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How-To: The Dramatic Undercut
The world is not shying away from dramatic, short cuts right now, and we fully support the movement.Like it or not, Hollywood tends to be a good indicator of what's trending in hair, makeup and style, and many women—Scarlett Johansson, ...
Lauren Quick・Contributor
Hair: Geneva Cowen // Makeup: Maria Camacho // Wardrobe: Gianna Foltz (photo credit: Shalem Mathew)
Shalem Mathew
2 min to read
The world is not shying away from dramatic, short cuts right now, and we fully support the movement.
Like it or not, Hollywood tends to be a good indicator of what's trending in hair, makeup and style, and many women—Scarlett Johansson, Rihanna, Tilda Swinton, Jada Pinkett Smith, Pink, Kelly Osbourne and more—have been trading in more traditionally feminine shapes for statement-making undercuts.
"In the past, feminine shapes have typically been rounder and men's shapes leaner, but today we are applying both options to each gender," says Geneva Cowen, artistic director for Sam Villa. "Shapes that can be styled ultra feminine or masculine, depending on mood."
How-to: Dramatic undercut
Back of the head
STEP 1: Use Sam Villa Signature Series 7-inch Dry Cutting Shear and Wide Cutting Comb to cut out disconnection with a shear-over-comb technique. Cut entire area to the depth of the comb evenly.
STEP 2: Use an adjustable clipper with the blade set to most open position (position that leaves hair longest) to work from the hairline up toward the parietal.
STEP 3: At the top of this section, keep the blade angled away from the head to avoid creating any lines and to create the blend with the shear-over-comb length.
STEP 4: Use clippers with the adjustable blade closed to scoop out the bottom. Work this length about halfway up the vertical plane of the side of the head and again rock the blade away at the top of the section to blend.
STEP 5: Continue toward the back of the head to create a nice, soft curve toward the back of the head with the weight line.
STEP 6: With the Sam Villa Signature Series Razor with the Straight Edge Blade, clean up the neckline and blend to the shortest area of the clipper work.
Top and crown
STEP 1: Comb hair into natural fall and establish desired length in the fringe.
STEP 2: Begin in the center of the head and take a 1/2-inch verticle section.
STEP 3: Comb each section straight up at 90 degrees.
STEP 4: Work in radial partings to connect crown length to the length in the perimeter; use deep point-cutting to create texture and movement. Continue throughout the top and crown area.
"Be sure to take time in the consultation to find out what your guest is looking for and then more time after the cut is done to teach them multiple ways to style their hair with product and tool recommendations," Cowen says.
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