The Taper Cut: A Classic Among Men's Haircuts
Sooner or later, in the chair at your barber, the same questions come up.
Do I stick with the cut I know, or try something new today? A new look never hurt anyone, and a remake or a restyle always goes down well with women.
So which haircut should I go for? Do I risk something new, maybe the modern look the lead actor in my current favourite film is wearing? That is a lot of questions at once. It is enough to make a man sweat in the barber's chair, and the safe option usually wins by default.
"Same as always, please" is the most common answer to the question of what you would like today. It does not have to go that way. To give you a hand with it, today's Charlemagne Premium blog post puts the hair on your head centre stage.
Men's hair: nothing ventured, nothing gained
Men's haircuts are a bigger topic now than they have ever been. A man of the world cares how he looks. Grooming, clothes and a well-trimmed beard are only part of it. Your hair, more than anything, has turned into a status symbol. Which brings us to Patrick Bateman, the lead in American Psycho, played by Christian Bale at his sharpest. One of the film's most quoted lines fits our subject rather well:
"Bateman, why are you being such a dork?" Patrick Bateman: "I'm just a happy camper. Rockin' and a-rollin'."
It has to be your own
What are we getting at? A lot of men simply do not look like themselves. Case in point: the radical undercut everyone suddenly had, or the bowl cut of the nineties. There is nothing wrong with following a trend. But trends end. And finding a cut that actually suits your look is not difficult. So today is all about a classic in men's hairdressing, a genuinely timeless one thanks to how far it can be adapted to the individual. The taper cut, known in Germany as the Fasson.
Classic cuts are not just a women's subject
Men have no shortage of classic cuts to choose from either. Among countless others, some in fashion and some long past it, sits the taper cut, currently everywhere you look. Hollywood or the high street, the taper is unavoidable. Rightly so, in our view. A look that keeps catapulting itself back to the top of the trend list has clearly earned its place. The range of cutting variations gives you a great deal of freedom. And one more thing that matters: men of any age can wear a taper and look good in it.
How the taper cut is cut
The taper cut, sometimes called a facon cut, is a classic fade. In plain terms, that means your hair blends from the length on top down into the sides.
The hair is shortest around the neckline and the sides, and is trimmed gradually longer as it flows up into the length on top. That blend is the taper.
The end result is this: the natural growth pattern of your hair is worked with rather than against, and any lumps and bumps in the shape of your head are neatly evened out.
Because of that, there is a version of the taper for every person and every head shape. The steps in the blend and the shape of the outlines are adjusted to you.
Bring in one of the undercut variations and you end up with something genuinely striking.
Go the other way, with a soft blend, a neckline that fades out, hair slicked back and outlines cut clean, and you have a very sharp business look.
The key is telling your barber enough that he can judge whether the soft blend or the harder, more defined look suits you. In short, the taper and its variations are all but endless.
Styling a taper cut
Styling a taper is as individual as the cut itself. Experimenting is encouraged. Combed neatly into place, bed-head, or something more extravagant: the only opinion that counts here is the man wearing it.
What matters is knowing that your hair type decides which styling product will actually keep your mane under control. You will get good results with pomade, and on stubborn hair with hair wax. The matte finish those products leave behind is what completes the style.
As you have read, the big advantage of the taper is that it adapts to any person and any look, so you can still come out with something of your own even when everyone is chasing the same trend. Pair it with a well-kept beard and the taper looks genuinely sharp. Book an appointment with your barber and ask him to talk you through the full package, because:
"A healthy and well groomed beard is important for a real man, that's why we offer everything you need to keep yours doing so."
As barbers with more than 20 years in the trade between us, we went looking for styling and grooming products that convinced us completely. There were good products on the market, but none that gave us everything we needed. After some thought, in 2014 we decided to build our own range. For two years we spent every free minute after work at the barbershop down in our cellar, refining the formulas. When it came to ingredients, only the best was good enough. We bought the finest jojoba oil available in Morocco and argan oil from Italy.
Two years and a lot of attempts later, our first product line was ready, and it has been winning customers over ever since. We think 98% positive reviews speak for themselves. Since the official launch in 2016 we have kept developing it. That is one reason Charlemagne Premium products have won not one but several comparison tests in recent years.
You will find all of our products right here in our online store. If you have any questions about them, you can reach us any time at info@charlemagne-premium.com.
