Back to the Basics: Types of Fades!

Barbershops in Toronto are finally re-opening soon! We have recently started cutting hair outside, and many of you have been booking! But after a long 8 months of "home-made" cuts, basement cuts, backyard cuts, or no cuts at all, it's FINALLY time to get back inside the studios we love!

It's the age-old question:"What do you want to do with your hair?"

Since it's been a while, we thought it might be time to go over the different types of fades, and what they look like!

Let's start with the basics - What IS a fade?

A fade usually starts (from the top) with short or medium length hair and gradually gets shorter - sometimes it goes all the way to the skin level (a bald fade!). To fade your hair, the barber will use clippers and gradually work its way down, ensuring that as the hair gets shorter, its blended perfectly so you don't have a clear line where the hair changes length. Now, depending on where you would like your fade to start you can ask your barber for a low-fade, mid-fade, or a high-fade.

Low-fade

A low-fade begins with a #0 to #2 guard at the bottom and gradually goes to the full length of the hair. The fade will start from the middle of the ear and curves around the hairline to the neck. It will gradually blend on the top with the length of the hair, like the image above. This type of fade is perfect for business professionals who don't want an aggressive cut but would like to keep a fresh and clean haircut. 

Mid-fade

As the name indicates, the mid-fade is half way between the low-fade and high-fade. This type of fade starts from #0 guard to #2 guard, and starts from the temple line above the ears and the back. The advantage of this type of fade is that it works with most haircut styles, lengths and type of hair. Many would define this as a bolder option compared to the most classic and clean low-fade. 

High-fade

Like the low and mid-fade, the high-fade also starts from the #0 to the #2 guard. However, differently from the other two, here we have a higher contrast between the top and the bottom of the head, and the fade starts closer towards the top of the head. This haircut is a more edgy and aggressive cut, and is the ideal cut for those who don't want to spend too much time styling their hair in the morning. 

These are the 3 most common types of fades. Any of these can have a variation, and you can ask your barber to start with a different guard number, or to keep the length that you prefer. But, knowing where to start your fade and which look you are looking for will help your barber deliver the hairstyle that best matches your expectations!