I thought those cheap plastic guards were a waste of money until a client asked for a specific fade pattern.

A regular came in last month and showed me a picture from a magazine, wanting a very sharp, defined line in his fade. I usually just freehand everything, but I dug out an old set of plastic guards I bought for maybe $15 years ago and never used. I tried the half-guard to set the initial guideline, and it gave me a perfect, clean base to work from that I could never get as consistent by eye alone. It completely changed how I approach those super crisp skin fades now. Do any of you have a favorite guard or tool you were surprised by?

3 comments

3 Comments

umamartin1mo ago

Too good for a blending shear" is a whole mood. I had the same thing with texturizing shears. Called them a crutch for a solid year. Then I butchered a thick head of hair trying to layer it with just my regular shears. The cleanup took forever. That little tool is now my best friend for taking out weight without making the cut look choppy.

blake_bell291mo ago

...and I'm still on the other side of this one honestly. I get why people use them but I just don't see them as necessary if you actually know how to work with your regular shears. Texturizing and blending is all about the angle of your cut and the way you point cut, it's not that hard to learn. Feels like another gadget people buy to fix a problem they created by using the wrong technique in the first place.

grantadams1mo ago

Told myself I was too good for a blending shear for years. My ego took a hit when I finally caved. Now I use it on almost every cut to soften lines. That humble shear saved me from so many awkward corrections.