Are you looking to change up your entire looking? Maybe you are just looking for something new. Whatever the situation is, men cannot go wrong with the tight fade or tapered cut.

This is a hairstyle that comes along with immense benefits. Right at the forefront is that it is low-maintenance.

It is as low-maintenance as having a bald head. The only difference is that you still have hair! And, this is just one of the many reasons that this is one of the most popular haircuts amongst men.

Achieving a good taper cut isn’t exactly the most natural thing in the world. This is especially true if you aren’t using the right equipment and techniques.

With the right equipment, you can fade, taper, and cut your hair by yourself. How to taper hair with electric hair clippers step by step find out below.

How To Taper Hair With Clippers Guide

Familiarize Yourself With Those Guards

The guards will be one of the essential tools in your tool belt. Therefore you need to familiarize yourself with them.

Pick them up, touch them, hold them in your hand, and test them on the clippers. Get used to handling and keeping them because they will become your new best friend.

The most important thing to understand about the guards is their size. For instance, know that when someone says give me a number four-guard, they are talking about a guard that measures a ½ -inch in size.

This means that the number four guard can cut hair a ½ inch. As the guard numbers go down, so do the cutting lengths. Just remember that you are tapering your hair, so this is what you are doing to it.

You are starting at one size and gradually getting lower and lower until you reach the bottom.

So, achieving a cut like this means starting with a more prominent guard and working your way down to the smallest one.

Lay Your Guards Out

Tapering your hair is only half the battle. The other half is preparation. However, it is the preparation that is the half that will make your job easier. Find yourself a functional workspace like the bathroom.

This should also give you quick and easy access to several mirrors, which are other items that you will need. Once you have chosen an adequate workspace, you will be ready to layout your tools.

Place a towel and layout your guards in the other you intend to use them. Make sure they are clean and free of debris before introducing them to your hair.

Practice The Scooping Motion

Not only do you need to be familiar with your guards, but you need to be familiar with your electric hair clippers.

There are clippers out there on the market that will do all the work for you? Most clippers today lift the hair before cutting it.

This is a technique that not only ensures that you get an excellent clean-cut, but it ensures that you get a comfortable one.

Not lifting the hair before cutting it could cause uncomfortable tugging or pulling.

This is the same theory that you want to apply to your cutting motion. The goal is to make a scooping motion with the clippers

Hold the clippers in your hand and practice making this motion. By the time you are done, you want it to be like second nature. You want to be scooping without even knowing that you are doing it.

Start With A Guideline

The first thing that you need is a guideline. This will be the starting point for the taper. Some pros like to start at the top of the ears and work their way down, while others will start a little higher.

It just depends on preference or the individual getting the cut. You will still want to start with some guidelines, whether it be above or below the ears.

This guideline is just a guide. It gives you a good idea of where you can’t and can go. The guideline will work from one side of the head around to the other.

Starting With The Biggest Guard And Working Down

Now that you have your guideline, all the hard work is done. You will start with the biggest guard and work your way down the guideline.

Remember to work in that scooping motion, so you help the clippers lift and cut their hair. It is best to work from the bottom up.

This means that you start your clippers at the bottom (below the guideline) and work your way up. You will continue to do just this until you go all the way around the head.

When you have made it entirely around the head, you will go down the next guard size and do the same thing. You will continue this process until you reach the desired size.

Be Sure To Do Your Research

It all comes down to planning and preparation. Having everything laid right out in front of you and knowing what you want will make the entire job all that much easier.

You also have to remember that people have different ideas about tapers. Tapering might mean one thing to you, but it might mean something else entirely to someone else.

Not only this but there is also a variety of tapering styles. You have everything from the Afro taper to the mohawk taper fade. Make sure you choose a taper that suits your style and personality.

Summary

Tapering your hair will come along with a lot of benefits. The biggest is that it is low-maintenance. Not only this, but it provides a classic look that will be in style for years and years to come.

That being said, achieving that perfect taper won’t be easy, especially if you are doing the job yourself.

With a little due diligence and effort, you won’t have a problem getting what you are looking for.

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

What’s the difference between a high taper and a low taper?

A high taper is a type of men’s haircut with both sides trimmed shorter, starting at 2 inches from the top of the hair to the other sides of the head, while a low taper is a haircut where the hair gradually gets shorter from the lower level, above the ears.

How do I stop my clippers from buzzing?

The first thing you need to do is have a drop of oil on the blade every time you use it. Secondly, there is usually a power screw on the right-hand side of every clipper.

All you need to do is to adjust it. Adjust that so that it completely goes across the slots in the stationary one, but not too far or too noisy.

Why are my Oster clippers so loud?

If your Oster clippers are so loud, it happens due to a manufacturing flaw with this specific generation of clippers and usually happens when the blade is in motion.

If the motor of the Oster runs without a blade, it will produce a normal sound. The sound also becomes loud when the plastic part that moves the blade gets loose and needs grease.