Combination
Low Fade + Side Part
The hard part gives a low fade something to answer to — without it, the top just sits. The asymmetry also breaks up a round face more efficiently than added height does, which makes this a quieter alternative to a fade-and-quiff.
Cut lives at guard 1
- Guard range
- 1
- Chair time
- 35-45m
- Back in
- 3-4 wks
- Instrument
- Clipper + scissors
Two decisions, not one.
Sides
Low Fade
The gradient starts just above the ear and stays low around the head. The most forgiving fade there is — it works with almost any top and almost any face, which is why it is the default ask in most shops.
Full low fade pageTop
Side Part
A defined part with the bulk swept to one side. The most conservative cut on this list and the one that reads best in a room full of suits. Fine hair suits it better than thick.
Full side part pageAsk for it like this.
Two decisions means two sets of instructions, and the third sentence is usually the one that decides whether they meet in the middle.
- Ask for a low fade with the part line following your natural split, not a shaved line.
- Say the top is a side part with the longer side left with enough weight to hold the sweep.
- Ask whether your natural part sits where you think it does. Most people are wrong about this.
The failure mode.
Every pairing has one specific way it goes wrong, and it is almost always at the join between the two halves rather than in either one of them.
A shaved part line grows back as stubble in five days and looks worse than no line at all. Ask for a cut part unless you are committed to a weekly touch-up.