Side balance is best checked before the haircut has progressed too far towards completion. After the client is un-caped, the hair is totally dry and the scissors are put away, a student can get nervous about small imperfections that might have been missed before. It is better to get into the habit of checking balance a little earlier when the learner is cutting more slowly and is more aware of their guide length.
There is no doubt side balance is not just a simple matter of whether both sides of the hair look the same from the front. A beginner will need to be taught the differences hair density, hair’s fall, hair’s direction, or angle of the head might make. Perhaps one side has been combed under too much tension, or cut at a slight angle that makes it look like it is longer than it appears from the front while you were cutting. In other words, you need to look at side balance before the student gets too far into a cutting phase and before they start cutting too quickly.
As soon as a small cutting step has been done on both sides, have the student hold the comb in their hand and leave the hair to hang. Look at the results in the mirror to see what the results look like on the ends, weight, and how the hair looks at the jaw, shoulder, or neck areas depending on the style they are learning. The goal is not for the student to start making adjustments, but to see where it looks unbalanced, heavy, short, long, or just not settled.
Next ask them to step back from the mannequin or their partner for a few seconds. Many times, beginners will stay too close to their work and become focused on a small area, making the hair shape disappear. Side balance can often be seen easily when you step back from the hair. The student will see if one side of the hair looks heavier, or the ends turn under differently, or the face frame hangs at a different level.
The difficult part is for the student to understand when not to correct. As soon as they notice a difference from side to side, it is human nature to cut it immediately. However, the difference between the two sides might actually be caused by hair being damp and/or sectioned in a different way. Instead of immediately trying to trim it down, the student must learn to go back and re-comb both sides using the same tension and angle and the head in the same position. The cut might actually have been perfect, or at least balanced enough.
Hair that is not dried in a proper manner can also hide differences between both sides. Hair might be dried too heavily from one direction or held to the brush too tightly. When teaching how to dry hair in the same manner from side to side, ask the student to only blow dry and section, and then wait to see how both sides look after being blown dry. If one side looks unstyled and frizzy, the student needs to re-dry the hair properly before assuming they need to re-cut the section.
After learning how to side balance, students should be asked to keep a small log of what issues occurred after each cut and what changes would need to be done next time. Did the issue come from improper sectioning, comb angle or direction, where the scissor was moved during cutting, improper drying, or the student looking at the result too quickly? This will give the teacher time to look at the notes and see what patterns are occurring. Maybe the student is using more tension with one hand, or is checking the nape section too fast and missing the balance point. The goal with learning to side balance the haircut, is not to get it perfect the first time, but to be able to know when to look back and make small corrections before getting further into the haircut.