How to Cut 12 Types of Fade Haircuts

Faheem Alexander isn't known as The Fade King for nothing.

The master barber travelled up from South Philly to break down 12 different fades and demonstrate a few of his methods.

Consider this video your one-stop-shop to get a basic understanding of box cut fades, tapered fades, feathered fades, high top fades and quite a few more.

Next time you get a haircut you'll know exactly what to ask for.

[buzzing][laughing]- Sometimes the nakedblade can get more detailthan a motor driven clipper.[clapperboard clapping]Action.I'm Faheem Alexander, MasterBarber from South Philadelphia.A.k.a.

The Fade King.I'm here to walk you through12 fades and hairstylesfrom textures to tools.This is Faheem Alexander, let's go.So the first one we gothere is the dirk fade.This is a taper style cutwith a comb-over and a part.We taper the bottom, you know,either a one to a two to a three,then go all the way up to the part.Even though differentcompanies have different sizes,there's a general standardfor clipper guide numbers.Generally, the clipperguard number representsthe number of 1/8 inchesof hair left on the head.Lower number clipper guardsleave less hair on the head,while higher number clipper guards leavemore hair on the head.The number one guard leaves 1/8 lengthof the hair on the head.The number two guard leaves 1/4 length.The number three guard leaves 3/8 length.The number four guardleaves 1/2 inch lengthDid you know there's a differencebetween a taper and a fade?A taper starts at short hairwhereas a fade starts at skin.Here, we have the skin drop fade.One of my favorites.It's real smooth and easy to do.Start off skinning it bald.You want to go from azero to a one to a twoand fade it all the way up to your pomp.So in this next photo we got here,is a tapered fade with long hair.This fade right here isone of my favorite fadesfrom the '80s.1.5 guard, trim off a little off the top.I think every barbershop canbe a safe place for women.Check this cut out that I'm going to doto my friend, Arianne.- How's it going, Faheem?- How are you?- Good, good.- What's going on?I love this style, loveeverything that you've gotgoing on here.- Thank you.I'm actually excited.You'll be the first person to cut my hairthat isn't me, in five years.- Oh, wow.- Yeah.- So I'm being taught all over again.- [laughing]- And it's quite all right.- We're all learning.- So, what do you like, what do you want?- I usually do, like,a two up to about hereand then maybe a three going out.- Okay.- And then a nice, if youwanna get that fade goingback here, that's fun.- That'd be perfect, I can nail that.- [Arianne] Yeah, cool.- So normally when clientscome into the barbershopand they want this style right here,I always have a comb on handyand I'm going to use my357 clipper from Caliber.So my comb is my best weapon.We're just going to trim right here.Just make it easier.Then you comb it back down.Go up a little bit more.And just swipe at it.I love this cut already.So tell me something,do you wear any designsor anything back here?Or would you just wear it natural?- Well, I've done just a couple steps herethat I really like.- [Faheen] A couple parts?- [Arianne] Yeah.- Would you like to see that again?- Yeah, why not?Let's do it.- Okay, great.I'm going to taper itdown a little bit more,just so I can get overa bit onto the surface.You have all types of mazes back here.- [Arianne] It takestwists and turns, right?- Yeah, that's cool though, it's neat.You're going to like this, though.Looks like a beautiful haircut.- Yeah?- I don't know where you'refinding all these grey hairs.- I put some in there.- I thought so.This looks fantastic.It's just soft enough, it'snot too hard of an edge.It's got really great flow.I can play with it, it'sgoing to blend really nicelywhen it's growing out.- So, Arianne, what do you think?- Very happy.- Love it, love it, love it.So here we got our fourth fade.One of the most commoncuts that's wore today.A one and a half on thesides, cut into a box texture.Some people that sportedthis haircut in the '80s:Kid 'n Play, Salt-N-Pepa,Cameo, Eric B.

& Rakim,and Big Daddy Kane.Public Enemy and E.P.

