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THE MADAM C. J. WALKER SCHOOLS

of the hair, and shape of the head, should be taken into consideration in cutting or bobbing the hair, as well as the prevailing hair styles which the beautician may follow by reading the current trade magazines and style charts.

It should be remembered always that the cut of his or her hair is of greatest importance to everyone and the hair cutter bears considerable responsibility to one whose hair is to be cut. Be careful. Mistakes made by the scissors can not be covered up or modified. 

HAIR CUTTING TOOLS

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INSTRUMENTS FOR HAIRCUTTING 

A pair of shears about seven inches long, of the French type; a black rubber comb with a tapered end with both coarse and fine teeth; a pair of narrow blade, double ought (00) clippers and a neck duster are the tools necessary for trimming and cutting the hair. The shears are handled with the right hand, the third finger going through the hole in the stationary blade and the thumb through the hole in the blade that moves. The thumb operates the shears, moving one blade up and down. The fingers remain still, serving as a rigid pivot while the cutting progresses.

The comb is held with the left hand in such a manner that it turns easily in the hand while combing the hair up to be cut, or down after being cut.

The clippers are used to cut the fine hair off the neck. There are two types, those operated by hand and those operated by electricity. If the shop has a large hair cutting patronage, the electric clippers are advised. They are time savers and will pay for themselves many times. Hand clippers are furnished with wide and narrow blades ranging in sizes from one to triple ought (000). The latter are extra fine. The double ought (00) with the narrow blades are preferable for beauty work because of their lightness.

The clippers are operated opposite to the shears, the rigid handle

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TEXT BOOK OF BEAUTY CULTURE

fitting along the under side of the thumb while the fingers grasp and operate the other handle. Do not push the clippers into the hair too rapidly. Clippers have two blades operating in opposite directions, each having tiny teeth, which do the cutting, while the blades pass each other alternately and parallel. The hair protruding through the tiny teeth is cut as the blades pass in opposite directions. Pushing the clippers too fast prevents the hair from entering the openings between the teeth and will cause the clippers to pull and hurt the patron.

The neck duster is a small bristled broom for dusting talcum powder on to the neck before cutting the hair and to brush off the fine ends of the hair that fall around the ears and neck after the cutting has been completed. Hair cutting tools should be kept in good order. When in need of adjustment or sharpening, send them to a reputable barber supply house or cutlery shop.

THINNING

There often comes to the shop, a patron whose hair is exceedingly heavy, in fact so much so, that the new hair growth is stifled by the heavy growth of old hair. The process of removing a part of this old heavy growth is the method known as thinning. 

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Thinning the Hair

There are three ways of thinning the hair, with scissors, with thinning shears, and with a razor.

WITH SCISSORS

Slithering is a process used in tapering (shortening and thinning the hair in one operation) and thinning the hair. It is done by holding a small section of hair between the thumb and the index finger, and inserting the hair in the scissors so that only the underneath section of the hair is shortened. Slide the scissors up and down the strands, closing them slightly each time the scissors moves toward the scalp. Slither enough to allow the hair to lie close to the scalp wherever needed. Do not thin out too much hair from any one spot but skip about the entire head, choosing the longer hair to thin. This process will give the younger hair an opportunity to thicken and thrive.

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Transcription Notes:
152 [image: shears, a brush, a comb, a hand clipper, and an electric clipper]] 153 [[image: A person has their hair thinned by a pair of hands. The hands also have a comb]]