How to ask your barber for a haircut.

The four things to say

• Top: how much length to keep. Show it with your fingers, or say an inch or two.
• Sides: a clipper guard number, scissors, or a fade. If it's a fade, say where it starts: low, mid, or high.
• Back: a rounded, squared, or tapered neckline.
• Styling: what you do with it in the morning, and how much time you spend.

Bring a photo, the right way

A photo helps most when the person in it has hair like yours: the same thickness, the same wave or curl. Show the front and the side if you can. If you are growing your hair out, say so first, so the barber keeps the length and only cleans up the shape.

Words barbers use

• Fade: the sides blend shorter toward the bottom, sometimes down to skin. See skin fade vs taper fade.
• Taper: a softer fade that keeps some length around the ears and the neckline.
• Line up: a sharp edge on the hairline and neckline, also called an edge up or shape up.
• Texture: cutting into the top so it sits looser and moves more.

Which service to book

At The Chair Barbershop in River North, a clipper or classic cut is The Classic Chair Cut ($47), a longer scissor cut is The Old Fashion Scissors ($63), and a fade is the Signature Fade ($57). Not sure? Book the Classic Chair Cut and talk it through in the chair. See every option on the prices page.