Style · 5 min read
Curly hair, men: what to actually ask your barber
Why curly hair is a different craft, the words that get you a good curly cut, why 'scissors, not clippers' on top matters, and the wash-and-go routine that finally works.
Curly hair behaves nothing like straight hair, and a barber who cuts it well is genuinely a different skill set. If you've had curly cuts that looked great wet and turned into a triangle when dry, this is for you.
Cut it for the shrinkage
Curls spring up shorter dry than they look wet — often by a lot. A barber who knows curly hair cuts for where it lands dry, not wet, and leaves length where you'll want it once it springs. If your barber only ever cuts your curls soaking wet, that's a small red flag.
Scissors on top, fade the sides
The modern curly go-to is a fade or taper on the sides with the curls kept and shaped on top with scissors — the high-fade-curly-top look. It frames the curls, keeps the bulk manageable, and grows out well. Clippers on top flatten the curl pattern; scissors preserve it.
The words to use
- 01'Keep the curls — shape them, don't thin them out.'
- 02'Fade/taper the sides, scissors on top.'
- 03'Cut for how it dries, I don't want a triangle.'
- 04'Leave enough length up top to keep the curl.'
The routine that works
Curls want moisture, not control. Apply a curl cream or light leave-in to damp hair, scrunch upward, and let it air-dry or diffuse — don't touch it while it dries or you'll break the clumps and get frizz. Refresh with a little water and product on day two.
Rahiem in the Fergus shop has a portfolio full of high-fade curly tops — worth a look in the gallery if curls are your thing.