Female haircuts
Long graduation
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Long graduation
This haircut first became popular in the 1970s. It brought new movement to long hair and
revolutionised the way it was styled.
Long graduation allows you to create a soft, textured outline shape while still achieving height and
volume on the top.
This haircut is still one of the most popular styles for long hair and it has developed to include
variations in length, texture and movement. It can even be used to produce the straight, flat look that
is fashionable today.
Almost all face shapes and hair textures are suited to long graduation because it is so adaptable.
For example, for a client with a square face, you can create short layers on the top of the head to
give it length. Or, if your cliens has a long face, you can shorten the overall length of the cut to make
their face appear rounder.
Long graduation is an adaptable, flexible and useful cut and it is likely to be the one that you use
most often.
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Haircut guide
Before starting your haircut:
• complete your client and hair analysis;
• with your client, decide how long the cut should be; and
• make sure your client is wearing a protective gown and is sitting
comfortably.
A long graduation is divided into four areas:
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•
•
•
Back
Side
Layers
Fringe area
Cutting long graduation
Start your haircut at the back of the head.
Thr first stage is to create your exterior shape.
Take a centre section from the top of the crown down towards the
centre at the back of the nape. Take two diagonal sections, one either
side of the central section. Comb the hair straight down and cut a
straight line across. This is your baseline.
Next, you join your baseline to the side area. Take horizontal sections
from the front hairline to just behind the ear. Holding the hair between
your fingers, creating an even tension, cut straight across.
Repeating this procedure, work up to the natural parting on both
sides.
Remember to make clean sections, maintain even tension and check
for balance as you cut.
The next step is to join in the front area. This is an important stage of
the cut because it determines the length and shape of the front.
Take a section from the front hairline to just in front of the ear. Comb
the hair down and slightly forwards.
Make sure that your fingers are slightly curved to give you a cutting
angle. The more you curve your fingers, the more length you will
maintain.
Direct the rest of the hair to your guideline. Again, the further the hair
has to reach, the more length you will maintain.
Always keep an even tension and check the balance of your cut as
you work.
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Follow your curved sectioning pattern back until you reach behind the
ear, pulling all the hair forwards to meet your guideline (but
remembering not to include the fringe area at this stage of the
haircut).
The layering technique
You will use square layering in this haircut.
Create a top box section on the top of the head. Take a section from
both sides, from the middle of the eyes back towards the top of the
crown.
Holding the hair straight up and keeping your fingers square to the
headshape, work forwards.
Next, work down from your top box section into the side areas. Direct
the hair upwards to your guideline, keeping your fingers square to the
headshape. Repeat on the opposite side.
To create the square layering in the back area, take a profile line
down the centre of the head and dirct all the hair upwards to meet
your guideline. Remember to keep the angle in your fingers if you
want to maintain length and weight.
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Step 1 of 19 - Before you cut
As always, before you cut, there are number of client characteristics
you need to look at, including: facial features and face shape;
hairlines, hair-growth patterns; hair quantity, quality and texture. For
this haircut, you need to pay particular attention to the fringe area
because you will be creating a fringe for the finished look.
Facial features and face shape
The shape of your client's face and head are unique. Use your
observation skills to identify their individual features.
Your haircut should enhance their good features, eg their eyes and
cheek bones, and disguise their less attractive features, eg a heavy
jaw or big nose.
The different face shapes are:
• Oval, round and heart-shaped – these faces have curved contours
ranging from gentle to extreme. A softer hairstyle is more compatible
with these face shapes.
• Square, rectangle and triangle – these face shapes are angular
and solid and have a chiselled look. Sharp, blunt cuts suit these faces
much better than soft styles.
Hair-growth patterns
You need to take your client's hair growth pattern into consideration
when you are cutting their hair because some patterns influence how
a cut is carried out. The most common ones are:
•
•
•
•
Double crown
Nape whorls
Calf licks
Widow's peak
If your client has any of these growth patterns, you should cut without
using pressure to allow for the natural movement of the hair.
You may need to cut the sections of hair within the growth patterns
longer than the rest of the hair. This allows for the movement of the
hair as it springs back to how it falls naturally. The hair looks level
even though it has not been cut level.
