Hair Tattoos for Short Hair
Shaving or Carving Patterns is The Latest Trend in Men's Haircuts
Apr 19, 2008
Hair designers have taken the art of tattooing to a new level by shaving designs into men’s and women's hair.
Who's Wearing Hair Tattoos?
Generally, this is a style for hipsters in the 16-29 year-old range, but kids as young as 10 are also developing a sense of style in this fashion. Its trendy and non-conservative look is attracting athletes, skateboarders, artists and gamers as fans. Typically this hairstyle isn’t showing up on Wall Street.
Salon clients are known for bringing in photos of hairstyles to communicate what they are looking for. With tattooing, young men are taking in hand-drawn designs, comics, and architectural books for specific patterns they want shaved into their hair. In this regard, hair tattooing has become a legitimateart form.
How is It Done?
Tattooing—or “carving”—is a definite skill and requires a special type of stylist to be able to get it right. Clients are not just looking for a stylist with talent—thought that’s a necessity—they also want a stylist that "gets it". There is a lifestyle associated with this hairstyle, and an image that accompanies it.
Stylists that are tattooing are cutting-edge and love the challenge of creating a piece of art on a canvas. It’s the epitome of why they became stylists in the first place: they crave beauty and transformation. Their egos crave genius, and this creative outlet secures their status as artists.
Patterns of swirls and flourishes, vine-like designs, tribal characteristics, mendi intricacies—these are the trademarks of tattooing. They are usually asymmetrical patterns shaved into the lower half of the head, on either side of a Mohawk/faux hawk, or completely cover a head of ultra-short hair.
Stylists must have a steady hand and proper tools. It takes a good quality clipper to shave the hair down to about ¼”, creating the “canvas.” Carving blades and trimmers are used for the thin, fluid lines and complex details in the tattoo.
Hair tattooing stands on its own without colour being added.
How Long Does it Last?
Hair tattoos last for only a few weeks, depending on how quickly hair grows. Frequent maintenance is required to keep the tattoo looking sharp. Cost is dependent on how complex the pattern is, and on the qualifications of the stylist.
Regretting that tattoo? Shaving the canvas down to the scalp will get rid of designs, or growing out the tattoo to ¼” and shaving the whole canvas to the same length will eliminate any trace of the undesirable appearance.
Old-school style reflects the “I dare ya” era of shaving a team’s logo into the hair during playoff season. Today, shaving and clipping a motif has been elevated to a brand new art and medium of self-expression.
