showed him one and said, “Thinking about something like this. An undercut, with a medium fade on the sides and back. Keep a bit of length on top, but not too much.” He took a good look, nodded, said, “Okay, I see it. We can do that.” Always a bit of a relief when they seem to understand right off the bat.
The Process Itself
First thing, he got out the clippers. That first buzz along the sides is always a bit startling, isn’t it? But it felt good to get that bulk off. He started mapping out the undercut, making sure the line was clean where the longer top hair would meet the shorter sides. He worked his way around, taking off a good amount pretty quickly.
Then came the fade part. This is where you can tell if a barber knows his stuff. He switched through a few different guard lengths, working his way up, blending it all in. Patience is key here, and he seemed to have it. Just gradually taking it shorter at the bottom and blending it smoothly into the slightly longer hair further up, before it hit the undercut line. I just sat there, listening to the hum of the clippers, watching bits of hair fall away.
Once the sides and back were done, he moved to the top. This was mostly scissor work. He asked how much I wanted off, and I told him just to trim it enough so it would sit nicely, give it some texture, but still have enough length to style a bit if I wanted to. He snipped away, combed it through, checked it from different angles. No fancy stuff, just good, solid cutting.
The Finish and The Look
He didn’t do a wash, which is fine by me, quicker that way. Brushed off all the loose hairs, then spun the chair around so I could see the back with a mirror. Looked pretty good, the fade was nice and even. He asked if I wanted any product in it. I usually don’t go for much, so I just said, “Maybe a little something, just to see how it sits.” He put a tiny bit of wax or something in, worked it through, and gave it a quick style.
Took a good look in the mirror. Yeah, I was pretty happy with it. It felt way lighter, and looked a whole lot neater. The undercut gave it that clean separation, and the fade was just right – not too harsh, not too subtle. The top had enough length to not look too severe. Definitely a good move. Paid the man, thanked him, and headed out feeling a bit fresher.
It’s been a few days now, and it’s easy to handle. Just a quick comb in the morning, or run my fingers through it, and it looks decent. Think this one’s a keeper for a while.
