Hairdressing: Cutting, Styling and Finishing
Hairdressing: Cutting, Styling and Finishing tests geometry and control: sectioning, elevation, distribution, tension, guide lines, and finishing for the client's hair behaviour and lifestyle.
Core rules
- Establish a clean baseline: consult, shampoo if needed, detangle, and check growth patterns, density, porosity and previous chemical damage.
- Section consistently; keep subsections thin enough to see the guide.
- Elevation controls layers and graduation; distribution controls where length falls; tension controls accuracy, especially on curly or fine hair.
- Use a blunt cut for a solid line, point cutting for softness, and scissor-over-comb for blending short areas. Check balance by cross-checking sections and drying natural fall.
Worked example
A client with fine, straight hair wants a chin-length one-length bob but has a strong cowlick at the front hairline. Reasoning: cutting wet to the jawline without accounting for dry shrinkage and cowlick lift will leave one side shorter. Cut slightly longer, dry naturally, then refine with the hair in its natural fall; keep the perimeter solid and avoid over-layering the sides.
Traps
Cutting past the guideline, inconsistent tension, ignoring shrinkage, over-thinning fine hair, and finishing only in the salon style rather than checking the client's own routine. Remember that a guide is a reference, not a substitute for checking balance.