Hairdressers cut hair using a variety of precise techniques tailored to achieve specific styles, textures, and shapes, rather than a single method. They employ different cutting approaches based on the desired outcome, the client's hair type, and the overall haircut goal.
Hairdressers master numerous techniques to create everything from sharp lines to soft layers and textured looks. The specific methods used depend heavily on the desired effect and the hair's natural characteristics.
Here are some fundamental techniques hairdressers utilize:
- Blunt Cutting: This technique involves cutting the hair straight across, often with shears held perpendicular to the hair section.
- Purpose: Creates a strong, clean line, ideal for bobs or adding weight to the ends of the hair. It results in a very defined and precise shape.
- Point Cutting: Performed by cutting into the ends of the hair with the scissors held at an angle (often vertically or diagonally), this technique removes smaller amounts of hair from the ends.
- Purpose: Softens the baseline, adds texture, and creates a more blended or feathered look compared to a blunt cut. It can also help to remove slight weight from the ends without creating harsh lines.
- Reverse Point Cutting: This is a texturizing technique where the scissors are often held with the points facing towards the stylist, cutting outwards from the hair strand.
- Purpose: Used to create a softer edge, remove internal weight, or blend layers seamlessly, offering a different textural effect than traditional point cutting.
- Soft Notching: Similar to point cutting but typically involves taking deeper "notches" or cuts into the hair ends, often using the tips of the shears.
- Purpose: Effectively removes weight and adds significant texture to the ends, creating a piecey or deconstructed look. It's useful for breaking up solid lines and adding movement.
- Weight Reduction: This is a broader term referring to any technique used to remove bulk or density from the hair. It can involve various methods like thinning shears, slicing, channeling, or even techniques like point cutting and notching applied within the hair structure rather than just the ends.
- Purpose: Essential for managing thick hair, allowing styles to lay better, reducing drying time, and creating internal movement and texture without necessarily changing the length or outer shape dramatically.
Why Different Techniques Matter
Using a combination of these and other techniques allows a hairdresser to customize a haircut precisely for an individual.
Consider these examples:
- A sharp bob might primarily use Blunt Cutting for the perimeter.
- Adding subtle texture and movement to that bob's ends could involve Point Cutting.
- Thick hair needing to lay flatter might require Weight Reduction techniques applied internally.
- Creating a choppy, textured look often uses Soft Notching or Reverse Point Cutting.
By mastering these varied approaches, hairdressers can sculpt hair effectively, achieving desired volumes, textures, and overall styles that are impossible with just one cutting method. The choice of technique is a critical decision made by the hairdresser based on the consultation and their professional expertise.
