Let’s face it, we’ve all had a bad haircut (or know someone who has) – and it can be a fairly traumatizing experience. When clients enter your salon and sit in your chair, it’s an enormous act of trust. They are trusting you and your sharp pair of scissors to give them what they want. Hair is one of the most noticeable things about a person, and you never want someone to leave your salon feeling like they don’t look their best.
The best way to grow your salon business is to sharpen your skill set, and learning a variety of professional hair cutting techniques can help you establish a loyal base of returning clientele. While you can have a specialty – such as curly hair cutting techniques or dry cuts – knowing how to cover all the basics plus advanced styling can cater to a wider range of customers and increase your client satisfaction. According to GlossGenius business data, haircut businesses active between January and July 2024 earned an average monthly booked appointment revenue of $5,628. And that doesn’t just happen when you only know how to cut bangs!
This hair cutting guide will cover what you need to know about hair types and textures and how they can affect your cuts, plus some of the many different ways to cut hair, including both basic and advanced techniques.
How Can Hair Types and Textures Affect Your Clientʼs Haircuts?
Hair comes in a plethora of different textures, types, and porosities, and regular cuts can keep both the hair and scalp healthy – but professional hair cutting techniques aren’t one-size-fits-all. For instance, while long, dramatic layers can work well with thick hair types, too much layering can make fine hair too light and wispy. Similarly, the curly hair cutting technique you use for tightly coiled short hair is likely not the same technique you’d use for those with thin, wavy hair. Having the skill to adjust your process and give each client the personal styling they deserve will help deliver the best possible results, and keep them coming back to your business.
5 Basic Hair-Cutting Techniques
Every salon owner should know the fundamental techniques of hair cutting. Read up on our hair cutting guide below to ensure you know your basics.
1. Point cutting
Point cutting is a technique ideal for shaping layers to add volume and texture. This technique involves cutting into the ends of the hair at an angle, which can also help remove bulk, create movement, and blend layers. Point cutting works best for thicker hair, and may make fine hair appear thinner.
2. Thinning
Thinning is a technique best for thicker and coarser hair textures. Using the right technique with your thinning shears can remove some weight from the hair, softening layers, increasing movement, and helping to control volume.
3. Club cutting
This blunting technique involves holding the scissors horizontally, allowing you to achieve clean, even lines. Blunting helps add weight to the ends of the hair for a more fuller and thicker look. Blunt cuts may not offer as much movement as a layered style, but they can provide a sleek, neat, and elegant look, particularly to bobs.
4. Layering
Layering involves cutting into the hair at various lengths to create different tiers, which can add volume, create movement, and provide a more textured look than a standard blunt cut. Layers often start as short toward the top of the scalp, and cascade down into longer pieces. Layering is suitable for a variety of hair types, whether it’s curly hair, thick hair, short hair, or long hair (though people with fine or thin hair should be wary of over-layering, which can make the hair too light).
5. Trimming
Trimming is a basic technique that involves cutting off split ends or damaged pieces to improve the health and appearance of the hair. Trimming is also a way to help keep the shape of the cut and prevent any awkward grow-outs (such as what might happen with bangs, pixie cuts, or asymmetrical styles). Trimming is suitable for all types of hair, and most salon professionals suggest regular trims every two to four months to encourage healthy growth.
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6 Advanced Hair-Cutting Techniques
Advanced hair cutting techniques can show off your skills and satisfy a whole new crop of clients. Here, we detail a few different hair cutting techniques to get under your belt:
1. Elevation cutting
Elevation cutting involves pulling the strands straight up or down vertically to cut, which helps create different shapes and texture in the hair. For instance, elevating the hair sections to 90 degrees will create uniform density toward the bottom of your hair, while moving beyond that will help you transfer some of that bulk away from the hair perimeter.
2. Graduated cutting
The graduated cutting technique involves stacking layers to help build weight. This particular technique uses tension to cut the layers at an angle from back to front, creating a gradual transition from short to long layers and a more rounded shape. Graduated cuts work well for short styles or finer hair textures.
3. Beveling
Beveling is a layering technique that uses shears or a razor to cut diagonally into the hair tips to soften and blend the edges. Cutting the hair at this type of angle can help add shape, dimension, and movement. Beveled layers have a smaller difference in length in comparison to standard layers.
4. Dry cutting
Dry cutting involves cutting the hair while it is still dry, which allows stylists a better look at the hair’s natural movement – unlike cutting when wet, where the hair clumps together and it can be harder to tell. Some dry cut techniques require the stylist to straighten the hair first, which can also show the full shape and true length of the hair.
5. Slide cutting
This technique uses shears to slide down the hair shaft from the midsection, removing weight from the layers and creating a softer look. This cutting technique can add volume, texturize, and create flattering, face framing pieces. Slide cutting works best for thick, straight hair types, as thinner or finer hair types need cuts that focus on volume building.
6. Razor cutting
Razor cutting is a way to add texture, while also helping to feather and debulk the hair. This type of technique is often used for shag cuts and bobs, and almost exclusively done on wet hair. Razor cuts can enhance movement, create clean lines, or simply soften a style.
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How Can Hair-Cutting Techniques Enhance Your Clientʼs Experiences?
Refining your professional hair cutting techniques can do more than just boost your profits. Here, we list a few ways expanding your arsenal of skills can enhance the salon experience for your patrons.
By establishing trust
Becoming proficient in a variety of professional hair cutting techniques shows your clients that you are dedicated to your craft, and that you take your training seriously.
By diversifying your styles
Learning different ways to cut hair can give you a competitive edge by maximizing inclusivity and increasing your service offerings, which can help you stand out from the crowd and boost your appeal.
By offering more personalization
When you have an expansive skill set, you can cater to your clients a little more specifically. Becoming adept at niche styles or complicated cuts allows you to create custom styles for customers looking for something they can’t find in other salons.
Streamline Your Hair Salon Business With GlossGenius
The quality of your hair cutting services can significantly impact the success of your business. Having the skills to work with an array of hair textures and providing fantastic haircuts can not only secure a base of returning clientele, but attract new customers to your business – it’s competitive out there! The more satisfied clients you have, the more you can expand and grow your brand.
GlossGenius is your all-in-one partner for running your hair salon business. Features like Online Booking make it easier to keep the appointments flowing and your schedule full. You can also access our Client Management features, which can help you streamline communications with your clients and send appointment reminders to reduce late arrivals and no-shows. Get customer and financial insights with our , or reach your target audience with our effective Marketing tools.
Try GlossGenius today and start your 14-day free trial!
