How to Do an Emo Haircut

Emo is a type of music popularized by bands such as Dashboard Confessional and Taking Back Sunday. The word "emo" has also been used to describe a sense of style. A person can dress emo or have an emo haircut. Although emo haircuts appear unstructured, the system and plan that you use to achieve the final look is important in completing the hairstyle. Without knowing the proper technique, your emo haircut could end up uneven in a way that only time can fix.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Flat iron Fine tooth comb Hair clips Texturizing haircutting shears Straight blade haircutting shears Hair styling paste (or other hair product)

1. Begin by flat ironing the person's hair. Be sure to get the hair as smooth and straight as possible. Whenever a haircut is performed on dry hair it is crucial that the hair is perfectly straight to ensure accuracy in the cut. Because emo haircuts are very visual haircuts, it is important to do the haircut on dry hair so that you can continue to alter and detail the cut as you go.

2. Comb a triangle section from the crown of the person's head to the temples. Creating this heavy front section that lays across the person's face will be the starting point for the emo haircut. This side-swept style is a signature part of the emo haircut.

3. Clip all other hair out of the way so that you can focus on the triangular section.

4. Comb the section of hair together and hold it at a 45-degree angle. Holding the hair between your pointer and middle fingers, use your texturizing shears to cut the hair to the preferred length.

5. Allow the section to lay down onto the face and use your straight blade shears to slide down through the section and to slice through the hair. Your shears should be pointing downward as you cut into the hair. By doing this, you will be able to remove thickness and perfect signature bangs. You can create peaks and points in the front that can later be accentuated with hair product. Use the bangs that you created as the guide for the rest of your haircut.

6. Let down the hair that you clipped away in step 3. Comb the hair from the back to the front of the head. Then, slice into the hair as you did the triangular section of hair. Continue doing this until you have achieved the desired length.

7. Move your hands throughout the person's hair and shake the hair around to constantly observe how it is laying and moving. Continue to slice through the hair with both your straight blades and your texturizing blades where needed until you've completed the emo haircut.

Tips & Warnings

• Emo haircuts often have a disconnected section in the crown of the head that can be spiked and styled with product. Colored hair can often help in creating the texture that is necessary in an emo haircut. If the person's hair is of its natural color, you may consider coloring it ahead of time. Any color will work when creating the emo haircut. Hair product is incredibly important in styling emo haircuts. Hair styling paste is pliable yet stiff and enhances the haircut.