Haircut & Style- Classic Fade
The Classic Zero Fade Haircut
The fade. We've all heard about it. Some of us are a little intimidated by it, while others are huge fans of the look. The question is whether this is the style that is meant for you and how can you get it yourself.
What to ask for?
Simple Answer:
For the look shown above, one would request: "A zero mid-fade. Short on top, styled into a side part."
Long Answer:
A fade in itself is not a hairstyle, it is a component of a complete look and can have many different adjustments to it. Essentially what it means to get a fade, is that the sides and back of your hair will be taken down quite short and there will be a visual appearance of going from light to dark (short to long). This post will be focusing much more on the aspect of a fade, as the overall hairstyle is still dictated by the length on top and how that is manipulated. For example, you could have a really short, buzzed top, or a really long top-knot style. Both would be able to incorporate a fade of some kind, and I think dedicated, future posts will be able to address the nuances of those looks better.
When requesting a fade, a few things have to be taken into consideration. Mainly, hair density, hair texture, and hair colour. If you have average-to-high density, medium-to-thick texture, and somewhat darker hair colour, then you're probably going to have a really good fade. You'll be able to see a very smooth transition of light to dark (short to long) due to the contrast between the scalp and hair showing. Those would be the ideal conditions for a good fade, but what if you don't have that type of hair?
This is when it gets a little trickier. For clients of a lower hair density, where the individual strands are a bit more spaced out on the scalp, you may not visually see the fade the same as if your follicles were closer together and things will appear very light (almost bald). Hair that is too thick can also be an issue, as it appears much darker in certain spots and can break up that smooth transition. When it comes to hair texture, something too fine will run into the same issue of appearing too light. While super strong, coarse hair can really show off the scalp as the hair strands stand almost 90 degrees from the surface of the hair. I'd say hair colour doesn't play too much of a role on its own, but when factored in with low density, then the hair will have trouble appearing faded with lighter colours being particularly harder to work with!
How do we address these issues?
This is where the customization aspect comes in for your fade to match your hair. If your hair is too light (in terms of both: density and colour), then you may not want to consider a fade at all and opt more for a taper (where the hair is only faded at the neckline and sideburns). If you still want that nice consistent fade though, you might want to consider not going all the way down to zero or skin. A #0.5 or #1 can still give the appearance of lightness but allow for more wiggle room when blending to a longer top. If you still want to go down to the skin, then you may want to ask for a low fade as that allows for more room to blend the hair.
#1 guard Fade. You can see the same transition from light to dark, if we had gone any shorter, that shadow would appear higher than what the client requested.
Both images shown so far are fades, but the first one goes down to zero and the blend is stretched out more compared to the second one that goes down to #1. Both achieve similar desired looks and suit the individual’s hair type.
Of course, these are just my recommendations of what to consider when asking for a fade or consulting your barber/stylist. If you're dead set on getting a mid or high fade then go ahead! You know what you want, but this post is more for those that aren't too sure or they just haven't really asked for a fade before and want to give it a try.
Why should you get a fade?
I think this all comes down to personal preference and lifestyle. A fade is great for those that want to feel as clean as can be with as little effort on their part as possible. All the hard work has been done by the barber/stylist in making sure the haircut is done right, and all you will have to focus on is styling the top. Some feel that skin/zero fades can appear too aggressive and unprofessional for certain workplaces. Now this may be true to an extent, and it all depends on whether the fade was customized to fit your hair and head shape, or if it was brought up too high and tight creating more of a buzzed hair effect than a smooth and gradual transition. I have plenty of clients who are in their professional careers, and they feel most confident with a fade whether it is a #1 or right down to #0.
How to style:
Like I mentioned earlier, the fade is not a hairstyle but a piece of a whole image. With it being so short, the sides are already "styled" and you can focus more so on the top section of hair.
For the look featured in this post, it was as simple as spraying in a texture spray into the hair and blow-drying it into a side-part. Finding where to part your hair can be a bit tricky though. What I usually do is comb the hair backwards while it is damp, the hair will start splitting in places where the part naturally wants to fall. That's usually a good spot to style your hair from as it will not fight back as much as a random parting.
With the sides cut so short, there really isn't much else to worry about to achieve the look. Again, you can play around with having longer lengths on top and get different styles just by changing that aspect of the haircut. You may be able to achieve a slick back look, a pompadour, or even a forward fringe. You are certainly not limited to any particular look when you ask for a fade!
Recommended Products for this Style:
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