Ask The Experts: Blending 101

Published 02nd Jul 2024 by Sian Jones

In our latest step-by-step series, Ask The Experts, BaByliss PRO ambassador Tariq Howes shares his tips and techniques for the perfect blend.

Ask The Experts: Blending 101

My method for blending starts with deciding where my highest point of graduation will be, usually starting with a No.3 or No.2 guard to create that graduation and reveal the skin. Then, I make my skin line with my clipper first, followed by my trimmers. I do it this way to make blending and fading easier, rather than spending more time removing the trimmer line.

Next, I use my No.1 guard closed to create a barrier between my No.2 and my skin line - about a finger’s width. This helps maintain the balance and consistency of my fade. Then, I use my 0.5 guard to work under the No.1 line I’ve created, blending out the skin line. As I get closer to the skin line, I close my lever to knock out that line completely.

After this, I use my No.1 guard, open it up to make a 1.5, and blend that line up into my No.2 graduation, working firmly over the line and bringing my clipper up and out as I get closer to the No.2 graduation.

This is the core of my technique - if anything needs touching up, I use the 0.5 guard to go between levels and the corner of my blade to pick out and refine.

I often get messages on social media asking about the techniques I use to fade or blend, so this was a great way to show how I usually do it.

TIPS

When fading, try not to create any hard lines. For example, starting with the trimmer will always make fading it out a lot harder. When making guidelines, make sure to bring the clippers out at the top of the line to create some graduation.
Always use a Foil Shaver last to complement the fade. Again, avoid making hard lines that will take more time to remove later in the cut.
Use the 0.5 guard to refine and pick out imperfections in the fade, and only use the corner of your clipper blade while doing so to avoid creating hard lines. This will softly remove stubborn hairs that haven’t come out when creating the fade.