Clipper over comb vs. scissor over comb for skin fades

I spent the last 3 months practicing both on my mannequin head at home. Clipper over comb is way faster once you get the hang of it, especially on the sides. But scissor over comb gives me way more control on the crown area. Went with clippers for the fade section and scissors for the top, and my guy at Barber Academy in Chicago told me that combo works better than doing the whole head one way.

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2 Comments

holly473mo ago

Haha, sounds like you're overthinking it almost as much as I did when I first started trying skin fades. This combo method you landed on is basically the cheat code nobody tells you about until you mess up a few heads. Wish I had figured that out two months ago instead of stubbornly trying clipper over comb on top and looking like I gave my mannequin a bad haircut. But hey, at least now you can say you're a "hybrid barber" and charge double, right? Just don't tell your instructor I said that.

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kevin_murray883mo ago

The "hybrid barber" thing killed me because that is literally what I called myself after I finally gave up on doing it the "proper" way. I spent a solid week straight using just the clipper over comb on top and wondering why every cut looked like I got attacked by a lawnmower. Now I'm out here telling people I specialize in "textured blending" when really I just use three different tools because I got sick of messing up. Your secret is safe with me though, I won't tell the instructors.

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