Journal

Notes from the house

Cuts, beards, and the skin and hair around them. One hundred notes from the Miami floor and the van.

The house
The floor or the van: which book to useRP Elegant has two books. The Miami floor and the mobile chair are reserved separately.
The house
Tell the chair what you want before you sitOne clear sentence in the booking notes saves the first five minutes of the cut.
The house
Pay ahead or pay at the chairPrepay is optional. The visit is held either way, and a paid sale stays with the barber you booked.
Cuts
Low fade: where the blend startsA low fade keeps the short work near the ear so the side still has weight.
Cuts
Mid fade for a balanced headThe mid fade sits in the middle of the side, short enough to read as a fade and heavy enough to last.
Cuts
High fade: the line sits up by the templeA high fade puts the shortest hair near the temple and leaves a clear cap of hair on top.
Cuts
Skin fade without the razor burnA skin fade takes the bottom to skin. The blend above that skin is what makes it a fade.
Cuts
Taper fade: short, but not baldA taper shortens the side and the neck by degrees and leaves a shadow. It does not go to skin.
Cuts
Drop fade around the earA drop fade dips behind the ear and stays higher in front, so the line curves instead of running flat.
Cuts
Burst fade with a beardA burst fade is a half circle over the ear. The beard stays heavier, and the fade works around it.
Cuts
Shadow fade for a softer edgeA shadow fade is a skin fade worn darker. A light stubble stays so the scalp does not shine.
Cuts
Temple fade: only the front cornerA temple fade shortens the hair in front of the ear and leaves the back fuller. It is not a fade all the way around.
Cuts
Caesar cut, cut into the headA Caesar is a short forward fringe cut to the forehead, with the side kept tight.
Cuts
French crop: short fringe, textured topA French crop is a short textured top with a blunt fringe on the forehead, usually over a fade.
Cuts
Textured crop when the hair is thickA textured crop breaks a heavy top into pieces so thick hair does not sit like a helmet.
Cuts
Buzz cut: one guard, an even headA buzz is one length, or a small step between side and top. A bad outline has nowhere to hide.
Cuts
Induction cut: shorter than a normal buzzAn induction cut is a very short all-over cut, often a zero or a one, with the outline cleaned.
Cuts
Crew cut: short on top, shorter on the sideA crew cut is a short top, slightly longer in front, with the side tapered close. It is not a flat buzz.
Cuts
Ivy League: a crew you can partAn Ivy League is a longer crew. The top can be parted and combed, and the side is a quiet taper.
Cuts
Side part that follows the hairA side part sends the top to one side from a clean line. The line can be natural or combed. It need not be shaved.
Cuts
Hard part: a designed line, not a combA hard part is shaved or clipped where a side part would fall. The line is a graphic, so it has to sit on a break the hair already makes.
Cuts
Slick back without the wet helmetA slick back combs the top straight off the face. It needs real length, a quiet side, and a finish that is not a wet helmet.
Cuts
Pompadour: height that the hair can holdA pompadour lifts the front and combs it back. The height has to be length the hair can hold, not spray on a flat head.
Cuts
Quiff: lift in front, shorter than a pompadourA quiff lifts the front up and slightly back, with less length than a pompadour. The fringe is styled off the face.
Cuts
Undercut: short underneath, long on topAn undercut keeps the side and back very short and the top much longer, with a separation you can see.
Cuts
Disconnected undercut and the step lineDisconnected means the clipper work stops and the long hair starts. The step should be level, and you should be able to feel it.
Cuts
Faux hawk without shaving the sides baldA faux hawk lifts a center strip and keeps the sides short, but not necessarily skin. The strip has to stand on its own growth.
Cuts
Soft mohawk: a strip, not a spikeA soft mohawk keeps a longer center panel and fades the sides. The panel should move, not stand glued into spikes.
Cuts
Curtain bangs that frame, not coverCurtain bangs part near the middle and fall to either side of the face. They need enough length to frame, not a short fringe split in half.
Cuts
Middle part for men, done on purposeA middle part only works when the split is real. If the hair will not open there, move the part a finger toward the natural fall.
Cuts
Modern mullet: short at the front, longer in the backA modern mullet keeps the front cut and lets the back grow. The contrast is the style, and the front has to be finished.
Cuts
Wolf cut on a man: layers with a grown backA wolf cut is shag layering through the top and side, with a longer nape. The outline stays soft, and the hair should already have wave.
Cuts
A men's shag with weight in the right placeA shag is layers: longer at the outline, shorter inside, so the hair moves instead of sitting as one block.
Cuts
Afro with a taper, not a chopped outlineAn afro taper keeps the shape full and shortens only the neck, the sideburn, and sometimes the temple. The curl decides the line.
Cuts
Fade on curly hairA fade on curls follows the same idea as any fade, but the hair shrinks. A blend that looks right wet can shelf when it dries.
