Illinois Barber Practice Exam 2025 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

Undercutting is a stylistic technique that involves shaving or cutting the hair on the sides and back significantly shorter than the hair on top. This creates a stark contrast in lengths, which can add volume and height to the hairstyle on top while keeping the sides and back neat.

Fade haircuts integrate the undercut technique, as they typically involve a gradual transition in hair length from the top of the head down to the sides and back. The seamless blend from longer to shorter lengths can give a very polished appearance, making the fade a popular choice among various styles using the undercut approach.

While pompadour hairstyles can sometimes incorporate an undercut for added height and style, they do not universally rely on that technique. Buzz cuts and bowl cuts have different defining characteristics that do not involve the undercut method. A buzz cut is uniformly short all around, and a bowl cut features a blunt fringe and longer hair around the sides, lacking the contrasting lengths offered by an undercut.