Barber Tutorial: How to Cut Pompadour with Jelly Roll

The pompadour is one hairstyle that is as rich in culture as it is in aesthetic, with a diverse history of being sported by rockabilly stars and Japanese yakuza alike. 

Though its roots lie a little further back in history—specifically the 1950s, when it comes to men’s hairstyles—the pompadour with jelly roll is not a look exclusively worn by rock-and-roll upstarts of the past such as James Dean and Elvis Presley. Bruno Mars, David Beckham, Zayn Malik, and other modern men had, at some point, sported this bold hairstyle in contemporary times too; all of whom, just to add, are winners of some form of award or the likes in being the world’s sexiest man alive.

It is thus safe to say that the pompadour with jelly roll is a hairstyle that though less common than before, continues to pervade in and beyond Singapore as a classic look that remains maintainable outside the barber shop. For professional barbers and hairdressers in Singapore, this means having your clippers and trimmers, other hair tools and supplies, and the barbering know-how you need at the ready, to serve up this unique look whenever requested. 

Here’s how to cut the most popular rendition of the pompadour with jelly roll in 2022: 

1. Create a Central Section

The first thing you want to do is utilise your barber shop tools to create a top section. This is crucial to delivering a masterful pompadour with jelly roll, as it will set the main shape for the rest of the hair to rest on. 

2. Carry out Bulk Removal from Back to Front

Next, it’s time to fish out your hairdresser clippers. Clip the hair from rear to front, creating a slight taper with the hair at the back being trimmed a little shorter, and that at the front a little longer than the back. 

Mastering the taper for the perfect pompadour with jelly roll can be a challenge if you aren’t yet proficient in it. However, the adjustable taper levers and uniquely designed blade that provides easier pick up of hair with Wahl’s Super Taper Cordless can make delivering a perfect taper a whole lot easier as you master your tapers with this hair clipper made for professionals. Proceed to perform bulk removal off the sides while also creating shape. 

3. Fade and Blend the Hair 

Use the best fading tool in your barber shop to carefully fade the hair. For us, that means the 5-Star Senior Cordless Clippers designed for precision fading professional hair work.  With a #1/2 guide comb, set a new line a few centimeters above your skin line and flick it out while slowly opening up your taper arm. Finish this step by blending the hair through with the 5-Star Magic Clip Cordless Hair Clipper. 

Repeat the above steps again, this time opening your clippers’ taper lever to clip without the guide comb as you approach the nape area.

4. Clean Up Hair and Neck Lines

After the above step, you should end up with a near-finished haircut, though there will still be an extremely faint line between the skin and the zero. Using the corner of your blending tool, work on the area just over and on the line. Edge up the hair line with Detailer Li Cordless and use a barber finishing tool such as the 5-Star Finale Shaver to create a nice, clean finish around your hair and neck lines.

5. Style and Finish

Re-wet and dry the hair, then use your barber shop’s hair supplies of choice to create the final shape of the pompadour. Complete with a jelly roll, and you’ve successfully cut a pompadour with jelly roll that both your customer and you can be proud to flaunt in and beyond Singapore!

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Delivering high-quality haircuts require not just masterful technique, but also the right tools to bring about the best results possible.

At Wahl Singapore, we leverage over 100 years of evolution in barber shop tools and hairdresser supplies to provide hair stylists across the globe with the best hair clippers, trimmers, and more. Shop our professional clippers and professional trimmers available at Wahl Singapore, and follow our blog to keep up to date with the latest trends and news in the barbering world.