Guides
Part of From blade control to the final blend check: a clipper cutting guide
How to build a low taper with clippers and fix it when it goes wrong
Build a low taper with clipper guard sizes from Wahl and Andis, a stepped blending sequence, and fixes for a dark line, light patch, fade that rose too high and a lost temple corner.
What to take away
- A low taper shortens only the temple and nape zones and leaves the rest of the length. "Low" has no fixed height, so mark the boundary on the client's head before the clippers start.
- Wahl UK's #1 to #8 guards leave 3, 6, 9, 13, 16, 19, 22 and 25 mm. Andis labels its combs in inches (1/16, 1/8, 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, 3/4 and 1 inch) and gives no millimetre figures on the product pages, so check the packaging.
- Wahl UK says a standard blade with no guard cuts to 0.8 mm, and Andis lists its size 000 blade at about 1/50 inch (0.5 mm). Start well above these unless the client has agreed to skin-level at the edge.
- Build the taper in steps of one guard size, with the shortest band narrow. A wide first band raises the whole taper and cannot be undone.
- Fix a fault at the narrowest zone that shows it. Raising the whole fade to chase one patch is how a low taper turns into a mid fade by accident.
A taper is one of several short-hair structures. The wider technique of holding the clipper, stroke direction and guard handling is in the clipper cutting guide, so this article concentrates on the sequence and the fixes.
Know your sizes before you start
Guard and blade sizes are the manufacturer's, so use the manufacturer's numbers.
| Tool | What the maker says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Wahl UK comb set, No. 1 | 3 mm | Wahl UK product page |
| No. 2 | 6 mm | Wahl UK product page |
| No. 3 | 9 mm | Wahl UK product page |
| No. 4 | 13 mm | Wahl UK product page |
| No. 5 to No. 8 | 16, 19, 22 and 25 mm | Wahl UK product page |
| Wahl standard blade, no guard | 0.8 mm (its FAQ also says about 0.5 mm) | Wahl UK guide |
| Andis Master comb set | 1/16, 1/8, 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, 3/4 and 1 inch | Andis product page |
| Andis CeramicEdge blade, size 000 | about 1/50 inch (0.5 mm) | Andis product page |
Wahl pairs 1/8 inch with 3 mm and 1/2 inch with 13 mm on its clipper cutting lengths page, so an Andis 1/8 inch comb should land near Wahl's No. 1 and 1/4 inch near No. 2. Treat that as a working assumption until you test it, because the Andis Master comb set page lists the sizes only in inches. The Wahl No. 1 to 8 comb set is described as suitable for all taper clippers.
Wahl UK also explains the taper lever: moving it up cuts closer and moving it down leaves hair longer. That is how you bridge the gap between two guard sizes without changing the guard. The Andis size 000 blade page shows how short a bare blade can go.
Step 1: set the boundary
Seat the client upright. Find the top of the ear and the natural nape hairline, and agree two points with the client in the mirror: where the taper stops at the temple and where it stops at the nape.
Editorial suggestion: a low taper commonly stops about one to two finger widths above the natural nape hairline, and at or just above the top of the ear at the temple. Treat that as a starting point and adjust to the head. Hairlines are rarely mirror images, so compare both sides against landmarks, not against each other.
Check the growth before you cut. Australia's over-comb unit lists neckline and cowlick (whorl) growth patterns as required knowledge for tapered cuts, and its performance criteria include cutting the neckline with the growth. Brush the nape both ways and note which way it lies.
Step 2: a worked sequence
The guard sizes are Wahl UK's. The band heights and proportions are editorial suggestions, so adjust them to the head in front of you.
- Baseline.Fit the No. 1 (3 mm), lever closed. Cut a band no taller than the width of two fingers at the nape, and a short band at each temple. Keep it lower than the boundary you agreed. This is the shortest the taper will be.
- First step.Fit the No. 2 (6 mm). Editorial suggestion: clear the hair above the baseline with short strokes, flicking the clipper away from the head at the top of each stroke so it does not leave a ledge.
