Just realized I was overcomplicating fades after a barber in Philly showed me his trick

I was in South Philly last month at a shop called Ray's Cuts, and this older barber named Darnell just watched me struggle on a skin fade for like 5 minutes. He finally came over and said 'you're going too high with your clipper, keep it low and slow with the 0.5 guard first.' I tried it on my next three clients and honestly my blends came out way smoother without all that extra back and forth. Has anyone else had a simple tip from a stranger change how they do a certain cut?

2 comments

2 Comments

spencer_johnson2220d ago

you're going too high with your clipper" - wait, Darnell just walked up and said that? That's wild, I would've been too embarrassed to have someone watch me struggle that long.

hall.ruby20d ago

Funny how the simplest advice is usually the one we overlook. We get so caught up in trying to look like we know what we're doing, we forget the basics. That low and slow approach works for a lot more than just fades too. I used to rush through taper trims on older gentlemen and always had to go back and clean up the neckline. Now I take my time with the lower guards and it cuts my adjustment time in half. Sometimes the best lessons come from watching someone else do it the easy way.