How to Cut a Taper with Dean Gleeson

The ability to perfect a taper is an essential skill for any barber, which is why Dean Gleeson, a member of the Wahl Artistic Team, decided to break it down in eight easy to follow steps. Keep reading to check them out – and don't forget to give the video a watch to really see how it's done.

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1. Section the hair using a horseshoe pattern. This will allow to you clearly see the area you are going to create the taper in.


2. Using block graduation, establish the length you are going to be tapering into. This can be done with scissors or clipper over comb.


3. Take your trimmers, and at a slight angle, create your first guide line, from the temple to the middle of the ear. Turn your trimmers over and remove the hair under your guide line.


4. To make the taper extra clean, go back over it with your foil shaver. This will create the seamless blend you are looking for at the end.


5. Next, with your clippers set to a 0.5, push the guideline around a cm higher, adjusting your tapering arm to 0 to blend the line of your trimmers. Repeat this step, ascending through the guards, until you have no bulk left to blend.


6. Remove the final bit of weight using clipper over comb. This will allow you to create graduation and control the shape of the haircut.


7. Create a clean, sharp outline using your trimmers. Be careful not to put the hairline too far back when doing this.


8. Connect the top of the haircut into the sides, by over directing horizontal sections, to the block graduation created in the initial steps.

Watch Dean Gleeson's eight steps to cutting the perfect taper here...

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqQPNBe74ZA[/embedyt]

 

Looking for more online education with Modern Barber? Check out how to cut a heavily textured mullet with Ryan Lewis.