Cutting hair is a real art form that not everyone possesses. When it comes to men's hair, there are lots of techniques applied to ensure that he gets just the right haircut. Being able to give men a proper cut takes patience and talent. While you can learn most tricks and techniques in barber school, there are two main and very important elements of every man's haircut that you should know about.

Shape

When it comes to women, there are plenty of different cuts and styles to choose from. It's not quite as complicated for men. In fact, there are two main shapes to consider for a male cut:

• Square: The square shaped cut usually refers to styles like the flat top or a military style cut. When cutting this shape, the hairline should be a bit longer towards the corners of the head and the forehead. This way, the customer can have slightly longer bangs that they can style by parting them or combing them in either direction. It should also be longer in the crown area of the head so the hair lies down and does not stand straight up. It will be cut shorter as you clip it, and closer to the scalp towards the back of the head. This shape is often used for professional style cuts and low fade cuts.
• Contoured: Think of this haircut shape as a method that cuts your customer's hair by following the shape of their head. The hair is cut more closely to the corners (or the round) of the head, in sync with their individual shape. You can compare this shape to styles like "fauxhawks," Caesar style cuts, and any style that has more body in the front. 

Tapers or Fades

Another term the for taper or fade technique is called graduation. Essentially, this is how you shape the hair from one side of the head to the other, or from front to back. You can usually decide where to begin using this technique by looking at the length of the hair on top of the head. A good rule of thumb is that the longer the hair is on top, the more fading or graduation you will typically use. This technique is the same regardless of what style haircut your customer wants, and the main differentiating factor will be what tools you use. As long as you choose the correct area on the head to begin the tapering process and consistently follow it throughout the cut, your customer should be satisfied with the outcome of their new haircut.