I looked myself in the mirror after a few weeks 'locked down' and I was not happy.
I had been away from the barber shop for too long. My style was suffering. I was safe, but I was not looking.
It was dawning on me that this whole ‘not going outside’ thing was going to last (and last and last and last). I finally decided that I needed to take action for myself.
Even if I couldn't connect with my barber, I still wanted to present my best self to the world around me. I started looking in to maintaining my barbershop-fresh style.
The result? This little run down on the low fade. It might just help you, too!
Capiche! Sound Good?
WHAT IS A FADE, ANYWAY?
If you are real American, you know that the fade is part of our tradition of fighting for freedom.
The fade is definitely associated with a young guy going in to basic training. Just think of so and so, in such and such movie.
For guys like so and so ... these guys, our fathers and grandfathers ... getting his hair buzzed off was a very powerful signal that his whole world was about to get thrown upside down. He was about to encounter a serious new challenge.
Those of us who have not served in the military are so … lucky. I don’t know if i could deal w the danger that these guys have confronted. Well ..
A military crew cut means exactly that you shave the back and sides to one uniform length, while the hair on top is left slightly longer.
This is the origin of a 'fade' as the shaved sides and back of new recruits were blended-in to the top of the hair.
Of course, all things change and over time the military has become a less prominent part of our culture. Likewise, popular hair styles drifted away from the fade
In the 1990s, tho, the fade started making a comeback in popular culture. Think Will Smith’s fade back in the day on Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. In fact, even before Will Smith made it mainstream, the fade was popping in black barbershopS.
So, i would argue, today’s popularity of fades is really a blend of ‘the establishment’ on one hand and ‘black culture’ on the other. It is a truly American style.
TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE LOW FADE
This cut is great for guys who have with texture.
The reason this particular hair cut is called a low fade is the hair here disappear higher than a regular fade but lower than a high fade. The hair in this cut usually disappears at the back of the head and half way through the sides and about an inch from the natural hairlone of the back and the sides of the head. However, it is your preference regarding how much line of fading you want. The cut is most suitable on hair which have texture.
Though the cuts are similar in technique, your choice between a low fade and a high fade will show the difference in your overall style.
The low fade is gonna taper from the ear by about an inch and can also sometimes curve around your ears and go down to the neckline.
WHAT ABOUT THE HIGH FADE
The main distinction between a low fade and a high fade is -- you guessed it, genius! -- how short the hair on the sides is and the location of the cut taper.
In the case of high fade, tho, the cut starts from the corner of the forehead or the temple and it gets shorter on the sides. In most high fades the cut fades gradually down the neck.
Another point to watch out for with the high fade is pigmentation
A high fade generally requires you to have the same skin tone on your face and your scalp.
You would be surprised, but for a lot of light skinned people this is a real issue. Your scalp was previously covered by hair and may be noticeably lighter.
You can still go in for the high fade, but it will take a few days for your scalp to tan to your face’s skin tone.
This is one reason why the high fade is, from at least one perspective, more of a ‘black style’. Think about it! When was the last time you heard a black guy talk about getting a sun tan?? If you were born with dark skin, then it makes sense that you don’t really need consider differences in initial pigmentation between face and scalp.
S 3.b Overall .. Low Fade vs High Fade
The standard barbershop wisdom is that:
You wanna go for a low fade if your hair has ample texture and curl;
But if you want a hairstyle with maximum contrast, then you might wanna consider the high fade.
S 4: The low fade in action
check out this great video
S 5: Summary
The fade is an iconic, American style. The low fade is gonna work especially well if your hair has some texture. You are gonna look fresh and sharp without looking excessively 'hip' or 'try hard'.