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Almost every black man who has gone to the barbershop has experienced a barber messed up hairline. A pushed back hairline is as bad as getting your food knocked out of your hands when you’re starving. Both are enough to cause you to hold a lifetime grudge towards someone.
A messed up haircut isn’t bad for your self-esteem; it can affect body image, personal life, and even work performance. It is human nature to be more confident when you look good, especially if you are a man, and it can even make you appear more professional to your colleagues.
But how easy is it to fix a zeeked haircut? Surprisingly, it is much easier than you would think. You can improve your messed-up hairline in minutes with simple tricks and tools.
What does it mean when a barber ruined hairline or bad edge up?
A bad line up is when a barber messes up the hairline during a haircut. This means the hairline is unevenly sloped or crooked. The hairline may even be pushed back further than the client wants. Another reason for bad shape up is when the corner of the hairline is rounded off or is not parallel to each other.
The frontal hairline is one of the hardest parts to master in haircutting. Bad edge up may happen because of inexperience, lack of skill, or plain negligence. In some cases, improper tools may also cause bad haircuts and shape up.
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Don’t panic, there are a few ways you can save your hairline when your barber mess up your shape up. I’ll teach you how to fix your edge up in this article!
Why do barbers insist on pushing hairline back?
There are multiple reasons why your barber keeps giving you a pushed back line up. I know we all expect our barbers to work their magic, but a bad hairline may not be your barber’s fault. Here, I’ll give you an example!
Back when I was in college, I used to cut my dormmates’ hair to earn extra income. I remember an instance where I messed up someone’s hairline. It wasn’t because I didn’t know what I was doing but because my client sneezed as I lined his hair up. The sudden movement caused him to then have a bad hairline. Clearly, he messed up his hairline in this case. He was upset, but it was more so with himself!
Below is a few reasons why your barber keeps pushing your hairline back.
- Receding hairline
- Wet or oily hair
- Relining already pushed back hairline
- Constant movement while in the barbers’ chair.
- Flat out bad barber
As you see from the list, some of these are unavoidable. If you ask your barber the top three reasons for a bad shape up, he’ll say each of the above examples. I bring this up to point to each side of the spectrum and promote rational thinking before blaming your barber.
How do I prevent a pushed back hairline?
You can do a few simple things to prevent a bad shape up from your barber. Like my mother always told me, “it’s far easier to prevent than to correct.”… I love you, mom, and all your wise quotes!
So, with that being said, it’s a good idea to let your barber know what you are expecting even before they turn on their hair clipper. Let your barber know of tricky spots in your hairline; they’ll be able to tell you about alternative options.
Here are a few tips to avoid an uneven shape up!
The easy tips can help avoid things like crooked front taper hairline and a high hairline:
Ask Your Barber to pre outline your hairline
Using a pencil or an eyeliner pen, ask your barber to pre outline your edge up. It may sound ridiculous but believe me; you’ll be happy you asked. No one’s perfect no matter how good your barber is. Staying on track with a person’s hairline is difficult. Therefore, a simple outline can keep things in order. Your barber will not be offended that you ask for a pre-line; you’re the paying customer. Feel free to ask before the barber starts your cut.
Communicate what you want
I never understood why so many men are afraid to tell their barbers what they want. Your barber will gladly take the pointer. Think about it your barber would prefer to get it right the first time than trying to adjust your hairline.
Sit up straight in the barbers chair
This is one that I can’t stress enough, sit up straight with your chin up. I see people slouching or looking at the phones while the barber is trying to edge up their hairline. It’s even crazier to see those same guys get upset and ask the barber to fix their lining.
Your barber will have access and a broader range to work with by sitting upright. Your hairline will come out crisp and sharp by following this rule.
Stop distracting your barber
It’s good to indicate concerns and point out difficult spots in your hairline. However, cracking jokes or talking about lord knows what to an easily distracted barber is not good.
Talking to your barber too much could cause him to lose focus and even be overwhelmed. If you notice your barber has difficulty multitasking, you’d be better served to stay quiet and let him work.
Follow the simple step above to prevent your hairline from being pushed back by your barber!
Cut your own hair at home.
Sometimes the simplest way to effectively avoid a bad lineup or haircut from a barber is to do it yourself. There are many resources online that could help you learn to cut hair yourself, best part is, most of it is free!
Once you learn to cut your have you’ll have the option of cutting your own hair. You’ll be able to fade your hair from home, and even provide yourself with a perfect edge up. Think about it, once you advance your skills, you’ll be able to line yourself up with a t-outliners and a straight razor.
