Mens’ necklines.
Having worked in, and managed many salons over the years, I hear stylists ask men all the time “how do you want your neckline? When I have the opportunity to discuss this in a training setting, I always advise the stylist or student that IT IS THE STYLISTS RESPONSIBILITY TO EDUCATE THE GUEST ABOUT “how their hairline should look!” How the hairstylist shapes the neckline on a man’s haircut, should depend on the shape of the man’s neck. If the man has a wide neck, for example, sometimes a rounded or V-shaped neckline makes the neck appear slimmer. If the man has a very narrow neck, then a straight neckline with corners makes the neck appear wider. Another important consideration, but many times overlooked, is offering a man a tapered neckline. The tapered neckline grows out much more naturally. If you examine hairlines, you will see that nature makes to hairlines as they should be, and we just follow up.
The second step in the neck line for a man’s haircut is the length. When looking at a man from a profile view, from the side, a man’s neckline should never be shorter than his chin.
Besides my best efforts to guide new and experienced stylist on this subject, I think that many times they develop habits of asking the same question regardless of what they know. I advise them, “Mr. Jones based upon your head shape and the length of your chin I feel that a blankity blank neckline would look best”. Stylists respond “they don’t like it that way”. I contend that it is because they have never had anyone make any recommendations, or care enough to try to enhance their appearance that they don’t know how to respond to you. It’s kind of like when you tell a woman something about their hair whether the way they put a different parting or a recommendation for highlights and they say to you “no one‘s ever told me that before“.
Is also the stylist responsibility to offer men guidance about their sideburns. Sideburns can give you appearance of minimizing or enhancing facial features. For example, if a man has a protruding or prominent nose, n the sideburns should be angled down toward the back of the head to lead the eye away from the prominent nose. Consideration should also be given to the shape of the sideburns, whether it has points that lead the eye one way or the other.
Having studied barbering in addition to cosmetology, and running a beauty school, I’ve studied lots and lots of theory about this. I simply try to offer my experience, what I have learned over the years, to help others in offering their guests a quality salon experience.
Of course, hairstyling and what looks good is a matter of opinion. What looks good to one person may not look good to another. However even your best efforts in offering style consideration to a man may be in vain. Sometimes they just want what they’ve always gotten and you can feel good about having offered choices and having done your job in educating your customers.
