PRO TIPS: Cutting and Coloring the Perfect Pixie

Industry icon PIXIE MAGIC – Cutting and Coloring Pro Tips, has the loveliest short hair that is beautiful maintained – impeccably shaped and tastefully colored. MODERN caught up with Maza’s beauty team, colorist Jamie Mulvanny (@Jmulvanny) of Beauty Lounge, Walnut Creek, California and Northern California based stylist Judy Crews to get their tips to creating magic on hair that is, at most points, less than one inch long.

Crews, a Sassoon trained precision cutting master, was the one who transitioned Maza from long to short when she started cutting her hair more than 15 years ago. When asked for her tips to shaping short hair, Crews says it’s important to first determine suitability. “Check for head shape, hair density, texture, growth patterns and hairline,” Crews says.

Here she shares her top five steps and tips for the perfect pixie finish:

CUT

1. To cut, start with damp hair. Separate the front part of the hair from the back. Use the comb to create a vertical part on each side of the head, just behind the ears. Each part should meet on the top of the head. Brush the hair in front of the ear forward, out of the way. 
2. Take a vertical section of hair from the center of the head-crown to nape. Cut a line that is at 90 degrees to the head. This will become your guideline. 
3. Continue to cut in small vertical sections, combing the uncut hair to your guideline as you work towards the right side. Be sure to cross check your work horizontally before you repeat this on the left side. Using the previous cut hair from the back as your guide, transition to the sides. Work towards the front using vertical sections, over directing the sections in front of the ear, slightly back to maintain a softer finish around the face. Repeat on the other side. 
4. For the top, using the length from the crown as your guide, take vertical sections towards the face. Continue cutting the top, elevating each section and using the previously cut hair as your guide until the hair no longer reaches. Blend the top and sides together as desired. 
5. Blow dry and style the hair as desired. Pixie hair is fun and cheeky, so a simply blow-dry is all most people will need. 

COLOR

For color, Mulvanny says that to avoid any line of demarcation the hair must be weaved from fine, precise sections before being placed on foils. “Have conditioner or spray bottle to help with loose hairs,” Mulvanny says. Highlight formula: Schwarzkopf Blonde Me with 20 volume developer. Base color formula: Redken Color Fusion 12AV.