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The Daily Insight

How do you blend a haircut

Author

Emily Dawson

Published Mar 30, 2026

Blending removes weight, and melds longer hair into short hair, keeping locks light and manageable, while still leaving the hair with length to style. The stylist will cut in two lengths, removing excess weight. Then they’ll combine the new length with the sides and back.

What does it mean to blend a haircut?

Blending removes weight, and melds longer hair into short hair, keeping locks light and manageable, while still leaving the hair with length to style. The stylist will cut in two lengths, removing excess weight. Then they’ll combine the new length with the sides and back.

What Clippers do I need to fade?

Rank OrderClipper NameOverall Rating1.Wahl Magic Clip93.6 %2.BabylissPRO GoldFX92.8 %3.Andis Cordless Master90.3 %4.Andis Fade Combo90 %

What the difference between a taper and fade?

A taper is when your hair gradually changes from long to short from the top of your head down to your hairline. A taper only appears in two areas—your sideburns and your neckline. A fade is a shorter version of a taper. … Fades and tapers are similar because they both reduce the length of your hair to form a gradient.

What guards do you need to fade?

To do a classic fade haircut, you’ll leave about 3″ (or more) of hair on top that won’t be cut with clippers. The #3, #2, #1, and 0 (no clipper guard) are commonly used for this kind of fade. If you’d prefer your fade to be a little longer, try clipper guards #4, #3, #2, and #1 instead.

What is a lineup haircut?

A shape-up, also called a line-up or an edge-up, is a hairstyle that involves cutting along the natural hairline to straighten it. Shape-ups or edge-ups are the fundamental outline for haircuts today . Edge-ups are typically found among men and short-haired women.

What is a blend fade?

Blending is fading or tapering shorter hair to longer hair without having a line marking the difference in length. Learning blending is key to clipper work for all barbers and stylists. Almost every men’s haircut uses blending – for either a tapered hairline, shorter sides to a layered top, or a skin length fade.

What guard do you use to blend?

Use a 6 or 8 guard on the top of the hair. In a blended cut, the hair needs to be longer on the top and shorter on the bottom. A size 6 guard is about 3⁄4 in (1.9 cm) long and an 8 is about 1 in (2.5 cm) long. These are standard for a fade, although you can certainly make the hair longer or shorter if you prefer.

How long does your hair have to be to get a fade?

Leave hair 3 inches or so on top, enough to comb over while leaving some volume when combed back.” “A high skin fade keeping a couple inches on top when dry and a clean lineup. The top not too shaped with a bit of texture.” “A skin low to mid skin-fade with a 1.5mm on top.