4 Pro Barbering Tips You’ll Want In The Shop

4 Takeaways From The BaBylissPro® Education Pop Up

The BaBylissPRO® pop-up at Headquarters Chicago was an educational goldmine. With a stacked audience and live classes with some of barbering’s best educators, we had to be there!

Here are some of our top takeaways from attending artists (and a preview of BaBylissPRO®’s newly revamped education system):

Yahia Jaber (@mrofficial) gets a pre-class touch-up from Henry Rodriguez (@papiblendzz) and Platano Gucci (@platano_gucci):

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1. Having trouble finding the right angle? Try this!

The secret to finding the perfect angle every time: Using your body! Carlos Estrella (@los_cut_it) uses only his body to figure out what angle he should be using to cut his client’s hair. Check out his cheatsheet:

1. Let’s say you need a 90 degree angle to blend or break apart layers. If you aim towards your chin, you’ll always be cutting at 90 degrees no matter what area you’re in, says Carlos.
2. If you’re cutting rounded corners (think pompadour), elevate and aim the hair towards your chin for less weight.
3. Build graduation with a 45 degree angle by aiming your cut towards your sternum. (Hint: To add more weight at 45 degrees, aim a little lower toward your belly button!)
4. Pull the hair directly towards your chest for perfectly square layers every time.

“These four points literally changed my perspective on servicing long hair,” Carlos says. Give them a try!

See Carlos using his chin as a guide for the perfect 90 degree angle!

2. Don’t forget to trim the back of your client’s beard!

When a client’s beard needs trimming, it’s all too easy to just focus on the front. “If a client comes in with the back of their beard longer than the front, that tells me the stylist who shaped their beard before came in from the front,” Yahia explains.

Here’s how to approach your beards through the back instead:

1. Comb out the bottom of the beard before servicing.
2. Blow-dry with the beard attachment to bring out the back portion of the beard.
3. This will reveal the back of the beard so you’re able to see clearly and shape the entire beard from back to front.

Take a peek at how Yahia uses a blow dryer to reveal the underside of his client’s beard.

3. Only use clippers on dry hair to avoid build-up.

Sure, your tools CAN go through wet hair. A better question is “Should they?” According to Sofie Pok (@staygold31), that’s a hard no. “If you use your clippers to cut wet hair, hair will get stuck in the middle more than if you didn’t,” Sofie says.

Beyond cleaning purposes, this also increases the integrity of your clippers for the best possible cut!

Shop Sofie’s go-to clippers here.

4. Need a hand? Use this salon staple as a guide when cleaning up a cut.

Cleaning up the sides of your fresh cut has never been easier. Just take any size hairspray cap and hold it against the round of the face to maintain the shape while trimming. “Once you see [a clear guide], it’s much easier to follow that roadmap,” Sofie reasons.

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