And D,and my guy from my city, Will Smith,Fresh Prince of Bel Air.Your barber would tellyou he would have the keysto success of keeping its shape.You know, I like a little bit of spritz.A holding spray.A blow dryer.Back in the day, youknow, you're in the mirrorin the bathroom, youknow, you patting it downto make that square shape.Every other week to keep it fresh,you should buzz your sides.So in number five, wegot the temple taper fadewith the kinky hair.That's most common today withthe brothers with the beard.You could start fromyour skin fade and thenblend down into your beard, which won'tmake it too dark, so yourbeard is like a three.It can grow and look natural.To keep this haircut right, right here,you maybe want to use your favorite spongeor your favorite curly racket.So with this style, I mean,you can shampoo it every night,to be honest with you, if you like.But you know, you need these steps.Number one, you know, you want to getyour favorite shampoo and conditioner.Number two, you want to putyour favorite pomade in the hair.Maybe use a blow dryer and dry it.Then your favorite curlyracket or your sponge.So number six, we got the high brook.I'm going to cut my boy Jesse.He wants to sport thatlow fade and trim on top.Come on in, Jesse.- What's up man?- Hey, bro, how you doing man?- How you doing?- All right, Victor Cruz.When you normally go to the barbershop,what do you ask for?- I usually say, "Give me alow fade or a high brook."So basically just get a taper,and I get it tapered up real high.- That's the new one,to me, the high brook.I ain't hear that one yet.Why do they call it the high brook?Because it has somethingto do with Brooklyn?Yeah, so, you know, alot of cats, instead ofgetting a full on fade,they just want to getthe Brooklyn, which is justtaper the edges a little bit.You know, I want mine taperedbut I usually want to geta higher taper, so Icall it the high brook.That's just some differentterminology right there.Anywhere else, they just say,"Give me a temple fade," that's it.So to make this high brook,I'm going to brush it outwhere I'm going to do most of my work at.So I got my outliner twos here,and I'm just going tostart to make a small fade.Yeah, we do these all daylong down in Philadelphia.We just call it temple fades.- That's what they call it?- Yeah, but the high brook is funny.That's different to me.What I've got now, it's justmy .50 Mag from Caliber.Great for tapering, alltapering and trimming,and critiquing the top.Then I have the new Andis cordless Masterfor detail work and designs.I use this for my trimming,to make my boxes and my afros.Then, we got the 357 from Caliber.It's an all-around clipperthat I can use all day.So Jesse, I think I did the Brooklyn, man.It's my first time doingit, I think I nailed it.You tell me.- Did I pass the test?- I had to trust you, man.You passed the test, man.I'm rocking with it.Yeah, you laced me man, I appreciate it.- [Faheem] Thank you, man.- I appreciate it, man.- Appreciate you coming to my shop.That'll be about $50.- [Jesse laughing]- Did any of you guysknow that the fade startedin World War Two, whenAfrican American soldiersstarted wearing their hair skintight.It resembled being that good soldier.In the seventh fade, we havethe temple fade style haircutwith the comb back.So with these two fades,you got one up herethat's actually going to the sidewith the part that's pretty smooth.Then on this one you havethe hair pulled to the backand tapered, giving thatnice temple fade on the side.This cut right here hasless in the nape areaand you can show your magic as a barber.You can round it, you can square it.But it's fine, either way that you do it.Number eight, we got themohawk, with the beard.And it's popular in thebarbershops all around the world.It's kind of like one of my favorites,but I wouldn't want to freakit, Philly style one day.I mean, if you want this popular style,it's real easy to do.Roll your hair out, buzz the sides.So in the ninth photo,we've got the burst fade.My favorite burst fadeis the skin burst fade,when you start low above the ear and thenyou just move up to aone, to a one and a half,to a two, and make it pop.The burst fade can be added to anymen's hairstyle, short or long.You can turn it into a fro-hawk.Pat the sides, keep a little bit on top.If you like the burst fade, check outthe James Harden Make Me Look Like.I'm going to bring my boy Austin outand we going to hop rightinto this burst fade.How are you man?- Very good, very good.

