No, we're not talking skirts here, guys. But, a common question men do bring to the Community
forum is: How short can the hair in a system be cut? Can a crew cut, buzz cut
or flat top really be achieved and
look natural in a hair system?
Since I'm a lady with long locks, short hair is not my area
of expertise! So, I looked to my fellow blogger and hair tech Mary for some wisdom.
Here's what I learned:
Stick with lace for a lower cut
Very short cuts for straight hair can be achieved, but there
are some inherent limitations. If you try to push the envelope, you might be
disappointed.
The shortest cuts can be done with an all lace base.
Because the hair can move around a little more when tied into lace, short hair
will be able to lay a little flatter. You can go as short as one half inch (or
a little longer than one centimeter). That's not short enough, you say? Well, it
may be actually. It's all about the blending.
Just enough hair to blend
For partial, top-of-head hair systems, blending is really
important. In a recent webcast,
Diane gave a great blending demonstration. In this video (around 11:54), you can
see how Diane cut-in long and short layers around the edge of the system to
help blend properly into growing hair. Of course, this system has longer hair,
so in the case of a buzz cut, the edge around the perimeter should be no shorter than a
half inch for blending, but the remaining hair can be as short as one quarter
inch. The men's HD03 or HD24 hairstyle are great examples. Any shorter than that and you'll see the
base and a very conspicuous line of
demarcation around the edge of the system. My guess is that's not the look you're going for. That
said, if you're looking for a "flat top" style, it can be done, but the
ventilation needs to be ordered specifically for the hair to stick straight up.
In the photo above, our friend Andy shows you how a perfect
blend is done. His side and back hair are really short and for a beautiful blend, but the top hair is a little longer. However, African hair types
can usually go a little shorter. The tight curl helps with blending into
growing hair. I defy you to find the edge of Donald's base here! Pure hair
system perfection.
Skin and poly might hold you back
But...what if you have a skin base or a lace or mono base with a
poly edge? Then you have to sacrifice that buzz cut to just be a really short
haircut. With those base materials, shorter hair will definitely stick straight
out and the base will be more noticeable because it is a thicker material. We
don't recommend going any shorter than one inch when using a skin material or bases with a
poly edge.
After looking at all these short haircuts, I must say, I'm
pretty jealous of those tiny hair systems. You guys are lucky! Fast and easy to
attach and clean. Rock those short haircuts, dudes. They're super cute.