How to Give a Taper Fade

Cutting a taper fade is a key component to certain hair styles such as a military cut or a high-and-tight. With patience and precision, a taper fade can give a professional look to other hairstyles as well.

Difficulty:

Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Set of clippers with guards from 1 inch to 1/8 inch
• Long comb with small teeth

1. Put the highest guard on the clippers and cut all the sides and backs of the hair. If your clippers have an adjuster level, put them to the highest setting as well. If the highest guard doesn't cut any hair, switch to the next highest. Keep changing the guards from the highest to the smallest until you figure out the maximum length you want your haircut to be.

2. Comb out all the excess and cut hair and then switch your guard to the next lowest guard. This time when you cut, stop your stroke at where you wish to begin your taper. Be sure to keep an imaginary straight line going all around the sides of the head so as to ensure a straight cut. Once you go all the way around, comb the hair downward.

3. Switch to the next lowest guard and cut the hair, ending your stroke between 1/8-inch and 1/16-inch from your first cut. Again, maintain a straight line so that your taper fade continues to be uniform. Comb the hair downward.

4. Repeat the pattern in Step 3 of switching out the guard, cutting 1/8-inch from your last line, and then combing downward. Repeat until you have reached the bottom of your taper. Remember where you started and which order of the guards you used.

5. Rinse out the hair and comb out until you can clearly see the taper fade. If there are any mistakes, start again with the highest guard you used before you began the taper fade.

Tips & Warnings

• Use a scooping motion when cutting with clippers. Always start at the very bottom of the hair line and work your way up, scooping up and out at the end of the hair line.