How to cut a Korean haircut: layers and zones

In this article:

• Step 1. Identify the shape from the client's photo
• Step 2. Divide the head into zones and sections
• Step 3. Set the layers and the length line
• Step 4. Texture and face-framing strands
• Step 5. Connect the zones and write down the diagram
• Where Korean haircuts are taught
• Questions and answers

Step 1. Identify the shape from the client's photo

A client brings a photo and asks for "a Korean haircut". There is no single Korean haircut: the name covers the layered cut, the hush cut, the shaggy cut, the mullet, the bob, the blunt bob and curtain bangs. To make a Korean haircut rather than a copy of a picture, the shape is identified by three signs:

• where the length line runs;
• at what height the layers start and how short they are;
• whether there are bangs.

These signs place the photo in one of seven shapes. The names of the shapes and how they differ are in the article Korean haircut techniques.

Step 2. Divide the head into zones and sections

The head is divided into zones: the front, the sides, the crown and the nape. Within each zone the hair is parted into sections. The hairdresser sets the length, layer and texture for each zone separately. This way one and the same shape adapts to a particular face and hair density instead of repeating someone else's photo.

Step 3. Set the layers and the length line

The shape is defined by two things: where the layers start and what length line remains.

• The layered cut and the hush cut. The length is kept, the layers are long and soft. In the layered cut the transition is smooth and the shape rests on the strands around the face; in the hush cut the layers are finer and the ends are light.
• The shaggy cut. The layers start higher and are visible all over the head, the length is shorter. The unevenness is intentional.
• The mullet. The front and side zones are shorter, the back is longer. In the Korean version the transition between the zones is softer.
• The bob and the blunt bob. There are few layers; the shape rests on the length line, and the work is about texture and volume.

Step 4. Texture and face-framing strands

Korean haircuts share soft layers, face-framing strands and textured ends. Curtain bangs are not a separate haircut but an element of the front zone: bangs with a centre parting that fall to the sides and blend into the face-framing strands. They are added to the layered cut, the hush cut, the bob or the blunt bob. Fine hair needs separate work on texture and volume; this topic is part of the course programme in Seoul.

Step 5. Connect the zones and write down the diagram

Once each zone has its length, layer and texture, the zones are connected. The order of work is recorded as a diagram: a drawing of the head showing the zone borders, the sections and the order of work from zone to zone. With a diagram a cut can be repeated and explained to another hairdresser. There are no ready-made diagrams in this article: they are taught on the course together with hand positioning.

Where Korean haircuts are taught

In April 2027 Hong Jihoon, Creative Technical Director of MASSTIGE HAIR Academy, teaches Korean haircut training in Seoul. The programme covers zones and sections and the cutting diagram, layers for medium and long hair, the Korean layered cut, curtain bangs and face-framing strands, the bob and the blunt bob, texture and volume on fine hair, and the shapes clients ask for: the mullet, the shaggy cut, the hush cut.

The price is 190,000 ₽ for one day or 350,000 ₽ for two days, flights and accommodation not included; the dates are set once the group is full. I organise the trip: I interpret into Russian and accompany the group.

Questions and answers

Where to start if a client shows a photo without a name? Look at the length line, the height of the layers and whether there are bangs. These three signs are enough to place the photo in one of seven shapes and cut the shape, not the picture.

Why divide the head into zones if there is only one shape? Every client's face and hair density are different. When the length, layer and texture are set zone by zone and the zones are then connected, the same shape fits the particular person.

Where do curtain bangs go on the diagram? In the front zone. They are an element, not a separate haircut: they are added to the layered cut, the hush cut, the bob or the blunt bob.

Can you learn to cut from a diagram without a course? A diagram shows the zone borders, the sections and the order of work; with it a cut can be repeated and explained to another hairdresser. It does not replace hand positioning, which is why on the course diagrams are taught together with it.

How do you cut a men's Korean haircut or work with a razor? This article is about the women's shapes from the course programme: the layered cut, the hush cut, the shaggy cut, the mullet, the bob, the blunt bob and bangs. Men's haircuts and razor cutting are not part of the April 2027 programme.

Can I come to Seoul for one day? Yes, in April 2027 there are one-day and two-day formats; which topics go into the one-day format is clarified when you sign up.