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HOW-TO: The Cross-Layered Crop

Ruth Roche, artistic ambassador for Pureology Serious Colour Care and stylist at Rare Salon in New York City, shares that a crop can be a good transition for clients who want to go short for the first time but still want to feel feminine.

Lauren Quick
Lauren QuickContributor
May 15, 2014
2 min to read


Ruth Roche, artistic ambassador for Pureology Serious Colour Care and stylist at Rare Salon in New York City, shares that a crop can be a good transition for clients who want to go short for the first time but still want to feel feminine.

Actress Julianne Hough arrives at the Kaleidoscope Ball - Designing The Sweet Side Of L.A. event at The Beverly Hills Hotel on April 10, 2014 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/WireImage)

"I like to give them a cross-layered crop because it's on the longer side of short," Roche says. "It's undercut, but not hard, has lots of movement and texture, and it can be styled in many different ways: one side/other side, middle part, tucked/not tucked, slicked... you get the drift!"

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TIPS FOR THE CUT:
-Cut hair wet so the uncut hair sticks to the guide.
-Use the fine teeth of a cutting comb to create tension when using the razor.
-Mind the length of the layers: 3-inch for bottom back, 2.5-inch in front and 5-inch in the mohawk section.
-For the back, use small, straight lines to create rounded layers that mimic the shape of the head.

Additionally, Roche uses a technique she calls "curtains" to texturize and keep the silhouette close to the head.

CURTAINS TECHNIQUE:
STEP 1: Use pointer and thumb to part hair like a curtain.
STEP 2: Pinch the hair underneath that is closest to the head.
STEP 3: Softly etch with a razor.

"Remember short hair pushes long; that's what creates movement in this cut," Roche says.

To see a video how-to, visit ruthroche.com/professionals/educational-videos.

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