Regular haircut


A regular 'haircut in Western fashion is a men's and boys' hairstyle featuring hair long enough to comb on top, with a defined or deconstructed side part, and back and sides that vary in length from short, semi-short, medium, long, to extra long. The style is also known by other names, including taper cut, regular taper cut, side-part and standard haircut; as well as short back and sides, businessman cut and professional cut', subject to varying national, regional, and local interpretations of the specific taper for the back and sides.

History

The short back and sides dates back to the Roman Empire, as the regulation haircut for legionaries. Besides preventing the spread of lice, short hair and a clean shaven face prevented the enemy from grabbing a soldier by the beard. By the first century AD, Roman hairstyles were imitated by non-Roman subjects who admired the civilisation that Rome brought. Examples include the Gallo-Romans and Romanized Jews like Saint Paul seeking to distinguish themselves from traditionalists for whom hair cutting was forbidden.
The regular haircut, worn with a long beard, made a comeback during the Renaissance due to European men's newfound fascination with rediscovered classical Greco-Roman artefacts. It was revived for a second time during the Regency era of c.1810-1830 as dandies abandoned the impractical and expensive powdered wigs in response to William Pitt the Younger's hair powder tax.
During the Gay Nineties, the regular haircut gradually replaced the longer hair and muttonchop sideburns fashionable since the 1840s until, by 1910, it had become the norm for professional men. An extreme version known as the undercut was very common for German soldiers during World War II. During the post-World War II period, the business-man haircut, in the form of a combover, became the standard dress code for men's hair in white-collar workplace settings throughout the Western world until the late 1960s and early 1970s. In 2010s fashion, the short back and sides continued to be worn by many professional men, while the related undercut was appropriated by the hipster subculture.

Elements

The essential elements of a regular haircut are edging, siding and topping:
  • Edging refers to the design of the lower edge of hair growth from the sideburns around the ears and across the nape of the neck.
  • Siding refers to the design of the hair on the back and sides between the edge and the top. Edging and siding, together or separately, commonly referred to as tapering, create a taper.
  • Topping refers to the design of the hair at the front and over the crown.
Edging comes first, followed by siding and topping. Edging is typically done with clippers; siding, shears over comb; topping, shears over finger. There are other methods that can be used including all clipper cuts, all shears cuts and all razor cuts. Barbers distinguish between a two line haircut and a one line haircut. Two line haircuts are standard taper cuts. The hair is outlined around the ears and then straight down the sides of the neck.The edge of hair growth at the nape of the neck is tapered to the skin with a fine clipper blade. A one line haircut, often referred to as a block cut, has the edge of hair growth at the nape outline shaved, creating an immediate transition between hair and skin and connecting the outline from the right sideburn to the outline from the left sideburn across the nape. The outline at the edge of the nape can be in a squared off or rounded pattern. A squared off nape can have squared or rounded corners. Rotary, taper and edger clippers can be used when edging or siding a haircut. Guards and/or blades can be attached that vary the cutting length.

Tapers

A tapered back and sides generally contours to the head shape; the hair progressively graduates in length from longer hair at the upper portions of the head to shorter hair at the lower edge of hair growth on the back and sides. There are a variety of tapers possible from short to extra long. Medium and longer tapers can be referred to as trims; however, the word trim is commonly used to request that the hair is trimmed back to the last haircut regardless of the style of taper. The sideburns and the shape and height of the neck edge are important design elements that can affect the appearance of the face, neck, chin, ears, profile and overall style.
In most instances, a shorter neck or chin suits a somewhat higher neck edge; a longer neck or chin suits a somewhat lower neck edge. An extra wide neck suits a somewhat narrower neck edge while a thinner neck or protruding ears suit a wider neck edge. When slightly longer sideburns are worn than are appropriate for a style, it can shorten the appearance of the face; when slightly shorter sideburns are worn than are appropriate, it can lengthen the appearance of the face; therefore, the appearance of a face that is shorter or longer than average, in particular when due to the length of the chin or lower face, can be normalized by altering the length of the sideburns.