Cuts
Brushing waves without damaging the hairlineWaves are trained with a brush, a durag, and enough length to catch. They are not a haircut alone, and they are not a bald line.
Cuts
Long hair, cut so it has a shapeLong hair still needs a cut. Dusting the ends keeps it from becoming one width of damaged points, and the shape is a separate decision.
Cuts
A fringe that does not become a wallA fringe is hair left on the forehead. The edge and the weight behind it decide whether it moves or becomes a wall.
Cuts
A work haircut that still looks like youA work cut in Miami is a taper or a low fade, a clean neck, and a top you can explain in one sentence. Book the calendar you will keep.
Cuts
The haircut before a weddingGet the cut ten days to two weeks before the wedding, not the morning of. A fresh skin fade is harsher in photos than it will be once it settles.
Cuts
A cut when the crown is thinningLonger hair over a thinning crown parts and shows scalp. Shorter, even hair reads as one color.
Cuts
Cutting gray hair so it does not look dryGray hair is coarser and drier. The clipper work can stay the same. Scissors have to leave the ends blunt enough that they do not fray into a halo.
Cuts
A boy's first haircutsA first cut is mostly trust. A buzz or a simple scissor shape is enough. A skin fade on a nervous child becomes a fight, not a style.
Cuts
Cuts that give fine hair a shapeFine hair shows every heavy line and every empty layer. Keep the density, and give it one direction.
Cuts
Thick hair needs weight removed, not only the outlineThick hair leaves a shape quickly. Cutting only the outline leaves a block that humidity inflates. The interior has to come out too.
Cuts
A haircut that survives Miami humidityHair swells in wet air. A cut that looked sharp indoors can puff on a Miami sidewalk. Build the haircut for that version.
Cuts
A shape-up on natural curlsA shape-up is the outline: forehead, temples, sideburns, neck. On curls it should be a soft architecture, not a box drawn onto the hairline.
Cuts
A scissor cut on top of a fadeClippers make an even length. Scissors make a shape that can be thicker in one place and softer in another. On top, that difference is the haircut.
Beard
A beard shape that follows the jawThe cheek line and the neckline are the haircut. Length through the middle of the beard is secondary.
Beard
Where the neckline of a beard should sitLift your chin. The line belongs where the jaw turns into the neck, usually a finger or two above the Adam's apple.
Beard
Setting a cheek line without carving a maskMost beards should follow the growth on the cheek, cleaned of strays, not recut into a different face.
Beard
A short beard, even from ear to earA short beard is usually a guard between a 1 and a 3, with the neck and cheeks cleaned. Evenness is the whole job.
Beard
Keeping a full beard in one pieceA full beard is a length you grow on purpose, then shape. Neglect makes the cheeks wide and the chin pointy.
Beard
Stubble that looks evenStubble is one to three days of growth, kept to one length. It is a haircut only if the neck and the stray long hairs are maintained.
Beard
A mustache that does not eat the lipThe mustache is part of the beard even when the cheeks are bare. The edge over the lip has to be cut so you can drink coffee.
Beard
Goatee and the chin you actually haveA goatee keeps hair on the chin and usually the mustache, and takes the cheeks off. It points at the chin you actually have.
Beard
Circle beard: mustache and chin, connectedA circle beard joins the mustache to a rounded chin and takes the cheeks off. The connection at the corner of the mouth is the design.
Beard
Where the fade should meet the beardThe fade and the beard are one outline. If they miss, you get a tuft in front of the ear or a bald ditch.
Beard
Beard oil is not a haircutOil softens hair and skin. It does not grow a beard into a new shape, and it does not fill a patch.
Beard
How often to wash a beardWash a beard when the skin is dirty, sweaty, or full of product. For many men that is several times a week, not every shower and not once a month.
Beard
Ingrown hairs after a close beard shaveAn ingrown is a hair that curled back into the skin. It happens most on the neck, where the grain changes and the shave was close.
Beard
Wearing a patchy beard honestlyPatches are follicles you do not have. Oil, brushing, and vitamins will not plant them. The cut can make them less obvious.
Beard
A gray beard, shaped and not yellowGray beard hair is wiry. It sticks out of a dark beard and makes the outline look messy even when the dark hair is tidy. Those wires get scissored.
Beard
How often to trim a beardA short beard wants a visit or a careful home trim every one to two weeks. A full beard can go three to six weeks if you only clean the neck and do not change the shape.
Skin
Washing a man's face without stripping itWash the face once a day at night, and again in the morning only if you trained, slept in product, or woke up oily.
Skin
Moisturizer for skin that hates the feelingIf lotion feels greasy, you are using too much or the wrong weight. A pea for the whole face, on damp skin, disappears. A handful sits on top and pills under sunscreen.
Skin
Sunscreen on the scalp, ears, and neckHair is not a hat. A fade, a part, a thinning crown, and a bald head all burn. The burn shows up that night as tightness, and later as spots you should not ignore.
