How to Cut Men's Curly Hair

Men’s curly hair is often considered to be the most difficult to cut. Men’s hair cuts must be cut to shape the natural curl formation. Curly hair must be cut so that the wave pattern conforms to the desired style. Men’s curly hair cuts should make the hair look cared for and controlled. If the look is a relaxed, casual style the curls will be cut to look shaped and uniform yet curly and casual. If the look is smooth and flat then the curls should be cut to lie smooth and flat. Here are some tips on cutting men’s curling hair styles.

The Curl

Do not let the curl control the style. The curl will need to be shaped so that it conforms to the desired style. Each curl has a bend and the curls must each be cut on the curve of the same bend. The bend is the place to cut the curl so that it falls in the desired direction. If you cut the curl before the bend the hair will stick out awkwardly and will have a straight off look. If the curl is cut correctly it will fall into a wave pattern with the other curls on the head.

Wave Patterns

There may be different curl patterns on the same head of hair. The crown area may be overly curly while the sides and the back have a very relaxed, almost straight curl pattern. The same head of hair may have different sections of weak and tight curls. If the hair is not cut correctly it may look like different dimensions of curls going in various directions without any conformity. The curl patterns will need to be cut to create the look of one wave pattern. Cut and shape the curls formations to blend with one another. You will need to shape the straighter curl formation in a way that it lays correctly and partners with the curly hair next to it.

Curl Formations

Here are some tips to blending a weaker curl formation or pattern with a tight curl formation or pattern.

As you section the hair observe the curl formation and create the cut in your mind. Start with the crown and shape the curls, cutting them on the bend. Take the curl formation on the crown and blend it into the sides of the head. Create a merging of the top curl formation and the side curl formation. Comb the hair to see if the cut curls are automatically blending. Mess the hair with your hand and watch to see if the curl formations blend together creating the look of one curl pattern. If they do not blend then take the time to reshape the areas that are not blending with each other. Next blend the sides and the crown into the back of the head.

Be sure to keep the curl pattern blending into the curls in the back. Be especially careful when your blend the crown area at the back of the top of the head with the curls in the back. Leave a little more length. Then comb and watch the pattern of the curls. If the curls fall evenly and smoothly then continue to the rest of the hair. If they do not fall smoothly then take a bit more hair off. Allow the curl formation to shape your finger as you cut. If you notice that you are not thrilled with how one section of the curl formations flow then shape a little more in that area.

Edges and Hairline

When doing the edges around the ear and the hair line determine how short you want to go. If you want curls to overlap the ears then also leave a little curl waving at the hairline also. If you want a short look then shape around the ear and along the edge of the hairline. Taper the curl formation around the ear and the hairline so that it lays smooth.

Electric Clippers

If you want a straight look around the edges and back you can also use electric clippers.

When using electric clippers on curly hair be sure to give yourself about two inches between the longer curls and the clipper cut. This will give the space needed to blend the clipper cut with the curls. You can use either the scissors to blend the curls with the clipper cut or use the clipper over an angled comb to blend the clipper cut hair with the curls.

The secret to cutting curly hair is to cut the hair within the curl formation and comb and mess the hair to see if the curls are blending properly. Cutting curly hair takes experience. The more curly men’s hair cuts you do the better you will get. Enjoy the fun of the challenge.