Thanks a lot.- So you seem like apretty cool guy, Austin.What type of stylesyou rocking these days?- Something like a burst fadeis usually what I go for.- Let's try a burst fade,I think the brother wouldlook cool in a burst fade.- Cool.- Let's try it.- I'm trying to get mybeard like you, man.- Oh, man.- Got to tell me how toget it like that, man.- Here in this cut right here,I'm going to go with my Andis Supra Z's.Open that burst up for you.Look at that, oh.- I got a date tomorrow night, brother,this is right on time.- Oh, you do.- Yes indeed.- [Faheen] Oh man,she's going to love you.She's going to say, "Austin,who cut your hair, Austin?"What style do you normallywear it in the back?Round, square, faded?- [Austin] I usuallydo square in the back.- [Faheen] Perfect, perfect,let's do that square.This is different from the highflat top because it's messy.- [Austin] Do you think the racketis better than the sponge?- [Faheen] Yes, the racketis better, sanitary reasons.- Oh, okay.- I believe the sponge holds bacteria.- [Austin] Yeah, you're probably right.- [Faheen] So what you think?- Man, this is real clean, man.One of the cleanest lines I've ever had.- [Faheen] Appreciate you, man.- Yeah, thanks so much.- Thank you, and enjoy your outing.- I will.[ambient music]- Number 10, the feathered fade.It's more common in barbershops nowadaysfor gentlemen and women.They just want a free flowing fade,and this one is pretty nice.This cut also is easy maintenance.So now, we going to talk aboutsome different hair textures.Some barbers or hairstylists may ask you,"What is your natural hair texture?"At number one, we've gotmore of a straight hair.Then if you want to dropall the way down to 4C,we got a more kinky texture.Then if you want to go between 3A and 4A,a more curly texture.As a professional barber,you're supposed to haveadjustable clippersso that your clippers can movebetween these different textures,working with different ethnic groupsto get that perfect style.So the 11th fade wouldbe the Elvis Presley.I never did this cut before,but I really want to try it,so if anybody want it, theycan come on down to my shop.So in this last, but not least picture,I got the high top fadewith my friend Brandon.So Brandon, what would youlike this fade at, man?- I like a skin fade, I like it high.- Skin high fade?- Yeah, yeah.- Do you know Kid 'n Play?- Oh yeah, yeah, I get that all the time.- [Faheen] So that's thelook that we're going for.- Yeah, yeah, let's do it, '90s.- [Faheen] Yes sir.We got a nice canvas to work on.- [laughing] I desperatelyneed it, too, man.It's been like, a little over a month.- Well you've come to the right place.- Hey.- So to achieve this style,I'm going to need my outlinersto go zero on the side.So what I'm doing here,he wants a high top fade.I cut in my first guidelineto make it real shorton the bottom.I'm going to show you howto knock this guideline,just smoothed out.I've got the .50 Mag,with a one guard on there.So right now here, I'mknocking out most of the bulk.Now I'm going in to clean my guideline up.So you take some adjustable clippers,don't zero them, turn it allthe way out as far as they go.- You see a lot of hightops coming in these days?- Yeah, stuff like that comes back,yeah the high top is coming back.High top fade, and on the low top.Cutting it down, even like a low fade,these things are coming back.- [Brandon] Yeah, I'vebeen rocking this forfour or five years now, so.- I swear, my mentor coulddo this cut in 15 minutes.Yeah, that's all he'd do was cut fades.[instrumental hiphop music]All right, Brandon, youready to see this cut?- Yes I am.- There you go, buddy.- Damn, look at that line, though.Okay, let me see the side.- So this is a high top fade,typically wore by Kid 'n PlayMy brother.- Thank you.

I appreciate it for real.