Quality of hair
The quality of hair means the condition. Good quality hair is easy to
style. Hair that is thin and brittle is more difficult so you will need to
use styling agents such as mousse or gel.
Quantity
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Quantity refers to the density of hair – how much hair is on the head
and how thick or fine the hair shape is.
These factors are important when you are thinking about the balance
and control of a hair style. For example, it is easy to show volume on
thick hair. On thin hair it is more difficult so you need to use styling
gels and mousses.
When you are applying chemical treatments, the thickness of your
client's hair will dictate how much product and what techniques you
use. For example, fine hair can be more resistant to colour and perm
treatments.
Texture
There are three types of hair texture:
• Fine
• Medium/normal
• Thick/coarse
The texture of your client's hair affects the size of the sections you
take. For thicker hair, you need finer sections to make sure the
guideline is visible. You need to see the guideline to know exactly
where to cut each section of hair.
In this case, our model's face shape is square.
Her hair type is naturally curly and it's density is above average.
Divide the hair cut into segments: back; side; front; and internal layers.
Step 2 of 19 - Checking hairlines
Hairline
Hairlines and growth patterns are an essential element of the hair
analysis. You should always look at them when the hair is wet and
again when it is dry.
The hairline areas to look at are:
• Nape
• Crown
• Front and sides
Not everyone has a perfect hairline so make sure you check for
uneven growth and awkward, moving shapes.
Before you start the haircut, check the front hairline again. To create a
strong and balanced fringe shape, the hairline must be flat and even.
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Step 3 of 19 - Back area
Start at the back of head.
The first stage in this haircut is to create your exterior shape.
Take a centre section from the top of the crown down towards the
centre at the back of the nape.
Next, take a diagonal section from the centre out towards the back of
the ear.
Make sure that your sections are evenly balanced and that the lines
are clean. The better your sections are, the clearer your cutting line
will be.
Step 4 of 19 - Back area
Starting at the nape, comb down the hair.
Hold the hair between your fingers. Applying tension, work towards
the top of the crown, up to the back of the ears.
Step 5 of 19 - Back area
If your client has long hair, you may find that you have too much hair
to work with.
In this case, as you work up the head, divide the hair into three
sections: middle and two sides.
Holding the hair between your fingers, comb it straight down to cut.
Tip:
Your baseline must be square. It is easier to
achieve this if you divide the hair into three
sections.
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Step 6 of 19 - Back area
Our stylist has maintained the same tension throughout the back area
and has worked with the same amount of graduation at the baseline.
Step 7 of 19 - Side area
You now need to join your baseline in with the front.
Take back a horizontal section from the front hairline to behind the
ear.
Working against a guideline from the back, cut straight across.
Hold your hair between your fingers. Make sure you keep the same
tension throughout.
Step 8 of 19 - Side area
Check the balance of your cut.
Take two sections from the same areas of both sides of the head.
Holding the sections with your fingers, check them against each other
for length and shape.
Continue working this way until you reach the parting.
Tip:
You can check balance: visually, using a
mirror; or technically: by placing the tips of
your fingers at the temple area on both
sides of the head and sliding your fingers
down the hair.
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Step 9 of 19 - Side area
Our stylist has created a square outline shape, keeping the hair wet at
all times and maintaining an even tension throughout.
Here, the stylist has worked up to the natural parting.
Step 10 of 19 - Side area, front
This is an important part of your haircut. It determines the length and
shape of the front of the cut.
Take a section from the front hairline to just in front of the ear.
Comb the hair down and slightly forward.
Place your fingers parallel to the section. Here, our stylist's fingers are
clearly curved. This will help to maintain the length.
Work up the head to the natural parting. As you do this, your
sectioning pattern will become more apparent.
The further forward you direct the hair, the more length you will create.
Tip:
The further a piece of hair travels to your
guideline, the longer it will be. A short
distance means a short cut.
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Step 11 of 19 - Achieving balance
Achieving balance is crucial to your haircut.
Once you have created your guideline on one side, balance it
immediately with a guideline on the other side. Take out the same
section on the opposite side and check for balance in two areas:
• at the temple area; and
• at the baseline length.
