The style explorer
Speak barber, fluently.
Every bad haircut starts as a translation error. Five minutes here and you’ll order your next cut like a regular — fade heights, guard numbers, necklines and what to ask for on top, each with the exact words to use in the chair.
A fade is a gradient — hair that goes gradually from longer up top to shorter (or bare) below. The only real question is where the gradient starts climbing.
Side profile · blend line in red
Low fade
The blend starts just above the ears and hugs the hairline. Subtle, tidy, office-proof — the fade you can take anywhere.
Say this in the chair
“Low fade, tight at the ears, keep it natural on top.”
How it grows out
Grows out the most gracefully of the three. Sharp for 2–3 weeks, respectable for four.
Know what you want now?
Take the 30-second barber match and get a shortlist of who should cut it.
Find your barber →See the vocabulary on real heads
Fades, crops and tapers from our own chairs — every photo captioned by the barber who cut it.
Open the gallery →Still nervous? Read this first
The consultation cheat-sheet: the photo rule, the five words that matter, and what to say when you have no idea.
Read the guide →19 terms and counting — ask your barber about the rest