Marek Maziarz1h 10minMedium

Loose Middle Part with a Disconnected Taper

A men's haircutting course in which Marek Maziarz builds a loose middle part cut in a circular shape: radial sections with no redirection at the back, vertical sections with redirection on the sides, a line-up marked with a razor, a disconnected taper on two guards, and matte paste styling finished with diffuser drying that mimics natural air-drying.

Result and process

About the course

Loose Middle Part with a Disconnected Taper is a longer men's haircut in which Marek Maziarz deliberately builds a circular shape instead of one even length. The layers start from a guide strand at the occipital bone, the curls collect where the neck is narrowest, and the front of the sides is cut slightly shorter than the back so the hair converges toward the back.

The course walks through the entire process step by step: from carefully planned partings and a line-up marked with a razor, through the back cut with radial sections with no redirection, the sides cut vertically with redirection, all the way to a fringe blended with the back, a herringbone technique connecting the top with the sides, a disconnected taper on guards 1.5 and 0.5, and finishing with matte paste and a diffuser. Marek Maziarz explains throughout why he makes each decision and how to control strand tension, skin stretch, and finger positioning.

In this course, you'll see

Partings derived from the natural fall of the hair: the back starting where the hair naturally falls backward, the side separated where the head curves most
An outer line-up marked with a razor using gentle strokes, without losing density at the nape
The back cut with radial sections without redirection, with the guide strand released loosely down to the occipital bone
The sides cut with vertical sections with redirection, so the front of the side ends up shorter than the back
A disconnected taper on guards 1.5 and 0.5, working with the lever open and closed and blending out dark points
Styling with matte paste applied in two passes from the roots, finished with diffuser drying that mimics natural air-drying

What you will learn

01How to plan partings derived from the natural fall of the hair and head shape before you cut the first section.
02How to mark the outer line-up with a razor without losing density at the nape.
03How to cut the back in a circle using radial sections without redirection, with the guide strand at the occipital bone.
04How to use redirection on the sides to shorten the front of the side so the hair converges toward the back.
05How to control tension: a loose guide strand, cutting across the first two knuckles of your fingers, and less force where the skin stretches a lot.
06How to refresh a disconnected taper on two guards and style the haircut so it looks naturally air-dried.

What's inside

Full access with the course

0:03
01Preview: A Loose Middle Part
Today we're doing a loose middle part. We'll refresh the taper a bit, since braids were done before.
0:37
02Simple but Well-Thought-Out Partings
They're fairly simple, but very important, and it's good for them to be done thoughtfully.
3:15
03Barber and Client Like a Compass
I imagine that my client and I are a compass - he's one leg, and I'm the other leg.
5:16
04The Guide Strand Determines the Layers
The shorter that strand is, the more layers we'll create at the back.
11:06
05Cutting Across the First Two Knuckles
We only cut across the first two knuckles of our fingers, because above the second knuckle there's a gap between the fingers with no tension there.
12:48
06Fingers Parallel to the Section
A very common mistake is angling the fingertips toward each other.
15:32
07Skin Elasticity and Tension
If our skin stretches too much and we grip it and pull it too hard, we'll cut off too much hair.
22:43
08Hair Like Raindrops
Those small droplets always made their way toward the bigger droplet. Hair behaves exactly the same way.
29:33
09A Comb Can't Be Crooked
A comb can't be crooked. If we've chosen a straight section, our comb is straight too.
50:21
10Not a Mullet, a Long Trim
This isn't a mullet, it's more of a long trim.
56:17
11A Relaxed Wrist with the Clippers
With clippers, having a relaxed wrist is very important, along with how much force we use while working with them.
1:07:55
12Tousling as Part of the Styling
The hairstyle should be natural, airy, so part of my styling will simply be tousling it.

FAQ

Who is this course for?

For hairstylists and barbers who want to confidently cut longer men's shapes: work with radial and vertical sections, control strand tension, and combine scissor work with a clipper taper.

How is this haircut different from a mullet?

Marek Maziarz says outright that this isn't a mullet, but a long trim: the longer hair at the front of the side stays untouched and gives the haircut its character, while the disconnected taper only refreshes the shaved section around the ear and nape.

What tools do I need?

Scissors, a comb, a razor for the line-up and point cutting, clippers with guards 1.5 (4.5 mm) and 0.5 (1.5 mm), a trimmer and a shaver, plus matte paste for styling.

Why is the back cut without redirection while the sides are cut with redirection?

Radial sections at the back naturally create a circular shape on their own, so redirection isn't needed. On the sides, redirecting each previous section into the next shortens the front of the side, allowing the hair to converge toward the back.

What should you do if the client's skin stretches a lot?

Reduce the force used when combing and tensioning the strand, especially in the lower occipital area and near the sphenoid bone. Gripping and stretching too hard results in cutting off too much hair.

How do you style this haircut so it looks natural?

Damp hair, matte paste applied in two passes from the roots, the fringe worked in with just the fingertips, and a diffuser that only raises the temperature around the head instead of creating artificial texture.

Details

Duration: 1h 10min
Season: Season 3
Hair length: Medium

Educator

More courses

Marek Maziarz

Educator · 1 course

Marek Maziarz has been cutting hair for 9 years, and for the past 5 has run Brothers' Barber Shop in Zabrze with his brother Filip, growing it into a nine-person team. He started out at a vocational hairdressing school, and built his craft over more than 4 years at Lucjan Wosek's salon. Behind the chair, he averages 300 clients a month, so every shortcut he teaches is proven in the salon's daily work. In his courses, he looks for the balance between repeatable commercial haircutting and an artistic approach to creating hairstyles.

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