Hair Care, Cutting, and Styling
Domain 6 - Hair Care, Cutting, and Styling
Questions test hair analysis, sectioning and elevation, the angles that create one-length, graduated and layered shapes, and safe styling with heat and tension.
Hair analysis
Record texture (fine, medium, coarse), density, porosity (does it absorb and hold water?), elasticity (a wet strand should stretch and return), scalp condition and previous chemical services. These decide product, tool and technique.
Care
Shampoo with diluted product, massaging the scalp with fingertips rather than nails. Condition from mid-length to ends. Detangle from the ends upward. Wet hair stretches and breaks, so no rough towel rubbing.
Cutting geometry
- Divide the head into four sections and work in subsections you can control.
- Elevation is the angle at which hair is held away from the head; distribution is where it is combed before cutting.
- 0° (natural fall) gives a blunt, one-length cut; 45° gives graduation and a stacked weight line; 90° gives uniform layers; 180° gives long blended layers.
- Cut to the previous section as your guide, keep tension even, and cross-check balance.
Styling
Rough-dry to about 80%, then use a nozzle to direct airflow. Lift at the root for volume, over-direct for movement. Use thermal protection and keep irons around 150–180 °C on fine or chemically treated hair. Cool each curl before releasing it so the shape sets.
Worked example
A client wants a graduated bob, short at the nape and longer at the jaw. Reasoning: a blunt 0° cut would leave a heavy one-length line, while 90° layering would destroy the weight line she wants. Section horizontally at the nape, take vertical subsections, hold at 45° elevation to the previous section, and move up the head keeping the same angle so the gradient builds smoothly toward the front.
Traps
- Inconsistent tension, which produces a staircase line.
- Cutting curly hair wet and short, ignoring shrinkage.
- Holding at 90° while calling the result a graduation.