THE FADED HAIRLINE (SMP style by Marc Allen)

When it comes to scalp micropigmentation (SMP), the hairline is one of the most critical aspects of achieving a natural look. Over the years, hairline techniques have evolved, and today, we’re focusing on one of the most innovative methods: the faded hairline.

The Evolution of the Faded Hairline

Back in 2017 and 2018, while working as an SMP artist, I noticed that most treatments, regardless of the style, had a rigid finish. Although there were efforts to break up the impressions by spacing out the dots, it didn’t solve the core issue – every hairline was stopping in the same place. This often left clients with a solid, unnatural edge to their SMP treatment.

A natural hairline, in my view, should have three key elements: shape, symmetry, and finish.

Shape – Everyone’s hairline is unique, and the shape can vary from a peaked look to a more receded, rounded style. Choosing the right shape is crucial for creating a natural appearance.

Symmetry – Symmetry is essential for balance. No one wants a hairline that is lower on one side or uneven in profile. This precision is a fundamental part of creating a well-constructed hairline.

Finish – Perhaps the most important element is the finish. When I was working as a barber, I would cut hair into shape but soften the edges with a fade, especially with longer hair, to create a smoother transition. I brought this concept into SMP, developing the faded hairline technique.

What Is a Faded Hairline?

The faded hairline is all about creating a softer, more natural transition at the hairline’s edge. Early SMP techniques often left a solid, abrupt line at the front, which looked unnatural. To remedy this, I experimented with using lighter shading at the hairline’s edge and gradually darkening the treatment as it moved further back, often in subsequent sessions.

This technique has a revolutionary effect: the hairline blends seamlessly, making it difficult to distinguish where the SMP starts and stops. By using a lighter shade at the front, followed by darker shades behind, you achieve a more natural, faded effect.

The Technique Behind the Faded Hairline

The process involves careful planning and artistic ability. In the first session, I apply a lighter shade to the front of the hairline, corresponding to the chosen shape – whether it’s a sharp shape-up or a more receded style. In subsequent sessions, I introduce slightly darker shades behind the first, which adds depth and dimension. Occasionally, I’ll break up the treatment with scattered dots for a more natural, varied look.

This isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. To create a successful faded hairline, the SMP artist needs to be skilled in recognising the nuances of each client’s scalp and understanding where to apply the different shades.

Extending the Faded Look to the Sides

The faded effect doesn’t stop at the front. It can be extended into the side profiles, ensuring a consistent, natural look around the entire head. For clients who have a full SMP treatment, this fading technique can be continued down towards the ears, avoiding the dreaded “block” SMP effect, where the treatment ends abruptly at the sides.

Why the Faded Hairline is a Game Changer

In my opinion, the faded hairline is the most natural-looking hairline technique available today. It has transformed the way we approach SMP, and when executed well, it can create a hairline so seamless that it’s hard to tell where it begins or ends. For anyone seeking a natural result, the faded hairline should be the go-to choice.

The ability to achieve this level of realism has set a new standard in the SMP industry, and I believe the faded hairline is now the gold standard for anyone looking to replicate a truly natural appearance.

In conclusion, if you’re considering SMP and want a natural, seamless result, the faded hairline is the technique that can give you the most authentic look.

(Video transcript below).

Hi, guys, welcome to this video. We are talking about hairlines. In particular, today, talking about the faded hairline. Now back in 2017/2018, I was working as an SMP artist. All of the SMP stopped in one place. Yes, there was an element of people would call it a scatter. They would break out, the little dots/impressions and make them further apart, but what happened was everyone’s treatment started finishing in the same place. A natural hairline was just considered something that was shaped in a natural way.

I decided a hairline needed three elements, the shape, the symmetry, and the finish. What I mean by the shape, is what everybody’s typically having don with there SMP. You can choose the different shapes, you can have a peaked shape in your hairstyle in, you can have it receded for a natural feel, or you can have it rounded at the front which looks a bit cleaner or a little neater.

The next thing you need is symmetry. We don’t want a hairline coming down lower on one side, or your side profile is one further forward on one side than the other. Its symmetry is really important. If this is not done properly, you will look like you have an uneven hair cut or even worse it will look like your head has changed shape.

Then finish! Probably the most important thing about a hairline is its finish. When I was a barber, even when I shaped somebody up, I would cut their hair into a shape. But if somebody had longer hair, you’d have a ridge coming out post cut. As a barber, I used to just fade off that edge and make it softer. The same again with a natural finish on somebody, I want it to just fade off that hairline, so it just looked a little bit softer.

I took that element with me into SMP and created the faded hairline because I could see all the old-school SMP was just finishing in the same place no matter what SMP style of shape it was. Many SMP would result in if it was coming around or whatever it was coming straight, it would all just finish in the same place and just leave this rim at the front and it looked a bit too solid. For me, I didn’t like that look. I wanted to create a faded hairline, seeing as this is something that was natural to me I just tried it. I thought, “Let’s just leave a lighter shade in the front.” I still broke it out in the same way as normal and then I started dropping slightly darker shades behind what I’d already worked on from subsequent sessions. This left us with that faded hairline. Then hallelujah, when you saw somebody with SMP done with a faded hairline, you couldn’t tell where the hairline started and stopped. That was a revolution in the industry that really did start producing what we call natural hairlines.

The faded hairline for me is about dropping that light shade in front. You choose your shape, whatever shape it’s going to be, you can merge the technique with other SMP styles such as the receded hairline. In the first session, you got to use that lighter shade coming to the furthest point where we want it. Then after that in subsequent sessions, we’re going to be using a slightly darker treatment behind it.
I might drop the odd one or two coming through just to break it up. This is where it gets tricky If you’re an SMP artist, if they’re trying to create this look, they need to have that artistic ability where they can see what’s needed rather than just saying, “Okay, one, two, three, it’s just a lighter shade, darker shade, slightly darker shade.” That is the basics of it, but to create it, takes a little element of skill.
The hairline is one thing, but the side profiles of the hairline are something to consider well, you can continue that faded look into the sides. Then especially with guys with a full head of SMP, you can continue that all the way down into the ears. We don’t want to see any of that block SMP straight to the ears, you want to fade it down with the same technique as well. I believe the faded hairline technique has created the most natural hairlines in the world. For me, the faded hairline is the number one hairline in the business if you’re looking for a natural result.

Your new hairline is one of the most crucial elements of scalp micropigmentation. There is an abundance of hairline styles that can be created with a skilled technician and we would work with you tirelessly to find the style you desire.

Factors to take into consideration are the shape & finish on the hairline, whether that be a natural soft finish or an edged up barber shop look. At Creative Scalps we are masters at creating a wide range of diverse hairlines to cater for every need.

Your hairline must be in the correct place to frame the face and achieve the best look. We do this using a number of techniques that have been developed by our award winning lead technician Marc Allen.

Click here for an insight into hairlines and styles that can be created using Scalp Micropigmentation at Creative Scalps.