What to tell your barber: how to ask for the haircut you want

Many haircut mix-ups start in the first minute, when "short on the sides, a bit off the top" means one thing to you and another to the barber. You do not need barber slang. You need to say four things in order, and ideally show something your barber can read.

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Say these 4 things: top, sides and back, neckline, styling

1. Length on top. Say it in centimetres or inches ("about 5 cm", "two inches"), or show it with your fingers. "A little off" means something different to everyone.
2. Sides and back. Scissors or clippers? If clippers, which guard number, and do you want a fade? "Low fade from a #1 to a #3" is clear. If you are unsure of the numbers, see the clipper guard numbers chart, and if you are unsure whether you want a fade at all, see fade vs taper.
3. Neckline and sideburns. Tapered (faded out), blocked (a straight square line), rounded, or left natural, and how long the sideburns stay.
4. How you wear it. Pushed forward, side part, combed back, or loose and messy, plus how much time you spend on it in the morning. A barber cuts the top differently for each.

Two more things help: say what you do not want ("no skin showing", "keep the length at the back"), and mention a cowlick or a spot where your hair grows in a different direction. If you are unsure, ask for it a little longer than you think. A barber can always take more off.

Cut names your barber knows

A name gets you close, but it is not a full instruction: two barbers can cut a "French crop" quite differently. Use the name to start, then give the four details above. These names are all in the FitMyFace catalog, and each one opens with its own barber card:

• Textured French crop: short faded sides, a short textured top pushed forward into a short fringe.
• Modern mullet: short sides, a layered top, and length left at the nape.
• Shoulder-length flow and Bro flow: grown-out lengths, layered so they fall back or to the side.
• Messy fringe: a longer, soft fringe with uneven points.
• Buzz cut with fade: one short guard on top, faded at the sides.
• French bob and Long face-framing layers: for a stylist rather than a clipper cut, where the length line and where the layers start matter most.

Example barber cards

This is what the FitMyFace barber card says for four of those cuts, word for word. The values are suggested starting points, not a measured plan for your hair, and your barber adapts them.

Textured French crop

Top: 4.5 cm (1¾ in), point-cut for texture, pushed forward.
Sides: low fade, #1 (3 mm, 1/8 in) to #2 (6 mm, 1/4 in), keep the corners.
Back: low fade, #1 (3 mm, 1/8 in) to #2 (6 mm, 1/4 in).
Neckline: tapered.
Sideburns: short, to the top of the ear.
Fringe: short.
Finish: matte clay.

Modern mullet

Top: 8 cm (3¼ in), layered, loose, finger-styled.
Sides: low fade, #2 (6 mm, 1/4 in) to #3 (10 mm, 3/8 in), keep the corners.
Back: scissors, about 12 cm (4¾ in).
Neckline: natural.
Sideburns: medium, to mid-ear.
Shape: mullet: short sides, longer nape.
Finish: texture spray.

Shoulder-length flow

Top: 20 cm (7¾ in), layered, combed back.
Sides: scissors, about 18 cm (7 in).
Back: scissors, about 25 cm (9¾ in).
Neckline: natural.
Length: to the shoulders.
Shape: long layers.

French bob

Top: 15 cm (6 in), blunt ends, pushed forward.
Sides: scissors, about 13 cm (5 in).
Back: scissors, about 12 cm (4¾ in).
Neckline: natural.
Length: to the jawline.
Shape: one length, blunt.
Fringe: to the eyebrows.

Show it, don't just say it

Barbers often ask for a photo, and a front and a side view help most. FitMyFace lets you try a cut on your own photo first, then open its barber card: the cut written out field by field in English and Chinese, with millimetres beside every guard number. You can change the top length, sides, back, fade, neckline, fringe, part and finish until it says what you want, then save the card, share it, or print it for the shop with a QR code that opens it. The link does not include your photo. If you already have a picture of the cut you like, the hair tool can also start from a haircut photo.

Every value starts as a suggestion. If a barber, a stylist or a customer thinks a card is wrong, the box on the card ("Is this right? Tell us what you'd change") sends a correction. The card records the look you want and starting measurements; your barber checks and adjusts the final cut. The picture is illustrative. A real cut may look different, because your barber adapts it to your hair.

See the cut on my face, then show the card

FitMyFace hair previews are approximations, not predictions of how your hair will lie after a cut. Ordinary hairstyle try-ons perform face analysis on-device. The optional AI previews (hair and glasses) send a photo to Cloudflare; your consent is the one "I agree" on the scan screen, and a switch on the results turns them off. FitMyFace is for adults 18 and over and is not available in Illinois.

Questions

Should I bring a photo to the barber?

Yes, if you can. A photo of the cut on someone with hair like yours (straight, wavy, curly or coily, and of a similar thickness) is more useful than one on very different hair. Pair it with the four details above, because a photo does not show guard numbers.

What if I don't know any barber terms?

Describe the result in plain words and let your barber translate: "I want to see a little skin just above the ears" or "I don't want my scalp to show anywhere". Then ask them to repeat back what they will do. Stylists planning a cut with a client can use the free haircut design tool for stylists.

Is it rude to correct the barber halfway through?

No. Speaking up before the next section is cut is much easier than fixing it afterwards. Most barbers would rather check than guess.

Asking for a cut by its name? These guides say what each one is and which words to use: the hush cut (soft, feathered layers on longer hair), the octopus cut (short rounded top layers over long thin strands), bubble bob vs box bob (a soft round bob or a blunt square one) and Edgar cut vs mod cut (a clippered fringe or a scissor-cut one).

Worried about regretting the cut? Read how to avoid haircut regret.

Each catalog cut has its own barber card page: see all haircuts.