Twists / starter locs

Read this out: “Tapered sides; 2–6 in on top for two-strand or comb coils; even parting grid.” That's 2–6 in (5–15 cm) on top with a tapered neckline, recut every 3–6 weeks. Your own barber card adjusts it for your part side and texture.

The twists / starter locs and the high-top fade share medium length, the same best textures (4A–4C) and medium to high density, which is why they get mixed up. The twists / starter locs is cut as “Two-strand twists or comb coils on an even parting grid; retwist every 3–6 weeks”; the high-top fade as “Shape the top flat and squared”. The neckline differs too: tapered against blocked. On texture, the twists / starter locs takes 4A–4C hair, plus 3C with adjustments; the high-top fade takes 4A–4C hair. Beyond the trim the twists / starter locs needs nothing beyond the trim, the high-top fade needs volume at the crown. Our engine scores both against your own texture, density and hairline, so the free check tells you which of the two ranks higher for you. Full spec: high-top fade.

Yes: our catalog lists the twists / starter locs as a men's cut, so it comes up when your check is set to men's cuts, and not in the women's list. That is where gender stops counting: the shape is decided by your hair and your proportions. The spec wants 4A–4C hair at medium to high density, and it still works with a hairline a little higher at the temples. The free check measures your texture, density and hairline, then ranks the twists / starter locs against every other men's cut.

It's best on 4A–4C hair and possible on 3C with adjustments. On 1A–3A hair the shape doesn't hold, so our analysis rules it out.

Not as a first pick: the catalog allows medium to high density, because the shape relies on bulk that thin hair doesn't have. Our analysis scores it lower if you have low-density hair. Density is measured in the free check, and our thinning hair guide lists the cuts our engine favours for thin hair.

A trim every 3–6 weeks: 9–17 cuts a year, about $270–$510 at $30 a cut, plus 2–5 minutes of styling a day.

1A–3A hair (straight, wavy and curly): the shape depends on a texture it can't hold, so we rule it out. Low-density hair: the cut relies on bulk that thin hair doesn't have. A hairline past Norwood 2: at stage 3 it's shown with a caveat; beyond that we hide it. Barbers also flag: A round face with wide volume (shape it taller).

“Two strand twists” is one of the names people use for it. Ask for it by the spec above rather than the name, since names vary between barbers.