How to Cut Sideburns for Curly Hair

Sideburns should be cut evenly on both sides of the face.

Sideburns play an interesting part in the history of men's hair styles. They were originally called burnsides, after the Civil War General Ambrose Burnside who sported particularly thick sideburns that connected to a handlebar mustache. Sideburns can be worn in many styles, shaped with a shaving razor from the hair that grows on the sides of the face, in front of ears, then cut and trimmed with scissors and clippers. Cutting curly sideburns can be a bit trickier than straight hair.

Things You'll Need

• Comb
• Pair of hair-styling scissors
• Clippers

Instructions

1. Apply water to the sideburns until all the hair is wet.

2. Straighten the sideburns with a comb.

3. Pinch the longer, curly hairs on the upper portion of the sideburns -- scissor fashion--between your index and middle fingers. Pull your fingers forward until the hairs sticking out between them are the length you want to trim.

4. Place the scissors flat against your fingers and carefully trim the ends of the hairs.

5. Repeat this process for the middle and lower portions of the sideburns as well, until all the longer hairs have been removed.

6. Set the clippers to the length that you want to cut the hair to be. Trim by moving the clippers from the bottom of the sideburns upward, until the entire length of the sideburns has been clipped. Double check to make sure the sideburns are trimmed to the same length on both sides of the face.

Tips & Warnings

• You may have to repeat trimming the hair with the scissors several times until all the hairs are fairly even. This will make trimming the sideburns with the clippers easier. Ensure both sideburns are even by checking in a mirror after trimming and clipping.

• Be sure to cut away from the ear when trimming the hair with the scissors.

References

• Cool Men's Hair: Five Things You Probably Never Knew About Sideburns
• FTM Guide: Facial Hair: Growth and Grooming