Tidy Up the Nape

Stray hairs at the nape of the neck — Photo: Axel Bueckert/Shutterstock

Q: When cutting a short bob hairstyle (typically inverted or a-line) is it appropriate to use clippers to tidy up the stray hairs on the nape of the neck?

A: It is entirely appropriate to use clippers to clean up the perimeter of any super short haircut or the short sections of a haircut like the bob cut.

Some A-line bob haircuts that are created to be high up in the back of the head even require that the clippers be used to taper the hair at the nape area and undercut the hair about an inch beneath the hairline.

Usually, as it is with the specifics of any hairstyle, you want to consult with the client about what he/she wants from the finished look. In some cases the client has very light hair and isn't bothered by wispy strands at the nape of the neck, and in other cases the client may like a very precise and cleanly delineated hairline.

Some clients want you to go so far as to actually shave the area down to the surface of the skin.

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See also:

How to taper hair

How to remove the ugly neck hair when you wear your hair in a ponytail

How should I explain to my hairdresser that I want a tapered nape area?

What are undershave and undercut haircuts?