What Is The Skullet?

As bold cuts go, the skullet is up there, but what exactly is this edgy cut?

Blending the popular mullet and buzz cut or skinhead (hence the name) the skullet has a history that goes back further than punk subcultures and was sported by both men and women during the American Civil War and even dates back to Ancient Rome. 

"You need to make sure the head shape is right. The rounder the head the easier it is to work with," shares Ryan. "Start fading and tapering off just at the start at the curve of the head, that way you're going to get the nicest blend at the back. A skullet that hasn't been blended properly will not look good."

Recently repopularised by singer, FKA Twigs, during the release of her third album, Eusexua, the hairstylist behind the cut, Louis Souvestra, told Dazed magazine: "We were inspired by 70s images of children from north-east Africa, with shaved fronts and upward braids, drawing from twigs' heritage, as well as styles seen in Ancient Egyptian sculptures, like that of Akhenaten's oldest daughter."

"People will have seen variations of the skullet on shows like This Is England," says Andis Global Educator, Hayden Cassidy, adding: "You have to be pretty creative and edgy to pull this off."

Ryan Lewis, STMNT ambassador agrees that with the skullet being a very niche haircut it's important to have the confidence to say no to clients: "If it's not on the right person it's never going to look good. You need to look at your client's aesthetic, their style and their character. If it won't suit them then they're not going to pull it off."

So is the skullet here to stay?

"Anything that stands out and is a bit different excites me from a barber's perspective because it means you can show off your skillset a bit better. I don't think there'll be many requests for them though," predicts Ryan; and Hayden agrees: "There are variations of the shag and the mullet that have made a comeback but the skullet is a certain type of style for a certain type of client - it won't stick around as long as the mullet has."

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