BABYLISS PRO: ASK THE EXPERTS

PETE CRANFIELD BREAKS DOWN THE BUZZ CUT

BABYLISS PRO

MODEL: EASON

“Lately, many of my clients have been asking for a buzz cut, and a lot of barbers have reached out with questions about what a buzz cut actually is. Is it a fade? Do you take the back and sides down to the skin or keep more scalp coverage? Do you cut the top with scissors or clippers? What length determines whether it’s a buzz cut?.”

PRODUCTS
“THIS CUT IS CLIPPER HEAVY, SO I USED THE NEW FX ONE LO-PRO CLIPPER FOR MOST OF IT. IF YOU FIND YOURSELF USING CLIPPERS ALL DAY LONG LIKE ME, THE FX ONE POWER SYSTEM MEANS YOU CAN SWITCH OUT THE BATTERIES AND HAVE CORDLESS POWER FOR AS LONG AS YOU NEED.”

BEFORE

TECHNIQUE

A true buzz cut is done entirely with clippers, that’s where the name comes from - the ‘buzz’ is the sound the clippers make. So you can put down your scissors for this one. First you need to make sure you’re armed with a good set of clippers. Eason’s bright pillar-box red hair was a great one for showing off a cool buzz cut, but also came with the common challenge you might face of fading between the red hair and natural hair around the back and sides.

On the top I used a Number 6 clipper guard all over, and down to a 1.5 on the back and sides and blended the transition between the two using a classic clipper over comb technique - sometimes, especially with a cut like this that involves a vivid colour - it’s better to do things by eye.

TIPS

• A buzz cut is a short cut, and sometimes clients don’t really know what they’re letting themselves in for -I would recommend a proper consultation with your client and explain to them what exactly a buzz cut is

• Don’t forget to make good use of your taper lever to achieve a nice smooth transition between the length on top and the back and sides

• Start with the longest clipper guard length on top, and go shorter once your client has seen the length on their hair. Explain to clients with finer textured hair that their hair is likely to look less dense and full once you clipper the top of the hair; especially if they haven’t had their hair below an inch in length on top before