A fade is any cut where the hair gets gradually shorter down the sides and back. That’s the easy part. The difficulty is that “a fade” can mean six different haircuts, and most bad fades start with a misunderstanding rather than a bad barber.
Where the fade starts
- Low fade: starts just above the ears. The safest choice if you’re new to fades, and easy to wear in an office.
- Mid fade: starts around the temples. The all-rounder, and it suits most head shapes.
- High fade: starts near the top of the head. Bold and high contrast, and it needs more upkeep.
How short it goes
A skin fade goes down to bare skin at the lowest point. A regular fade might stop at a grade 1. If you’ve got pale skin with dark hair, a skin fade looks very sharp, and it can also show every bump on your head, so have a look at the back of your scalp first.
What suits your head
Round faces usually do well with a higher fade, because it adds some length to the shape. Longer faces suit a low fade with more width at the sides. If your hair is thinning at the crown, a shorter fade with less contrast will draw less attention to it than a high one.
How to ask for it
Bring two or three photos of people with hair like yours, then tell your barber where you want it to start, how short it should go and how much you want to leave on top. Finally, be honest about how often you’ll come back: skin fades look their best for two to three weeks.
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