Hairstyles Using an Outliner

Rihanna sports an edgy outliner look at VEVO's 2009 launch.

Photo: Jason Kempin/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Love yourself with a short, sexy hairstyle but could use a little more definition in your 'do? Your trusty clippers can't always cut closely enough for the precise haircuts a modern girl craves. To get those clean, edgy looks your favorite celebrities are sporting, you'll need to shape your chosen style with an outliner clipper instead. Outliner hairstyles typically show a neatly shaped hairline but can also include other features like shaved designs and strategically placed locks.

Pretty Pixie

If you like your tresses trimmed down to baby-fine wisps, the pixie cut might be your best outliner bet. Whether you want to emulate Emma Watson's iconic cropped cut or fancy yourself in actress Morena Baccarin's severe style, precision shaping is key. Pixie cuts feature very short fringe in front and are only about an inch long all over, but the sides and back are where the outliner comes in handy. Pixie sideburns are shorn just at the cheekbone, so that the hair curves up over the ear and down to the nape of the neck.

One-Sided Style

Asymmetrical coifs are always chic, and the one-sided shave is no exception. This trend, which has been worn in the past by celebrities like singer Rihanna and former Spice Girl Melanie B., features shaving only on one side of the head, all the way up to the temple. This look isn't usually completely bare, however. Instead, the hair is shaved very short, cleaned up at the edges with an outliner and decorated with spiral or zigzag shapes. The rest of the hair is often left long or styled into a bob.

Shorn Short

If you're a girl who likes little fuss in her fashion but still wants a look with a little dimension, you can also edge up a totally shorn style. Go military-chic by trimming your locks close to your head, but don't leave your 'do detail-free. Instead, this style shows off some sweeping designs edged right into the hair. After cleaning up the hairline at the front, sides and back with the outliner, you can get some extra style with intersecting lines, spirals, stars and other shapes.

Modern Mohawk

No girl needs to lose all of her length to get an edged-up cut. Instead, go for the symmetrical version of the one-sided shave by trimming your hair short on both sides of your head, all the way up to the temples and at the nape of the neck. This look, which Rihanna has sported in the past, features a clean, precise hairline and a thick stripe of hair down the center of the head. This hair can be left as long as you like and styled in spikes or curls.

Related Videos

 

References

 

Milady's Standard Professional Barbering; Maura T. Scali-Sheahan Advanced Hairdressing: A Coursebook for Level 3; Stephanie Henderson-Brown and Catherine Avadis

Resources

 

388 Great Hairstyles; Margrit Rudiger and Renate Von Samson

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