How To Section Hair With Precision And Accuracy (Don't Skip The Fundamentals)

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By Ashley GiannettoJul 6, 2022

As hairdressers, we sometimes get so excited and want to dive right in to doing hair that we skip certain fundamentals.

There are quick ways to avoid skipping these crucial steps that will make our works of art better, and save us time! Watch as Sam Villa Cultural Ambassador Andrew Carruthers shares a few tips to help section hair easily with precision and accuracy!

How do you create quick and precise sections?

Prior to starting your haircut, be sure to choose the best sectioning for the haircut you will be performing. This way you have a blueprint for the sectioning guidelines.

The technique below is to help gain speed and precision with sectioning. The more you practice this, the faster you’ll get!

With both hands held in line with either shoulder, raise both pointer fingers straight up.
Touch fingertips to one another at chest level.

This will be the motion we follow while we section hair.

Hold your long cutting comb in your non dominant hand.
Notice on this particular comb, there’s a parting tooth on the wider section of the comb.
Place your pointer finger (non-dominant) on the tip (back) of the parting tooth.
Place your opposite pointer finger (dominant hand) at the point on the head of where you’ll end your section.
Place the parting tooth (keep your finger on the back of the parting tooth) on the head where you will begin your section.
To carve out your section: glide the parting tooth across to meet where the other pointer finger is touching the head.

Hot tip: Be sure to connect your points quickly!

Why? Grab a pencil and a piece of paper. You’ll notice when you try to draw a straight line at a slower pace, you create a more jagged line. If you move the pencil quickly, the line will be much straighter! This is the same when gliding your comb from one fingertip to the other.

Another great tip is to comb the hair in the direction you want to part. This ensures that the grain of the hair is in the same direction of the teeth of the comb, making it easy to glide through. If your sections are horizontal, comb all hair at a Horizontal!

What if my sections are long?

If you’re creating longer sections such as when you part across the entire head, it’s harder to draw a precise line. Here’s the third tip for keeping your sections precise, even for longer partings!

Follow this technique:

Hold your long cutting comb in your non dominant hand.
Place both pointer fingers on the tip (back) of the parting tooth.
Place the parting tooth (with both pointer fingers) where you will begin your section.
Rest your palms against the clients head.
Glide your comb across the head with both fingers on the comb, and palms against the head to reach the end of your part.

This technique supports both sides of the comb and helps to keep precision as you move across the head.

Hot tip: Use this technique when cutting thicker hair!

Final words

To recap, follow these tips for more accurate partings:

Fingertip to fingertip.
Always comb the hair in the direction you want to part.
For longer partings, place both fingertips on the parting tooth, and glide with your palms resting on the head.

We hope these tips help with precision and accuracy with your sectioning! A few times of practicing these and you’ll be a pro! Remember, efficiency is key to your success behind the chair!