What makes a good haircut, great? It’s the first thing we stylists ask ourselves before we begin cutting and it happens in an alternate universe that only exists in the stylist's brain, which allows us to also consult with you in the very same moment we are designing the blueprint in our minds . After the initial consultation, and as we begin to map out the actual cutting, the wheels begin to spin as we reflect on these two points;

The Architecture of a Haircut (the shape that will be created affected by gravity, density, angles, tension + grip), and the Science of Texture (the shape that will be created affected by the natural texture of the hair, climate, amount of damage done by prior treatments, heat, and exposure to the elements).

There is so much that happens “behind the scenes” of a Haircut.

It starts with the education, training and apprenticeship a stylist will receive once enrolled in school, continuing into their entire career through advanced education, personal experience and mentorship.

Other things that formulate the overall experience of a visit to the salon are relationships, bonds of trust that are formed between stylist and client ( which I spoke about in another post) and a detail that I would like to get into with this post; the architecture of the Haircut. The design, the form that is sculpted around the face of the person sitting in front of us. The overall shape it will take on once it’s finished and how different it may look once the person leaves us to play with it on their own...through the vision of their own eyes and how they best see/feel themselves (which is something we always work with and also take into consideration while designing the look). The tools we choose to create a shape will depend on how “heavy” we want a line to be, or how soft we may want that line. The softer the line, the more volume you can achieve in the overall look because the hair will have more buoyancy with a softer edge on the “ends” This is where we may choose a razor to sculpt out the hair, or use our shears to incorporate a variety of techniques such as slide cutting, channel cutting, or deep point cutting. The heavier the line, or the more bluntly we cut the ends, the more we can achieve a stark, shaper look. This is where we would use shears. Think of the classic Vidal Sassoon five point bob.

How will gravity affect the shape/look of the design? Once more, using the proper tools to sculpt the hair, we leave it more blunt and heavy at the edges, or tapered and airy to achieve a lighter, flexible effect. How to sculpt the curls so as to not leave a “shelfy” disconnected look. How to sculpt ultra straight hair so as to not leave steps, to make sure it all blends seamlessly and softly. Leave it crisp and clean, perfectly asymmetrical or purposefully disconnected? Will there be many layers and if so, will they be squared, rounded, a combination of both? Held at 90 degrees to the round of the head creates a drastically different effect than holding the hair out to a 45 degree angle and cutting. Will we slide cut, or deep channel?

Then there is the Science of texture. The overall feel, appearance, physical state and form of the hair that one is born with, and what they achieve or end up with after chemically altering the hair, or it being over exposed to the elements such as the sun, wind, salt which can influence the texture of the hair through its porosity (ability to hold or repel water/moisture and artificial color).The texture must be taken into consideration as a foundational assessment before creating a final shape. If the texture is too damaged the shape will not perform, for example.

All this in a nutshell are some of the “diagnostics” we use while creating your desired look. This also gives us a blueprint on how to choose and suggest the best products and treatments for you to use.

We use products and treatments that are plant based and non toxic on your hair, skin and scalp. These formulations and products contain botanicals that are either humectant and moisturizing in nature. They attract the moisture from the atmosphere, great for volume and curls. Perhaps a more astringent, “drier”, and smoothening in nature, or anti-humectant product is called for. These products repel the moisture in the atmosphere, great for sleeker looks and frizz control. SIDE NOTE: when I say astringent or drier I don’t mean they literally dry or astringe the hair, it means the properties of these products tend to seal the outer layer or cuticle of the hair leaving it sleek. ALL the products and botanicals we use are nourishing to the hair.

As always, we highly suggest (and are happy to have) a consultation prior to making a major change. It’s a complimentary service we offer and is the best way to decide together with your stylist on how to approach your desired result. We encourage that you have photos as a reference, as to make sure we are on the same page as terminology can be confusing sometimes.

So...what does the Season bring for you? Are you ready to approach something bold and new? Are you feeling comfort in a familiar favorite? Is there color in your future, or are you loving your beautiful grays? Shags, Mullets, Pixies, Bobs and everything in between...we are HERE for it!