Basic Techniques All Stylists Must Know... Do You?

by Naomi Mannino

All Stylists Must Know… Do You?
In a recent interview, Trevor Sorbie was quoted as saying, "I'm amazed at how many stylists don't even know the basics..." Don't you be one of them!

Super-star celebrity stylists and successful salon owners alike agree that there's more than art and talent to being a great hairstylist. It is actually one of them most laborious professions to learn as the basic skills are practiced over and over until they become second nature.

"There is true craftsmanship involved," states TV stylist Nick Arrojo from America's hit show 'What Not to Wear', "and it can take up to 10 years to become an accomplished hairdresser." In fact, any stylist looking to begin work at Arrojo Studio with less than five years salon experience must automatically be enrolled in either his 22-month Cutting or Coloring Program in order to be immersed in fundamental techniques. "Training is the key to a successful career in hairdressing, I should know — I've been through it all and I am constantly learning!" quips Sean Yoell, Style-Stars Global Hair Contest Winner 2007.

Most stylists agree on simplicity: Each person's head has simple vertical and horizontal lines which provide the basic guidelines to create a cut, color or finished effect. These guidelines give you the basic rule to create not just A haircut but ANY haircut! These basic lines are methodical and reliable, produce very clean lines, and allow for cross checking which produces the desired results, "A truly great style for your client," says Nick Arrojo.

First things first...face to face with your client
A "good eye" is an important first tool in your hairstyling bag of tricks. Develop it so you can visualize what you are going to do when you stand behind your client and look into the mirror. Don't rush this, explains hair icon Jesse Briggs. You want to spend several minutes just talking to your client to learn about their expectations and feelings about their hair. Janine Shuman, celebrity stylist and educator/creator of Superstars International, also advises spending some time to really relate to their hair texture and type: "Establish a relationship with the fabric you're about to cut into — burlap, cotton, silk, blend. You wouldn't treat silk the same as burlap! When you pick up a tool which is an extension of your hand which comes from your heart, be sure you know how it will relate to the fabric of your client's hair. Is it curly? Thick? Wavy but thin? Straight and thick? Master the understanding of your client's hair before you cut!"

Making the cut
To be a really top-notch stylist, you've got to understand the foundations of building a hair cut. The "Dynamic Duo," Janine and Adam Shuman of Superstars International teach it as follows: A to B easy as 1-2-3! The lesson is based on the premise that every person's head is divided into seven vertical sections, spaced equidistant (labeled 1-7) and six horizontal sections beginning at the hairline, labeled A (not equidistant). These horizontal planes, or rings, around the circumference of the head are the perfect place for change when cutting, coloring, perming, and styling, Shading a color light to dark? Change the color on the rings. This will always fit the head perfectly. You stay within the rings and do not change until you hit the next ring. These basic guidelines tell you exactly where to change your haircut. For example, explains Janine, "We have all seen the cute kid with the BOWL haircut. One looks great, one looks stupid. Creating your own rings doesn't work. The head already has existing ones. When you go in between the planes the haircuts just won't work." If hairline is A and Occipital is B, beginning at the back of the head, vertical 1, 2, 3, how many possibilities are in this section alone? Just think about how these guidelines give you endless possibilities for every client.

A word about your tools
All stylists agree that investing in really top-notch tools is an allimportant step in building great hairstyles. Whether using straight shears (scissors), chunking shears, blending shears, or a razor, the goal is to cut hair. Each tool has a specific result that can often be duplicated by another tool, but the understanding of how to hold, angle, and move the tool is the foundation of all hair cutting, says William George of James Joseph Salon. In fact, he has now dedicated himself to only educating his staff instead of taking clients because he believes the fundamentals are so important. Whether straight cutting, point cutting, slithering, slashing, sliding, and effleurage, each takes into consideration the hair type and style result. Stop and see the result in your mind's eye, and think about the fabric of your client´s hair as Janine Shuman described.

Troubleshooting your cuts
● One side rounder than the other?
You just moved your feet! If you were talking too much or not concentrating on what you're doing — it's likely that you've moved your feet and changed the cut. Moving your feet changes the angle of extending and the angle of scissors to the hair, explains Janine Shuman. So watch how you stand and the direction of your feet.
● Uneven haircuts?
Do your haircuts ever come out uneven, one side fuller than the other? If you cut one side up and the other side down, the two sides will be completely different. It's an easy mistake because it's just easier to cut that way, but the end result will be that the down side is lighter and the up-side is heavier, cautions Janine.
● Layers in different directions?
Watch your angle of extending between the head and the plane of locks. You can change the whole cut if you change this angle. Check your angle to achieve the look you want and always watch what you are doing!
● Cowlick going the wrong way?
If a client has a pronounced whorl or cowlick, this may be the client to cut dry so that you're sure to work in their hair's natural direction. Almost all hairdressers agree it's easier to work WITH a cowlick than against it!
● One side out/one side in?
Pay attention to how you are holding your scissors. Which way are your scissors tilted? Practice different tilts and directions cutting on cigarettes to show you how the ends look. "I probably go through twenty packs a day — not smoking them — cutting them!" exclaims Adam Shuman about this important lesson. Try it and learn it, advises Janine.
● Cuts just don't "work"?
Pay attention to your vertical and horizontal sections and rings. If you cut or color in between them, the cuts will just look wrong.

The finishing touches
Mistakes can still happen and the true effect of a great cut can be disguised when your styling and finishing skills are lacking. Because of the trend for wash and go hair pioneered by Sassoon With its exact cutting techniques, many hairdressers missed out on learning the basic dressing and styling skills of roller setting, finger waving, tonging, and even basic blow-drying to create the ultimate finished effect. Blow-drying and holding your brush at a different angle on each side of the head can produce the same lopsided effect as a bad cut. Darren Ambrose of D&J Ambrose, current Avant Garde Hairdressers of the Year 2007 winner, sums it up this way, "If you look to the finest hairdressers in the world who include Trevor Sorbie, Angelo Seminara; Antoinette Beenders, Copella, Odielle Gilbert, you will see that they learned all the basics of the craft before moving into the commercial world." Seeing and creating a haircut for each individual client is what truly makes a hair artist! That's the difference. Never stray from the basics no matter how creative you want to get. You have to understand your foundation before you can change the architecture, advises Janine Shuman.

See More Stories