Blending In


Every woman wants to feel like she has healthy, shiny, voluminous hair. Because so many aren't fortunate to be born with gorgeous strands, extensions are an incredible way to create lush hairstyles.

Simplicity Hair Extensions are made of high-quality, remy hair, which means that they're not only real human hair, but also have the cuticle intact. This is a fabulous start to creating a gorgeous application and the best possible canvas for your work. However, as artists, it's our responsibility to ensure that we razor and integrate all types of extensions in such a way that they seamlessly blend in with the client's natural hair. After all, there isn't a woman out there who wants to be a walking billboard for hair extensions! Instead, they should be her best-kept beauty secret.

If you were to take a small section of a client's natural hair, you would find that there strands that are a week old, a month old, six months old, a year old, etc. Hair is always growing and falling out. When I refer to aging with the razor, I'm suggesting that while you'll be cutting a perimeter shape-the actual haircut design-you still need to go into the interior of the hair extensions and age them to ensure that they invisibly integrate into the style.

The butter knife technique is a horizontal aging of the hair to make it look more real. It begins with your client's natural hair and gently integrates the extensions by creating long, seamless layers. I personally use a Cutthroat razor, a small Japanese cutting tool, and a very light touch. Many stylists approach razor cutting from a more heavy-handed manner because they're used to using guards or carving combs. When using an unguarded razor like the Cutthroat, you have far more creativity and control over your haircut. My advice: To keep from digging into the hair, keep your elbow tucked in at your side and make sure you only work lightly with your fingers and wrist.

To learn more about the art of razor cutting hair extensions, sign up for the Simplicity Hair Extensions Certification program, which includes a video where I show how to use a razor to age and blend these gorgeous hair extensions.