5 Tips To Help You Prep For Any Haircut

How To Properly Prep For Any Type Of Haircut

Just like a major haircolor transformation or intricate bridal style, a haircut can’t be executed correctly without the proper amount of prep. So while teaching at a hands-on education event with The Salon At Ulta Beauty (just one of the perks for Ulta stylists is being able to attend small classes with the Pro Team) Pro Team Member Carmody Homan (@carmodyhoman) shared his best tips and tricks for prepping a cut. Click through the slideshow below for a BTS peek at the event, then keep scrolling to learn everything from why a cutting lotion is crucial to how to section the fringe area!

Products Used

Styling

Outshine 01

Redken

1. Always Use With A Cutting Lotion

If you’re someone who repeatedly wets the hair down with a spray bottle and runs a comb through the hair constantly, all you’re doing is creating unwanted static. That’s why Carmody’s holy grail product for prepping a haircut is a cutting lotion. “It’s going to maintain the moisture in the hair longer,” he shares. “And it’ll help you section the hair out cleaner so it doesn’t slide out. If you’re just using water, the clips will slide.”

So which products make the best cutting lotion? Carmody’s go-to is Redken Outshine 01 because of its lightweight formula but he says a smoothing cream, straightening balm, serum or leave-in conditioning spray all work great. Just avoid products with a high hold and control factor. “As you work through, it’s actually going to fight against you because it’s going to go stiff and it’s going to start to control the hair,” he advises. “Think about it as the stronger the product, the more it’s not going to work as a cutting lotion.”

2. Create A GPS System For You To Follow

How anyone drives somewhere new without a GPS is beyond us, and the same concept applies to cutting hair. If you want to work efficiently, Carmody says to create a clear roadmap for yourself. How do you do that? With clean sections. During the consultation, find out exactly what the client wants, whether its something like soft layers with texture or fringe, and base your sectioning off that. Then, take your time creating sections that are super clean and will allow you to cut the hair quickly. (Check out the below pic to see just how precise Carmody is with his sections!)

3. Sectioning The Fringe Area Specifically 

If sectioning out the bangs always makes you sweat, just remember the corner of the eyebrow. When cutting face-framing fringe, Carmody says he typically sections this area from the forward slope (where the comb starts to round the front of the head) to the corner of the eyebrow. So to ensure he creates a straight line, he’ll place his finger at the corner of the eyebrow so he has a guide for his comb to follow.

4. Be Strategic When Clipping Sections Out Of The Way

Are you guilty of quickly bunching the hair up into a messy clump when clipping it out of the way? You’re not alone, but know that you’re just creating more work for yourself. Think about how it dries. Do you always have to re-wet it because it has all these ridges? Here’s what Carmody does instead: Stretch the roots down and twist (blow-dry as you do), then wrap the hair around at the base into a little knot. That way, the roots will lay flat and the ends, which will just be removed anyway, are the only part twisting and sticking out. (Peep the correct way to clip sections out of the way in the below gif!)

5. How To Prevent Blood Spill

OK we know that subhead sounds intense but how many times in your life have you nicked your finger while point cutting? Probably more times than you can count. So put the Band-Aids to the side and give Carmody’s scanning technique a try. Instead of aggressively moving the scissors in and out, instead, he’ll stabilize the bottom blade on his finger that’s holding the section and cut horizontally so only the top blade is moving. 

CLICK HERE to learn how to cut layers and add movement to a short bob cut!