Décoloration de la peau

What a skin fade is

"Skin" describes how short the fade goes, not where it starts. The barber takes the lowest part of the sides and back to skin, then works upwards through a half grade (about 1.5mm), a grade 1 (3mm), a grade 2 (6mm) and so on, blending each step so there is no visible line, until it meets the length on top.

Two things make it a skin fade rather than an ordinary fade.

• It reaches bare skin. A grade 0 on the clipper still leaves about half a millimetre to a millimetre of hair. A skin fade goes past that with a foil shaver or an open razor.
• It runs right round the head. The short band covers the sides and the back, not just the sideburns and neckline. That is the difference between a skin fade and a skin taper.

The top can be anything from a buzz to 8cm or more. The fade decides the sides, the top is a separate choice.

Skin fade vs taper fade

These two get confused more than any other pair. A fondu enchaîné only shortens the edges of the hairline, the sideburns and the nape, and leaves the rest of the sides at length. A skin fade takes the whole of the lower sides and back down to skin.

A taper can also go to skin at the very bottom, which barbers call a skin taper. That is still a taper, because only the edges are short. And a taper finished at a grade 0.5 or 1 is not a skin fade at all, however short it looks.

If you are unsure which you want, look at the hair just above and behind your ear. Left at length, it is a taper. Taken down to skin and blended up, it is a skin fade.

Low, mid and high skin fade

The height is where the skin stops and the blend begins. It changes the look more than anything else.

• Low skin fade. Skin only just above the ear and around the neckline, blending up quickly. The subtlest version, and it grows out the most gently. The faible évanouissement page covers this height in detail.
• Mid skin fade. Skin around and below the ear, blending up to about temple height. The usual version, and the one you will get if you just say "skin fade" in most barbers.
• High skin fade. Skin up to the top of the sides, with a short blend into the top. The most contrast, and the most head on show. The dégradé haut page covers it.

There are also shapes rather than heights. A fondu en sortie curves down behind the ear towards the nape, and a fondu enchaîné is cut in an arc around the ear. Both can be taken to skin.

Who suits a skin fade

Type de cheveux. It works on almost all of them. On thick, curly and coily hair it gives the strongest contrast, because dense hair on top sits right next to bare skin. On wavy hair it removes the part that flicks out at the sides. On straight hair the gradient is very clean, though regrowth shows quickly. Fine hair can look fuller with a short textured top over a skin fade, because the short sides make the top look thicker by comparison.

Thinning or receding. Often a good choice. Taking the sides right down makes thinning on top look deliberate rather than accidental. Keep the top short and textured rather than long and flat. The coupes de cheveux pour les hommes qui perdent leurs cheveux page has more.

Forme du visage. Oval and square faces suit any height. On a round face, a mid or high skin fade with some height on top makes it look longer. On a long, narrow face, avoid pairing a high skin fade with a tall top, which adds length.

Scalp. Bare skin shows everything. If you have scars, marks or a scalp that reacts to close shaving, a low skin fade or a grade 0 fade may be kinder.

Upkeep. The honest cost. Skin shows stubble within days, so a skin fade suits men who are happy to sit in the barber's chair every couple of weeks.

How to ask your barber for a skin fade

Ask for skin, and say where. "Mid skin fade" is clear. Point to where you want the skin to stop, especially if you want it low or high.

Give the top length. In centimetres, or how many fingers' width. Say how you style it.

Ask how they finish. Most barbers use a foil shaver at the bottom. Some use an open razor. If your skin reacts badly to either, ask them to stop at a grade 0, and accept that it will be a fade rather than a true skin fade.

Say what you want at the back. A rounded or tapered neckline, and if you want the fade to drop lower behind the ear, say so.

Book the next one. Before you leave, while it still looks sharp. Two weeks out is the norm.

If you wear a beard, ask for a beard fade, which blends the sideburn down from skin into the beard so there is no step between the two. It is done in the same sitting, not at the temple.

What to wear on top

• Crop texturé or French crop. 2 to 4cm pushed forward. The most common pairing and very little work.
• Quiff. 5cm or more lifted at the front. Bare sides against volume on top.
• Buzz cut. A grade 2 to 4 on top, skin at the sides. Nothing to style at all.
• Curls. Left full on top, with the strongest contrast of any combination.

Styling and scalp care

The fade itself needs nothing. Style the top as you would anyway, usually a small amount of matte clay or paste on a crop, a cream or clay for a quiff and a curl cream on damp hair for curls.

The bare skin does need a bit of thought. It has been shaved, so treat it like freshly shaved skin. Keep heavy products off it for the first day or two, and if it goes red or itchy, a plain unscented moisturiser helps. In summer, the skin at the sides burns as easily as any other skin.

How often to get it cut

Every two weeks for most people, and some go weekly. Hair grows roughly 1cm a month, so within a few days the skin has a visible shadow, and by the end of the second week the bottom of the fade looks more like a grade 0.5 than skin.

At three weeks it still looks tidy, especially a low skin fade, but no longer sharp. A high skin fade shows regrowth soonest, because there is more skin to grow back. Between cuts, a quick neckline and sideburn tidy at the barber is cheaper than a full cut and buys you another week.