Skin
Razor bumps along the neckBumps after a shave are usually hairs cut so close they curl back, or skin that was shaved too many times in one sitting.
Skin
What a hot towel actually doesA hot towel softens the hair and relaxes the skin before a shave. It is not a facial and it is not medicine.
Skin
Dry scalp is not always dandruffFlakes from a dry scalp are small and the skin feels tight. Product buildup flakes are larger and the hair feels coated. The wash is different.
Skin
An oily scalp and a dry haircutOil on the scalp by noon does not mean the ends are moisturized. You can have a greasy root and a straw end. Wash the scalp. Condition the length.
Skin
Using a dandruff shampoo without wrecking the cutA medicated shampoo belongs on the scalp, left on for the time the bottle says, then rinsed. Scrubbing the ends with it every day turns the hair to wire.
Skin
Breakouts along the hairlinePimples at the hairline are often product, sweat, and a hat, not a bad haircut. Pomade that melts down the forehead in the heat sits in the pores.
Skin
Redness the day after a cutA little pink that fades in an hour is friction. A rash that spreads, itches for days, or shows as small pimples in the faded area can be irritation or a follicle infection.
Skin
Acne on the back of the neckThe neck sees collars, sweat, and the closest part of the haircut. A blocked neckline shaved against the grain is a common reason for a row of bumps.
Skin
Shaving with the grainThe grain is the direction the hair grows. On the neck it often changes halfway down. Shaving against it cuts closer and irritates more.
Skin
The night after a skin fade or a shaveSkip the gym steam room that evening if you can. Heat and sweat in a fresh fade is a rash recipe. A normal shower is fine.
Skin
The lip, the nose, and the earsHair in the nose and ears is part of a finished cut for a lot of men. It should be trimmed, not waxed bloody, and not ignored until it is a conversation.
Skin
Sweat, hats, and the skin under themMiami sweat is salt water you wear. Left under a hat, it sits on the scalp and the forehead with whatever product you used.
Care
How often to get a haircutSkin fades and hard parts want about two weeks. Mid fades and crops, three. Tapers and scissor tops, four to six. Long hair, when the fringe gets in the way.
Care
Pomade, clay, cream, and pastePomade, clay, cream, and paste behave differently in heat. Pick by weight and finish, not by the name on the jar.
Care
How often to wash your hairThere is no universal wash schedule. Oil, texture, sweat, and product decide the day, not a number you saw online.
Care
Blow drying without frying the hairTowel dry first. A dryer parked on soaking hair cooks the outside and still leaves the inside damp.
Care
Pillowcases, breakage, and the front hairlineCotton grabs the hair and the beard for hours every night. A smoother case lowers that friction. It does not grow a line back.
Care
Hair under a hat or a hard hatA hat flattens the style you built. Cut for the minute it comes off, and do not live in one sweaty cap.
Care
Training without ruining the cutSweat is salt left on the scalp. Rinse it, tie long hair with a soft band, and do not stack paste after the gym.
Care
Pool, ocean, and the haircutChlorine and salt dry the hair and itch a fresh fade. Rinse the same day. A cap helps length and leaves a ring.
Care
Split ends and when to cut themA split end is a tear moving up the strand. Cream can soften the feel. Only a cut takes the damage off.
Care
Working with a cowlickA cowlick spins or stands. Cutting it shorter often makes it louder. Work with the direction instead of through it.
Care
Growing a cut out without a panic trimThe awkward weeks are the grow-out. Outline the neck and the sideburn, and leave the top alone until the length is actually there.
Care
Trimming your own neck without a messA home neck trim is for stray hairs you can see in two mirrors. Use a guard, make one pass, and stop.
Care
Why clean tools matter on your headClean tools are the house's job, and you should be able to see the proof: a fresh neck strip, a wiped guard, a blade that is not wearing the last cut.
Care
A child's scalp and a simple cutA child's scalp is skin. Keep the cut simple, stop when the child says stop, and do not cut through a sore.
The house
What to expect the first time you sitThe first visit starts on the book. You choose the shop, the service, and a chair. The notes are read before the cape.
The house
How long a chair actually takesA buzz is short. A scissor cut, a beard, and a skin fade together are not. Book the service you actually mean.
The house
What a mobile visit needs from youRP Mobile needs a real address: street, building, unit, and a place to park. A map pin without a door is the wrong lot.
The house
The Miami floor, in plain termsThe Miami floor is 11735 SW 147th Ave, unit 27. The hours on the book are the hours a chair is actually open.
The house
How to bring a reference photoOne front photo and one side photo beat a stack of famous heads. Mark the fade height and the length of the fringe.
The house
Tips, prepay, and which barber gets the salePrepay is optional. If you pay ahead, Square assigns that sale, and the tip on it, to the barber you booked.
The house
When a barber is the wrong appointmentThe chair cuts hair and shapes beards. A spot that changes, a sudden bald patch, or an infection belongs with a doctor.