Most salon experiences involve having your hair cut and styled whilst it’s still wet. If you’re a seasoned hairdresser visitor, you’re probably down with the usual drill by now: colour, wash, cut, blow wave.
But, did you know that it’s entirely possible to have your precious locks chopped once they’re nice and dry?
Not only is it possible, it’s actually more beneficial in a whole number of instances, particularly if you have gorgeously curly hair.
Dry cutting opens a whole new realm of possibilities. It provides stylists with a realistic depiction of a client’s hair, gives the client more control and lessens the shock of seeing that a beloved cut has changed drastically overnight.
Remove the Guesswork
Wet hair is longer, straighter and less voluminous than dry hair. This means that when you cut wet hair, it’s hard to see exactly how it will look once it has dried. The style, length and shape of hair that is naturally wavy or curly is particularly difficult to judge when wet. As celebrity stylist Rodney Cutler explains, “Dry cutting takes the guesswork out of how your individual curl pattern will look in its everyday life.”
Hair styling is both an art and a science, and all good science relies on the removal of guesswork. Dry cutting almost allows the stylist to see into the future, and imagine the consequences of every snip— something that wet cutting simply cannot offer.
The Look Post-Salon
Dry cutting also allows the stylist to see how the client’s hair will look and sit when they style it. Styling a customer’s hair to perfection in the chair is one thing, but the real job of a hair stylist is to create a cut that the client can style themselves. Dry cutting makes this far easier.
It also gives clients more control over the process. They can see what is happening to the hair, and make suggestions throughout the cut. With a wet cut, the client is almost entirely blind until the hair is dry, at which point it is too late.
See the Bigger Picture
When hair is wet, the peculiarities of a client’s hair can be invisible. For example, wet hair may hide cowlicks, colour, highlights and, as mentioned, curls and waves. A dry cut shows the full picture of the hair and allows the stylist to cut to suit this picture. This allows for a more personalised cut, as opposed the ‘follow the guide’ technique that wet hair requires. When dry cutting, the stylist can take little cuts and snips, and take a moment to step back and assess the entire look.
It’s Easier on Fragile or Thinning Hair
When your hair is wet, it is actually more fragile. During a wet cut, your hair is subject to a lot of combing, which can increase breakage. If you have brittle hair, or hair that has been over-processed, ask for a dry cut. A dry cut will require minimal brushing, meaning you’ll lose less hair throughout the session. Reducing the loss of hair, even over a 45-minute appointment can make an enormous difference to a client battling with fragile and thinning hair.
No Next-Day Surprises
Everyone has loved a cut at the salon, only to be shocked when they wake up in the morning. A dry cut gives clients a realistic vision of what their hair will look like after they’ve left the salon. The shock factor can be the difference between a good styling experience, and a nightmare. Consider a dry cut to reduce the chances of disappointment the following day.
Wet cuts are still a fantastic way to cut hair, and deliver results. However, both stylists and clients should be aware that dry cutting offers a number of benefits. Dry cutting could revolutionise the styling experience, and now’s the time to move away from the ‘wet-cut only’ mentality that has held sway in the styling world.