Read this in-depth guide to buying The Top 10 Best Edgers for black hair!
The best way to deal with a barber messed up hairline.
As hard as it may sound your best bet is to stay calm when your barber messes up your edge up. Most people’s first reaction is to flip out and act a fool. Believe me, acting crazy or becoming irate will only lead to a confrontation. This will not fix a bad haircut!
I’ll give you an example of how things can get out of hand. A couple of days ago, there was a shooting at a barbershop because a customer was unhappy with their son’s haircut. Check out the news clip on the shooting.
There should never be a reason that things get this far if a barber messed up hairline. Of course, this incident is to the extreme and rare it does happen. Though not all altercations with barbers lead to gun violence, they can lead to threats and physical fights.
Tips to solving barber messed up hairline peacefully!
I get it your hairline is one of the first things people notice when they see you, and it’s frustrating when your hairline gets messed up. Here are a few things you can do to avoid any issue with your barber. 
- Take a deep breath and relax
- Ask the barber to fix your line up
- Ask for your money back
- Avoid going back to that barber
- Fix your own shape up at home
At the end of the day, your barber is human and will make mistakes at some point. So, the next time your barber gives you a bad line up, take the time to go through the steps listed to avoid an altercation.
If you decide to fix your frontal hairline yourself, consider buying a BabylissPro MetalFX T-Blade on Amazon to fix or straighten any crooked lining. It’s essential to have the right high-quality equipment to get the results you and looking for.
Is it permanent when barber push edge up back?
I’m sure you’re wondering if the Jefferson hairline that your barber just gave you is permanent. Fortunately, it is not permanent… It will grow back as long as you do not have a receding hairline. You’ll look a bit crazy for a while, but it’s not the end of the world.
I still remember being on the bad end of the clippers. My older sister went to cosmetology school and decided to use me as her guinea pig. She thought it was a good idea to give me a bowl haircut and zeeked my hairline. Imagine being nine years old boy with a bad haircut and having to go to school in Brooklyn New York with either a bad hairline or a bad haircut. Let’s just say, kids are cruel man!
How long will it take for my hairline to grow back after a bad line up?
I’ll let you know a crooked frontal hairline will feel like it’s taking an eternity to grow back. I can assure you it will not take that long. Usually, a bad edge up will take about two to three weeks to grow back.
During the grow back phase, you have to deal with looking like a hobo. Your hairline will look terrible, but if you’re able to deal with it for a short period, you’ll have your hairline back to normal.
The goal is to avoid interfering with the growing process of your hairline by getting shape ups. You have to be patient and give your hairline time to grow back.
Will bad shape up cause receding hairline?
The question at hand is, does pushed back line up cause receding hairline? Contrary to the popular myth, a pushed back edge up will not cause you to have a receding hairline. A receding hairline is caused by genetics, not by a haircut.
If your grandfather on your mother’s side has a receding hairline or is bald then the chance of experiencing hair loss is more likely.
3 tips to fix line up!
A bad hairline isn’t the end of the world; there is a couple of things you can do to fix a crooked shape up. The majority of the time, most people won’t even notice a slightly uneven line up. You’re better served to just leave your hairline alone in such a case. In cases of an obvious uneven edge up or pushed back shape up, you should do the following so that the imperfection isn’t so noticeable.
- Get a low cut – By lowering your hair to a low grain cut or even going completely bald, you’ll be able to keep your bad hairline hidden. For men with long hair or locs, this option isn’t suitable for you.
- Use hairline spray – consider using a hair fiber spray such as Toppik hairline spray to conceal your crooked hairline. This option works well for men with long hair and double line dreads!
- Keep head covered – For extreme cases of pushed back lining you may want to wear a hat, durag, or bandanna on your head to hide your hairline.
Conclusion:
It is not the end of the world if your barber messed up your hairline. The key is to keep your composure and work through the issues with your barber to fix your shape up. It does you no good to argue or fight your barber over your hairline.
There are ways to fix your edge up if you find yourself on the wrong end of the hair clippers. YOUR HAIR WILL GROW BACK!!
It is important to prevent a bad line up by following the steps above. Remember, avoid distracting your barber while you’re getting an edge up. Again, it’s way easier to prevent than to fix your shape up!
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If you enjoyed this article and found it useful, please like, subscribe, and share! Also, read the other article from AfroCurlsandCuts.com
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