Aircut: 5 Tips To Master This Curly Cutting Technique

5 Tips To Master The Aircut & Cut Curls Like A Pro

When a curly client wants their haircut, they aren’t just looking for a quick trim. MIZANI Global Artistic Director Tippi Shorter (@tippishorter) emphasized at The Textured Hair Elevated Summit that, “most curly girls who come in for haircuts come in to get challenges solved, which is why you need to implement a 3D way of thinking in regards to haircutting.” 

How does she do it? Tippi uses the MIZANI Aircut to remove weight and create dimensional shape in curly hair. Want to learn more? Keep scrolling to get her expert tips!

Products Used

Hair

25 Miracle Milk

MIZANI

1. Using Curved Shears Adds Airiness To The Cut

Tippi exclusively uses curved shears when doing the MIZANI Aircut. “The curve is allowing me to add air into the hair by creating a softness and a lightness to that curly strand,” she says. Make sure you cut with the curved part of the shears pointing down. This helps you create a graduation of shorter to longer pieces in the cut.

2. Section The Hair Into Zones To Use As A Guide

The MIZANI Aircut is easier to approach if you divide the hair into seven zones:

• Zone 1 is around the perimeter of the entire head and used to create length.

   

• Zones 2 and 3 are in the back of the head and help create the foundation of the cut.

   

• Zones 4 and 5 are on the sides of the head and connect the face frame to the foundation.

   

• Zone 6 is at the base of the head and is where the weight and heaviness of the cut come in. 

   

• Zone 7 is at the top of the head and is where you free hand and personalize the cut.

Tippi usually starts in zone 1 and then moves to zones 2 and 3, but there are times where she will leave Zone 1 for last.

3. Prep The Hair With A Leave-In

When dry cutting textured hair it’s easy to miss a chunk of curls due to shrinkage. Tippi recommends using MIZANI 25 Miracle Milk to help the shears glide through the hair and to pull out hidden curls. Simply rub the leave-in between your hands, before spreading it through the curls.

4. Cut The Hair At A 45-Degree Angle

Curly and textured hair’s volume gives the hair a natural 45-degree angle, so there’s no need to lift the hair when cutting zones 2 and 3. Tippi uses her hand as a stationary guide with zero tension to create the foundation of the haircut. If you cut while lifting the hair up at a 45-degree angle you’ll create holes in the hair. 

5. Remove Bulk Using The Slide Glide Technique

The slide glide technique is used for zones 4, 5, 6 and 7 to remove weight and clip the ends without taking off too much of the hair’s density. Tippi describes it as “a reverse point cut,” because it’s hard to do a point cut with inconsistent curls and curved shears.

To do the slide glide technique, simply hold a small section of curls slightly up and out, gently diffuses the ends and then slides the fingers out over section and cut any leftover hair that are not uniform to the section.

Want More Textured Hair Styling Tips From The Summit? Click Here For Finger Waves!