Ask The Experts: Line-Ups and Shape-Ups

In our latest step-by-step series, Ask The Experts, BaByliss PRO ambassador Tariq Howes shares his technique for the perfect line-ups and shape-ups. 

Ask The Experts: Line-Ups and Shape-Ups

First, determine where you want the highest point of graduation in the taper areas, such as the nape and temples. Remove bulk and reveal the area you want to fade, being mindful of how and where you want the fade to be. Do you want to leave weight in certain areas to make the lineup stand out? If so, angle the clipper accordingly. It’s important to determine this first to get the best results from the shape-up after fading. If you remove too much hair, the shape will not be as defined; if you leave more, it can make the shape-up stand out more. So, it’s always a good idea to decide whether you want the shape-up to be sharp or soft before fading.

After you’ve completed the haircut, including fading and removing bulk from the fringe area with scissors or clippers, it’s time for the lineup. Since this is a taper cut, I’d start behind the ears and at the nape, working backward around the ear, making sure not to cut into the hairline. Then, I’d connect it by working from the nape and back taper area upward to the previous guide around the ear.

Next, I’d move to the temple area, focusing on the C-cup shape and the recession area. I start from the recession area and work down to the temple, so I don’t cut too far into the recession line. This allows me to dictate the C-cup (temple shape and sideburn lineup) by working backward into the taper area. This way, I control the weight line without cutting into the hairline. After completing the neck, recession, and temple areas, I finish with the “money shot” — the front fringe lineup.

Now that both sides of the lineup are done, it’s time to link and join the front with the sides. Start at the widow’s peak, in the center of the head above the nose, and make as straight a line as possible in the middle. Then, work from either side of that line and connect it to the recession area, making sure to keep your trimmers as straight as possible and working in clean lines across the head. 

TIPS

• Make sure your trimmers are properly gapped, as close to zero-gapped as possible, but not so much that they could cut the client. With the way trimmers are designed now, it’s easier to adjust the blades, so it’s always a good idea to experiment and get them perfectly aligned for the ideal shape-up.

• Always try to debulk the area you’ll be lining up before you start. If there’s too much hair, you won’t get neat, sharp lines, no matter what trimmer you use.

• Always finish off a sharp outline with a razor for a clean finish when possible, but make sure to ask your clients if this is something they prefer. Some clients may not want it, or they may have skin that reacts to the razor.

PRODUCTS

“MY NEW GO-TO TOOLS FOR SHAPE-UPS AND LINE-UPS ARE THE BABYLISSPRO FX ONE LO-PRO CLIPPER AND TRIMMER. THE NIMBLENESS OF BOTH, COMBINED WITH THE POWER, SHARPNESS, AND DURABILITY OF THEIR BLADES, MAKES IT MUCH EASIER TO CREATE SHARP, VIVID OUTLINES. NOT TO MENTION THE UNLIMITED CORDLESS USE I GET FROM HAVING EASY INTERCHANGEABLE BATTERIES.”