Notes on tapers vs. fades

Better late than never: I have finally figured out the distinction between tapers and fades, despite the confusing and contradictory explanations floating around out there. I’ll start with a quick, clear explanation of what makes each cut unique, then provide a detailed breakdown of why these cuts have gotten so conflated.

What’s the distinction?

In short:

• A taper preserves the natural hairline.
• A fade erases the natural hairline.

There are other ways to distinguish these cuts, but to me, this is the core distinction and what makes a fade in particular immediately recognizable as a fade.

Can you illustrate the difference?

Sure! INSERT PICTURES HERE PLZ

What about distinguishing different types of fade?

Fade vs. skin fade:

• A traditional fade leaves stubble (that is, you grade to a 0).
• A skin fade is shaved smooth with a foil shaver or straight razor.

Fade vs. drop fade vs. burst fade:

• A traditional fade creates a straight line around the head.
• A drop fade dips down in the back (typically to the occipital bone), creating a curved line.
• A burst fade radiates out from the ears and typically leaves the back of the head untouched for other cutting and styling.

In other words, a drop fade still has you setting a line around the head; the line just travels differently. A burst fade doesn’t travel around the head and can be fused with styles like mohawks and mullets.

Worth noting: currently, drop skin fades are very popular, so when some people say “a fade,” they specifically mean “a drop skin fade.”

Why was this so hard to figure out?

Most barbers seem inclined to blame the confusion between tapers and fades on clients, but I think that’s unfair. If a barbering student who understands that these things are different has to spend hours researching to actually grasp the key distinctions, how is a layman meant to do it?

There are so many factors working against students and clients trying to distinguish these cuts. To lay them out:

1. Tapers and fades are cuts, not techniques.

Or at least, they’re more easily understood if you think about them that way.

Both cuts involve creating graduation from longer to shorter as you move down the head. If you assume that “taper” and “fade” refer to the technique of creating graduation, it’s understandable that you might think they’re synonymous terms, or that they refer to different extremes on a scale of graduation techniques.

Some barbers get in the weeds trying to explain the differences between grading for a taper and grading for a fade, or between low-contrast/gentle graduation and high-contrast/sharp graduation. While these explanations are useful to those already in the know, I think overemphasis on grading contributes to the confusion. Tapers aren’t just gentle fades, and fades aren’t just sharp tapers. They’re two different categories of cut. They take different approaches to the hairline and create different shapes and silhouettes.

2. Subtypes can muddy distinctions between these categories of cut.

“Fades grade to skin and tapers don’t” is surprisingly common as a shorthand explanation, considering it’s just… wrong. Most tapers do grade to skin (or at least to 0) in certain locations; that’s part of what makes the cut a taper. And the existence of skin fades implies that you can grade down to something that isn’t skin, so if you aren’t yet sure of the distinction between a fade and a skin fade, this introduces more confusion.

Attempts to define strict heights for tapers and fades are similarly unhelpful. Both tapers and fades can begin grading at different positions on the head. High, tight tapers can look like fades, especially if the person has a hair color that blends with their skin. Low and drop fades can look like tapers, especially if the person has a hair color that contrasts with their skin.

Explanations like these raise more questions than they answer, and they’re unnecessary when clearer explanations are available.

3. Misinformation is prevalent.

Look at this hilariously useless blog post I found during my research. If you only encountered “resources” like these, without already knowing better, would you be able to tell the difference between a taper and a fade? Would you understand the difference between gentle, low contrast graduation and sharp, high contrast graduation?

Shout outs to the image under burst fade not even being a burst fade; I actually laughed out loud.

What’s next?

It’s become clear to me that when I thought I was practicing fades, I was really practicing tapers. I’m going to get back to my mannequin heads and revisit my approach, especially at the temples and sideburns.

I also need to start thinking about how to cope with the width and bulk of the clipper. I find it hard to achieve the swift graduation a fade requires with my current tools. This is a good time to revisit my learning materials, especially the videos.

Last but not least: I need to remember that clients won’t know all this. Clients will use the wrong terms for things, and it’s on me to help us both figure out what they really want.