Short

Other names for this style of taper include full crown, tight cut, and fade. The hair on the sides and back is cut with a coarse clipper blade from the lower edge of hair growth to or nearly full up to the crown. The clipper is gradually arced out of the hair at the hat band to achieve a taper. A fine clipper is used from the sideburn to about an inch above the ear. Clipper lines are blended out so there is a seamless transition between lengths.
Sideburns, which may not be visible at the time of the haircut depending on the color, thickness and density of the hair, skin tone and fine clipper blade used, are maintained short between haircuts. Short sideburns extend to the area where the ear cartilage attaches to the skull or slightly lower if ear shape requires to allow a sideburn to be defined. Can be worn with an ivy league, high and tight, flat top crew cut, butch and other styles; and often the choice with these styles during the summer.
A short crew cut is sometimes referred to as a butch, though with the exception of variant forms, a butch differs from a crew cut in that the top hair is cut a uniform short length. A long crew cut can be referred to in the US as an ivy league crew cut or ivy league. A crew cut where the hair on the top of the head is graduated in length from the front hairline to a chosen point on the mid to back part of the crown as a flat plane, of level, upward sloping or downward sloping inclination is known as a flat top crew cut or flattop. The crew cut, flat top crew cut, butch cut and Ivy League haircut can be referred to as types of buzz cuts. These haircuts have become popular military-inspired styles for men who want a short and low-maintenance look.

Semi-short

Also known as a half crown. The hair on the sides and back is cut with a coarse clipper blade about halfway up to the crown; the clipper starts to gradually arc out of the hair at the top of the ears. A fine clipper blade is used at the sideburns and at the nape arcing out of the hair to create a blend at a point between the bottom and the top of the ears.
Sideburns are generally worn short as the hair grows out or slightly longer than short but not quite medium. Blending at the upper sides can utilize clipper over comb or shears over comb techniques. While a semi-short taper can be worn with a regular haircut, it is very common with an ivy league, crew cut, flat top crew cut, butch, brush cut, or burr.

Medium

A coarse clipper blade may be used on the sideburns, with the clipper immediately arcing out of the hair, completing the taper at the top of the ears. In the nape area, the coarse clipper starts to arc out at the middle of the ears with the taper completed at the top of the ears. A fine clipper blade tapers the lower edge of the hairline at the nape to the skin. The lower edge of hair growth at the nape can alternatively be blocked off in a squared or rounded pattern.
Medium sideburns are appropriate with face shapes that are neither long or short. Medium sideburns extend to the top of the ear orifice. The hair on the middle part of the back and sides can be shortened, thinned and blended using a variety of methods including shears over comb, clipper over comb, thinning shears method, slithering with standard barber's shears, shear point tapering or razor methods. A common style with a regular haircut, medium pompadour or ivy league and also worn with a crew cut or flattop.

Long

A coarse clipper blade is used in the nape area, arcing out of the hair at the bottom of the ears with the taper completed at mid ear. A fine clipper blade is used to taper the edge at the hairline. A long taper is frequently blocked at the nape in a squared or rounded pattern instead of being tapered to the skin. Long sideburns are appropriate for average face shapes. Long sideburns extend to the middle of the ear opening.
The middle section of the back and sides is most often cut shears over comb or shears over fingers; can also be cut with a razor. Thinning, layering and blending of the middle section of the back and sides can be accomplished with thinning shears, slithering or razor techniques. Most frequently worn with a regular haircut or a long pompadour.

Extra long

A coarse clipper blade is used in the nape, immediately arcing out of the hair, with the taper completed below the bottom of the ears. A fine clipper blade may be used to taper the lower edge of the hairline to the skin. An extra long taper is frequently blocked at the nape in a squared or rounded pattern; a deconstructed arch around the ears and a deconstructed or shaggy block at the nape are also quite common.
Extra long sideburns are appropriate; extra long sideburns extend to the top of the ear lobe. The middle section of the back and sides is most often cut shears over comb or shears over fingers; can also be cut with a razor. Thinning, layering and blending of the middle section of the back and sides can be accomplished with thinning shears, slithering or razor techniques. Apart from being worn with a regular haircut, also worn with an extra long pompadour.