Sectioning the hair and basic cutting

Sectioning the into four sections

Sectioning is a crucial element in achieving a balanced style. Most cuts are divided into segments: back, sides, front and interior.

It is important that you take clean, precise sections when you are making your partings or following your guidelines around the shape of your haircut. Your sections should correspond with your cutting line. 

For example, if your cutting line is horizontal, you should take a horizontal section or, if your cutting line is curved, you should take a curved section.

You should also note the features of your client’s head – the position of their eyes and ears, the shape of their nose, their hairline points, etc. Make sure you take enough sections. The more sections and guidelines you use in the neck, side and front areas, the easier you will find the cutting process. Remember, if you make your sections clean, you will get precise cutting lines.

Picture taken by me

Picture taken by me

Picture taken by me

Picture taken by me

The correct way of holding the scissors:

Scissors

The correct way to hold scissors is by using your ring finger. If you use your index or middle fingers, you do not give enough support to the scissor blades.

To make sure you don’t stab yourself with the scissors when you are using your comb, you should always ‘palm’ them. This means simply taking your thumb out of the handle. 

When you are cutting, only the top blade of the scissors should be moving and you should be moving only your thumb, not your fingers. This can take a while to get used to.

Picture taken by me

Picture taken by me

Guidelines

Using guidelines is a very simple process. Cutting guidelines are specially prepared sections of hair. Each is cut so that both the length and cutting lines are visible. These guides can be followed throughout the cutting process to help you produce even and precise results. If you don’t have guidelines to follow – or you don’t follow the ones you’ve got - you are likely to end up with an uneven and unsuccessful haircut.

The first guideline

When you have decided on the style and the length of your haircut, you can make your first cutting guide. This is the area that forms the foundation to a haircut. When you are learning the basic techniques of haircutting, it is important to have an understanding of how the foundations of haircuts work.

Reference:

Hairdressing Training. (No Date) Sectioning [Online]

Available at: http://hairdressing.ac.uk/lessons/howtocuthair/sectioning.html

(Accessed: 05 December 2015)