How Achieve the Perfect Skin Fade with Jim Shaw

A skin fade is a classic men’s haircut and one that will come back on trend time and time again and with that in mind, it's an important haircut for men's hairdressers to master. Below are Jim Shaw's top tips for achieving the perfect skin fade in the barbershop…

1. Ensure you have the right tools in hand before creating your cut. You will want clippers with a comb guard that you will use for the majority of your perfect skin fade. I love to use clippers that are cordless to allow for maximum control. You will want scissors and a barber comb to allow you to make the cut more precise and clean, getting as close to the head as possible.


2. Always start around an inch above the ears as a guideline, cut the hair with the 0 setting on your clippers from the bottom of the hairline up to the guideline and work your way around the head


3. Repeat the above process directly above the guideline point but change your clipper setting up a notch. Repeat this process until you reach the top of the sides of the head.


4. Don’t rush but ensure you have rhythm as you work on your fade. You don’t want to take away chunks of the hair or have any imperfections. Start slowly, build the rhythm and gain confidence.


5. Ensure the cut has a flawless blend. If you have any imperfections, you can always go back over them or use your scissors to help neaten up the look.


6. Use your hair tools to sharpen up the sides and accentuate the look.


7. Finish the look with styling products that will enhance the cut. I particularly like to use products like American Crew Boost Powder that give further volume to the hair on top that’s longer in length and give the look a more dramatic, statement finish or pomades and waxes with a matte finish like Label M Matt Paste to help give the hair shape whilst also having a natural finish.

Why not check out SliderCuts top tips for barbering for kids?