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SEARCHAndrew Carruthers, Director of Education for Sam Villa, has spent a lifetime (professionally!) learning, practicing and sharing cutting and styling techniques. Key to much of his success has been efficiency. “Whether you are a stylist that ...
Andrew Carruthers, Director of Education for Sam Villa, has spent a lifetime (professionally!) learning, practicing and sharing cutting and styling techniques. Key to much of his success has been efficiency. “Whether you are a stylist that works in a salon, on stage, does runway or shoots editorial," he says, "time saving tips and tricks allow you to do more, better.”
Here he shares his top three tips:
1. Master the Razor:
"Razors can move through large amounts of hair very quickly, and much quicker than shears. Not to mention, they are perfect for creating the highly textured looks this season because length can be removed and visual texture added in one pass by using very large circular motions when cutting. Razor-over-comb is also a great technique for working with short hair, and can really save a ton of time when needing to remove a lot of hair while leaving a highly textured effect." Carruthers suggests trying the Sam Villa Signature Series Razor, featuring an ergonomic swivel handle and three blades for all cutting techniques.
2. Use More Compression Cutting:
"Taking large sections of hair, compressing them and cutting saves time and imparts movement. It’s like stacking a large amount of paper in a cutter and closing the blade, it doesn’t cut a perfectly smooth straight line. Also, the large amount of over direction or elevation it takes to compress a lot of hair increases the softening effect, because hair is being moved so far from it's natural fall. So, break down cuts into parts that can be cut in one section and parts that require smaller ones to have more precise control of the shape. Most haircuts today are a combination of the two, guests need high quality and time efficiency, so use techniques that create the desired result in as few steps as possible to save time."
3. Dry Cutting Isn't Just for Refining
"Many stylists only cut hair dry as a refinement technique after most of the shape is built during wet cutting, but a major benefit of creating a haircut on dry hair is how immediately the results can be seen. There is no need to wait for the blow dry to realize the adjustments. Dry cutting is great on trims where the shape is being maintained and when smaller adjustments need to be made to a shape. When double/triple booked in the salon, look for opportunities to use dry cutting as a primary tool…consult with the guest and let the support staff handle the shampoo, head massage and blow dry to allow time to get caught up and step in for the dry cut. As long as the support staff is well trained, the guest will still feel pampered and see the value in the service."
Adds Carruthers, “Respect your guests’ time and deliver professional results…and they’ll tell two friends, and they’ll tell two friends."
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