- Second step.Fit the No. 3 (9 mm) and go a little higher again. Editorial suggestion: each step should be about half to two thirds the height of the one below it, so the taper tightens at the bottom and relaxes towards the top.
- Bridge.Use the No. 4 (13 mm) as the last step, or switch to clipper-over-comb or scissor-over-comb to join the taper to the longer hair. Australia's over-comb unit asks for a continuous, parallel scissor action on the exterior of the cut, a smooth and fast clipper-over-comb action, and use of the fine or coarse end of the comb to vary the taper.
- Soften the lines.Use the taper lever at its middle position, or the next guard up, to remove the visible edge between steps.
- Outline.Last of all. Wahl UK's fade advice is to start with the shortest guard at the bottom, increase the guard size as you go, hold the clipper at a slight angle and move it against the direction of growth.
Brush the hair away from the skin after each step and look at the taper from the front, the side and the back, not only from the close-up of one band.
When it goes wrong
| Fault | What to check | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Dark line between two steps | Comb the hair and compare the length just below, on and above the line | If the band really is longer, go over only that band with the next guard or the lever halfway. If the length is equal, the line may be density, a hollow in the skull or a change of growth direction, and more cutting will not remove it |
| Light patch | Dry and brush the hair, then ask whether it follows a scar, a fold or one stray pass | Stop. Do not shorten the area around it. Soften only the nearest hard edge, or leave it to grow. A light patch cannot be filled back in |
| Taper rose higher than agreed | Mark the agreed maximum and the highest short point | If only a small area crossed it, keep weight elsewhere and connect conservatively. If a wide area is high, offer a revised shape or a growth plan, with the client's agreement |
| Temple corner has gone | Compare the corner to the other side from the front | Stop pushing the line back. Keep the stronger side and plan growth rather than matching to the most receded point |
| Client wants the shadow completely gone | Show what another pass would expose | Agree the change first, or leave it |
These fixes are editorial suggestions. They reflect how the Australian over-comb unit frames the work: examine the client's hair and the existing structure, agree the design, propose remedial action for concerns, then reach agreement on the solution. If the cut cannot be saved without crossing the agreed boundary, stop and say so. The haircut correction options compared article covers the growth-out routes.
Tool checks and stopping points
Editorial suggestion: stop the service if the clipper pulls, rattles or feels hot against the skin, follow the maker's instructions for blade alignment, oil and cleaning, and swap to a clean spare. Australia's over-comb unit lists clipper maintenance (when and how to clean, oil and adjust blades) and cleaning and disinfection of equipment as knowledge a learner must show. In the UK, hygiene duties for salons are covered in UK salon licensing, hygiene, council and HSE rules, and, as an editorial suggestion, a used guard should not go back into the clean area. See the salon haircut sanitation guide for what counts as contaminated.
If a blade nicks the skin, stop and follow the salon's first-aid and exposure procedure.
Record what you did
Note the guard sizes, the order they were used in, the lever position, where the boundary sat at the temple and nape, and anything left deliberately darker. The next appointment then starts from facts. England's hair professional standard (ST0213, version 1.1, since retired) lists clipper-over-comb, outlining and skin fade in its barbering route, and the consultation that goes with them includes the client's hair characteristics and growth cycle.
Sources
- [Wahl UKunderstanding clipper cutting lengths and attachment combs](https://www.wahl.co.uk/content-hub/clipper-cutting-lengths/)
- [Wahl UKcomb attachment set No. 1 to 8](https://www.wahl.co.uk/product/optimised-comb-attachment-set-1-8/)
- [AndisMaster Premium Metal Clip Comb Set](https://andis.com/shop/detail/33645/Master-Premium-Metal-Clip-Comb-Set)
- [AndisCeramicEdge Detachable Blade Size 000](https://andis.com/shop/detail/64480/CeramicEdge-Detachable-Blade-Size-000)
