Texture monster

 

I have a beef with the overuse of texturizing when it comes to haircuts.  Have you ever found that your hair grows out with stringy bits at the ends, or feels overly thinned after leaving the chair?  Chances are you probably have experienced a haircut that has been shredded to death with a multitude of stylist related gadgets and you never even knew why you didn’t jive with your new found style.

 

The reason I can poke fun (and shed light) on the subject is because I used to be a stylist that used an abundance of texturizing in my haircuts without knowing why.  When you first start cutting hair you are fascinated with the artists on stage that throw hair to and fro and use a degree of drama in the way they cut.  Sure, these shows are inspirational and the finished looks are trendy- but did we actually learn the reasoning for the technique?  More times than not- no!

 

Texturizing hair is a technique, one of many that is executed in a haircut.  This can also be referred to as personalizing as it is most commonly completed towards the later part of your haircut.  Texturizing hair can be used to reduce weight, create movement and build volume depending on the desired method used.  The concept is that short hair pushes or supports long hair.  By cutting small sections shorter you can enhance a shape that has been cut wet.

 

Photo: Contributed

 

Training with the Sassoon Academy has taught me a discipline of precision and blunt cutting.  Architecturally you can design a shape that is tailored to a person’s face shape, hair texture and density and overall skull shape.  Sassoon cuts are executed using blunt, solid lines for design creating a strong perimeter lines.  With a strong perimeter line you will always notice that the grow out of the cut is a lot more even and cuts last longer because of the structure of its design.

 

With the recent passing of Mr. Vidal Sassoon, 2012 will continue to be a tribute to his work and passion to design hair as a fabric and utilize its natural form.  We will continue to see looks that mimic his most famous works such as the infamous 5-point, classic bob and Mia Farrow’s pixie (the most expensive haircut of all time, by the way). 

 

Where does texturizing come in to play in a cut that is structured as Mr. Sassoon’s?  Near the end.  After your hair has been blow dried you can see where extra attention is needed to create your desired result.  This is where a plethora of texturizing techniques can be used specifically to create an effect that you have been consulted about.  Most importantly this is not about randomly hacking at chunks of hair to shatter out any mistakes that may have been made during the wet phase of the haircut.

 

AHA!  I just revealed a industry wide secret that I may receive hate mail over.  The main reason for over texturizing hair is generally to hide any mistakes that have been made.  You see, by softening blunt lines it blends away visual mistakes- however this is only a temporary fix as the texture will generally show an uneven grow out after a few weeks.

 

It’s my opinion that your hair needs to be respected for the fabric that it is- because baby, you were born that way.  If you have thick hair, fine hair, curly hair or *ahem* thinning hair- work with it and find a style that works for you.  Techniques are for Hairstylists and ease of styling is for you.

 

At the end of the day, your haircut needs to work for one person: YOU.  If you are happy with how your hair styles every morning and love the look then you have the perfect cut for your lifestyle.  It’s just my job to keep you in the loop.  Happy hair days!