In 20 years behind the chair, I've had a lot of clients who couldn't describe what they wanted. Not because they didn't know, but because most people have never had to put a haircut into words. So I built a method for pulling that information out of them, in order, every time. It works the same way in reverse: if you're the client, walk through these steps yourself before you sit down, and your barber will know exactly what to do.
I call it top-down. Start at the top of the head and work your way down. Skip nothing, ask nothing out of order.
Step 1: The Top
Before anything else, settle what's happening on top. Are we cutting it? To what length? Are we leaving it alone? Is it getting styled a certain way? This is the foundation everything else builds around, so it comes first.
Step 2: Fade or All-Even
Next, decide the sides. Most clients default to a fade unless they say otherwise, so this is where you find out if that's actually what they want, or if they're after an all-even cut instead.
If it's a fade, figure out the shape: drop, low, mid, high, or southside. Then the length at the bottom: shadow or bald.
One thing that doesn't usually need asking: the base of the neck. On a shadow fade, that gets blended for a finished look. On a skin fade, it gets removed. That's just the custom, and it's on the barber to know it, not on the client to request it.
Step 3: If It's All-Even
If the client wants all-even instead of a fade, the questions change. Work through these in order:
- Back of the neck — faded, rounded, or squared
- Temples — faded with no sideburns or beard connection, or faded with sideburns or beard connection (this branches into a lot of options depending on the client)
- Hairline — ask if there's anything odd or a spot they're worried about. A well-trained barber checks the whole hairline regardless, but it's worth asking
- Facial hair — this has more options than almost anything else, so don't skip it
Why This Works
Once you go through it top to bottom, most clients will speak up about one or two things they actually care about more than the rest. That's the real signal. Get those one or two things right and the client walks out happy, even if everything else was a judgment call you made along the way.
This works whether you're the barber pulling the details out of someone who can't describe a haircut, or the client trying to make sure your barber gets it right. Either way, starting at the top and working down in order means nothing gets missed and nothing gets asked out of turn.
TCUTME Barber Studio · 8101 Sandy Spring Rd, Laurel, Maryland · Appointment only · 20+ years behind the chair