Stand behind your client. Hold the hair on both sides between your
fingers, run your fingers down the shaft of the hair. Start with the
shortest guideline and work you way to the longest.
To get a good, wide view, stand back from your client.
Use the mirror. You should check the balance visually as well as
technically.
This process will get easier with practice. Each time you do it, you are
training your eye to measure the balance of your cut.
Step 12 of 19 - Cut one side at a time
When you are sure that your guidelines are balanced, you can start to
work on the shape.
The client's head should be upright and central.
As you can see on our model, the sectioning should be curved. To
achieve this angle more easily, stand in front of the client. This will
also help you to check balance between the two sides as you cut.
Our stylist is directing the hair down and around. This technique will
help you maintain weight and length. For more on this, see the pages
on hair travel.
Tip:
Keep the hair wet at all tiimes. This will help
you create balanced sections and maintain
an even tension within each section of hair.
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Step 13 of 19 - Bring the hair forward
As you work back towards the central point at the back of the head,
bring the hair forward to meet the guideline at the front.
Notice the position of the stylist's fingers. Keep the angle of your
fingers the same from when you cut your first section through to the
end of your haircut. This way you will create minimum graduation on
your cutting line.
To ensure that the hair is longer at the back, draw the back hair
forward onto your front guideline.
Because you have already cut your back guideline, you will not be
cutting much off as you work your way through the back of the hair
Check the balance of your cut again.
Tip:
Graduation allows the hair to turn under and
brush away from the face. The distance the
hair travels to the guideline dictates the
length of your cut. A short distance will give
you a short cut, a long distance a long cut.
Step 14 of 19 - Layering technique
In this cut, you are using square layering.
Create a top box section on the top of the head. Take a section from
both sides from the middle of the eyes back towards the top of the
crown.
Then take a section across the top box and hold the hair out at a 90
degree angle to the head.
Top box area
As you work forward from the top box section, pull all the hair back
towards the crown. This will help you maintain length.
Because you have already created your external shape at the front of
the head, there will not be much cutting to do in this area.
Side area, front
Work down into the sides, drawing the hair up to meet your top box
section.
Angle your fingers upwards to create weight and length at the sides.
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Remember the rules of hair travel: the further your travels to a
guideline, the longer it will be.
Step 15 of 19 - Layering, back area
Create a profile line down the central point of the head at the back.
Direct the hair upwards to the top of the crown to meet your guideline.
And remember to angle your fingers to maintain length.
You have now created your guideline for the back of the head.
Step 16 of 19 - Layering, back area
Work out from the central point. Take a diagonal section working
down into the nape.
This section is over directed, continuing the diagonal sections working
forward and pull the hair up to the central layering guideline.
It is important that you follow your guide line at all times.Keep the hair
wet at all times.
When you first do this haircut you may find it difficult, due to working
with a lot of hair, if this is the case take smaller sections.
Tip:
Square layers will help you maintain length
and weight at the sides of your haircut.
Directing the hair over the crown will give
you more weight and length overall.
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Step 17 of 19 - Fringe
You do not have to create a fringe with this haircut. You should
discuss this option with your client during your consultation.
To create a fringe, take a section from the natural parting. On our
model, we are using a side parting.
From the parting, take a curved section out to the corner of the eyes
on both sides.
Comb the hair down, using the wide teeth of your comb. This will
show up - and help you work with - any irregularities at the front, such
as an uneven hairline.
If there are any irregularities in the hairline, they should not come as a
surprise. You should have been looking for them during your client
consultation and analysis.
Step 18 of 19 - Fringe
Wet the hair. Using relaxed tension, hold the hair between your
fingers and cut straight across.
Because you have taken a curved section, the fringe will appear to be
curved.
Remember, your sectioning pattern dictates your cutting line:
• curved sections mean curved cutting lines
• square sections mean square cutting lines
Tip:
Always check the hairline movement at the
front. If the hairline is uneven, you will not
get a straight fringe.
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Step 19 of 19 - Finished result
You can see our finished result.
The hair was blowdryed using a strong mousse and a large round
brush.
Always remembering this haircut is so versatile you don't always have
to have a fringe.
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