What You Should Remember When Cutting a Bob

Bobs are making a comeback, so as requests from clients for this cut are on the rise, HJ spoke to Jake Unger to find out what you should remember when cutting a bob. Just take a quick look on the catwalks and red carpets and you'll see celebrities and models embracing the look this year. Whether it’s the Frenchie, the Boyfriend or the Box, the bob is having a resurgence. “Bobs are back for 2023 and can be made suitable for every client and hair texture,” says HOB Academy Head of Education Jake Unger. “If you haven’t cut a bob for a while it can be a scary thought, but the bob is incredibly versatile and is a great hairstyle to cut. It can be sleek and shiny or incorporate sexy waves and movement. Whatever the style, it is essential that the longest point is always right at the front. That doesn’t necessarily mean it needs to be a bob that is dramatically shorter at the back and longer at the front; even on a bob that looks square it’s important that it doesn’t round up at the front." So if you haven’t cut a bob in a while, these are the three things to remember according to Jake:

1. Uneven sides is a common problem, so make sure your fingers or comb, sections and scissor blades are parallel to each other and work in unison. To keep the angle of your sections symmetrical, work both sides at the same time and keep checking the shape of your outline either in the mirror or step back from your client a couple of meters to get the best view of your outline.
2. Remember to take into consideration the natural fall of the hair. If you forget this, you may end up with a hole on the outline where the ear protrudes. Always cut the sides with minimal tensions, using the comb, keeping the hair as close as possible to the neck and releasing the tension on the hair by tapping the hair above and below the ear. If you see a hole on your outline when the hair is dried, you could change the angle of the line slightly to make up for the missing hair so the flow of the line stays intact. Alternatively, texturise the outline to visually disguise the hole.
3. If you have too much tension, elevation or over direction, you can end up with unwanted graduation. Counteract this by using minimal tension, watch the hair’s natural fall and the growth patterns as these will produce unwanted movement and shrinkage causing too much uneven graduation. If this happens you can point-cut the hair to visually blend the outline.

Wondering why the bob is the hottest haircut right now? Read our article to find out why the experts think the bob is back for 2023.