‘Bald’ isn’t usually a wise choice of word when describing how you want your hair, even to the best barber. However, add the word ‘fade’ immediately afterwards, and your tonsorial prospects are almost guaranteed to go from grade zero to hair hero.

The bald fade is one of the most popular modern techniques employed by hairstyling professionals. It enables clippersmiths to achieve that surgically precise blended look seen rocked in recent years by everyone from Brad Pitt to Jamie Foxx.

This is barbering at its most technical, so naturally there’s a lot to get to know. With that in mind, we’ve pulled together everything you need to understand about this contemporary classic, including the key variations you might want to consider for your next trim.

What Is A Bald Fade?

Think of the bald fade as a modern short back and sides. Fade is the word used to describe the seamless transition between shorter and slightly longer lengths of hair at the back and the sides of the head. In a regular fade, this might be from a grade two up to a grade five. However, in a bald fade, the hair will go right down to skin level.

The technique creates a high-contrast look where the longer hair further up the head gradually fades down until it disappears entirely. However, the point at which this change in length occurs depends on which type of bald fade you go for.

Bald Fade Vs. Skin Fade: What’s The Difference?

You’ll often hear the terms ‘bald fade’ and ‘skin fade’ used interchangeably, which can be a little confusing. However, the reason they get swapped out for one another is that they both mean exactly the same thing.

It’s really nothing more than a follicular case of ‘you say tomato, I say tomato’. Which, admittedly, kind of loses its significance when written as opposed to spoken. But you know what we mean. To put it simply: use either and your barber will deliver the same cut.