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Half the trouble in a barber chair comes from a man not knowing what to call the haircut he
wants. He says "short," and he means half an inch, and the last fellow heard "short" and gave him
a butch. So here are the cuts I do most, what they are, and the words to use when you sit down. You
can print this page and bring it with you. Nobody will laugh. Well, I won't.
Jump to:
Flat Top · Crew Cut ·
Butch · Princeton ·
Taper · Fade ·
Caesar · Clipper Numbers
| THE FLAT TOP |
What it is: The sides cut short and tapered, and the top cut so it stands straight up and
flat across, level as a tabletop. Leave the sides cut down to the skin and you have a flat top
with whitewalls. Leave the hair over the ears a little longer and that's a flat top with fenders.
Good for: Thick, coarse hair that wants to stand up. Fine hair won't hold the shape, and a
cowlick in the front will fight you every morning. I'll tell you honestly if yours will work.
Ask for: "A flat top, medium on the sides," or "a flat top with whitewalls." Tell me how
tall you want the top. An inch is about usual.
Upkeep: Every two weeks to keep it flat, and a little butch wax in the front so it stands.
This is my favorite cut to give. It takes the longest, and it's worth it.
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| THE CREW CUT |
What it is: Short all over, but the top is left a little longer in front and gets shorter
toward the crown, so the front brushes up. Sides and back tapered short.
Good for: Just about anybody. It's the haircut half the men in this town got in the Army,
and a lot of them kept it.
Ask for: "A crew cut," and tell me how long you want it in front. Half an inch is usual.
Upkeep: Every three weeks.
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| THE BUTCH |
What it is: The simplest haircut there is. The clippers go over the whole head with one guard,
so it's the same short length all over. The summer haircut for boys since before I was a boy.
Good for: Hot weather, swim team, football two-a-days, and men who don't own a comb.
Ask for: "A butch with a number two," or whatever number you want. See the
clipper numbers below.
Upkeep: It grows out evenly, but it looks best every two or three weeks.
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| THE PRINCETON |
What it is: A crew cut that grew up and got a job. The top is left long enough to part and
comb over to the side, and the sides are tapered short. Some call it an Ivy League.
Good for: The man who wants it short but wants to comb it, too. Bankers, lawyers and the
fellows who teach at the high school.
Ask for: "A Princeton," or "a crew cut long enough to part." Show me which side you part it on.
Upkeep: Three to four weeks.
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| THE TAPER (THE REGULAR) |
What it is: What "just a regular haircut" means in my shop, and what most men in this town
get. Scissors on top, and the sides and back cut a little shorter as they go down, blended so
there's no line. At the neck I can taper it off natural, or block it square, or round it.
Good for: Everybody. You can't go wrong with a good taper.
Ask for: "A regular taper," then tell me how much off the top, and whether you want the
neck tapered, blocked or rounded. A tapered neck grows out nicer. A blocked neck looks sharper
for about a week.
Upkeep: Every three or four weeks.
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| THE FADE |
What it is: The young men's cut. The sides and back start at the skin, or close to it, at the
bottom and fade up into the longer hair on top with no line where it changes. A low fade starts
the blend just above the ears. A high fade takes it way up the side of the head.
Good for: Young men, ballplayers and anybody who wants it clean. It takes a steady hand and
good clippers, and it shows every mistake, so don't let just anybody give you one.
Ask for: "A low fade" or "a high fade," and say "skin fade" or "bald fade" if you want it
down to the skin at the bottom. Then tell me what you want on top.
Upkeep: Every two weeks, or it stops being a fade and starts being a grown-out fade.
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| THE CAESAR |
What it is: The one everybody and his brother has asked for the last few years, ever since
a fellow on one of the TV doctor shows wore it. Short all over, about an inch or a little less on
top, all combed forward, with short bangs cut straight across the forehead.
Good for: Men whose hair is starting to thin in front. Combing it forward helps, and it's
more honest than a comb-over. It works on thick hair, too.
Ask for: "A Caesar," and tell me how short you want the bangs. Some men want the sides
faded underneath it, and that's fine.
Upkeep: Every three weeks. You'll like the mornings. A wet comb and you're done.
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CLIPPER NUMBERS
When a man says "a number two on the sides," he means the guard that snaps on the clippers. Here's
what the numbers leave you with on the standard guards.
| Guard | Hair left |
| #1 | 1/8 inch |
| #2 | 1/4 inch |
| #3 | 3/8 inch |
| #4 | 1/2 inch |
| #5 | 5/8 inch |
| #6 | 3/4 inch |
| #7 | 7/8 inch |
| #8 | 1 inch |
No guard at all leaves you just about down to the skin.
FOUR WAYS TO GET THE HAIRCUT YOU WANT
- Bring a picture if you have one. Tear it out of a magazine. I've seen them all.
- Tell me what you didn't like last time. That tells me more than what you did.
- Show me with your fingers how much you want off. "A little" means something different to everybody.
- Tell me about your cowlick. I'll find it anyway, but it saves us both a minute.
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