The first time my father brought me to the hairdresser for a cut, I was about 8 years old. The salon he brought me to must have been a SuperCuts or the stylist had no idea what to do with my curls. After pulling through my hair with a fine tooth comb I showed her, with my little eight year old pinky finger, the amount of hair I was willing to cut. By the end of my haircut the Thumbalina hair that tousled down my back was now a poof bowl around my ears. I must have cried for days and was made fun of for most of second grade. Let us not ever have a haircut like that again!
A good way to start your consultation with a hair dresser is by bringing in a photo of someones hair that inspires you. Maybe its the shape of the hair, the length, or the layers which gives it volume, a photo is a great way to start. With a picture, you can give the stylist an idea of your goal for your hair rather than trying to “talk hair terms” you’re not too sure about.
Another important factor you need to know and understand before getting a cut is the tools being used in your hair. Curly hair is usually very fine and frizzy but you can have a ton of it! Either way if it is fine, frizzy, or coarse, curls should NEVER be cut with thinning shears. (Thinning shears- siccisors that have a straight blade on one side and a sarrate blade on the other side). Thinning shears cause more frizz, period. The point of thinning shears is to remove excess bulk in your hair, to remove weight for heavy hair. If your curly hair does not have weight it will be too light and there will be no curl, only frizz, and you will need a ton of product. Some stylists use buzzers and other “special tools” but the best way to cut your curly hair is by using a regular pair of shears. The trick is to point cut everything; the stylist should be using about the quarter tip of the shears, and they should be cutting at an angle. Cutting your curls at an angle will make it so that your curl continues to spiral as oppose to cutting straight accross and giving your curl a choppy looking finish.
The final step is to have faith and trust in your stylist. As long as you bring in a photo, have a general idea about the proper implements you would like used, and ask the stylist how they go about cutting curls and you like what they are using and saying then trusting them is your last key to having a beautiful new you!