The fade trick that took me 5 years to figure out

I kept seeing guys struggle with the fade line not blending and finally realized the issue. Most folks I watch jump straight from bald to the first guard without opening the lever or clipper. Last month I started setting the bald line lower and using a half-open lever with a 0.5 guard first. My biggest fade clients noticed the difference and asked what I changed. Has anyone else found a specific sequence that works better than the standard method?

3 comments

3 Comments

oliverhernandez1mo ago

Wait, are you really saying going from bald to a half-open lever with a 0.5 guard is the fix? I gotta disagree a bit here. In my experience, that whole half-open lever thing just makes things more complicated than they need to be. You end up with a weird fuzzy line that you gotta chase around, and it takes longer to blend out than if you just used a closed lever and a 1 guard to start. I think most guys mess up because they don't stretch the skin enough or they go too high with the bald line, not because of the guard or lever setting. The real trick for me was keeping that bald line super low and only using a closed lever until the 1.5 guard, then opening up the lever for the last blend. So I'm just not sold that jumping straight to the 0.5 with a half lever is the secret most people are missing.

sage3081mo ago

Oliver you're over here writing the whole manual for blending fades and I'm just trying not to give somebody a bald spot shaped like a crescent moon. That half-open lever debate is like arguing over which way the toilet paper roll goes nobody's ever gonna agree. But hey if your closed lever 1.5 method works for you then keep riding that train, I'll be over here with my weird fuzzy lines chasing my tail like a happy little dog.

markh851mo ago

Hold up this is actually spot on for more than just fades. It reminds me of learning guitar tabs years back where everyone jumps straight to the full chords but the trick is starting with simpler shapes and working up. Same with cooking recipes people skip the low temp first step then wonder why the meat's tough. @sage308 you're right that half-open lever debate gets old but the bigger point is about trusting the process instead of skipping steps. Most guys rush to the end result without respecting the groundwork. Its like building a logo from scratch you gotta block out the basic shapes before adding details or the whole thing falls apart.

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