Tips for Cutting Hair with Kamisori Shears

Giving the best hair service to your client goes well beyond giving them a show-stopping haircut. With a new hair style comes new maintenance and as a professional stylist, you and your client must be clear about what is required for proper care and maintenance. Generally the client will have a photo of a famous celebrity or a magazine page of the hair style they're going after, so be sure to cover the following key points with them for getting the most out of the haircut:

Explain how much care and prep will be required to maintain the style

Find out their daily routine and how much time they are willing to spend on keeping up with their hair

Ask questions about lifestyle such as whether they're active in sports, workplace dress codes, how much time their morning schedule allows, etc

If you're dealing with a brand new client on a first appointment, be sure to examine the hair prior to rushing over to the shampoo station. It is absolutely critical to properly assess the condition of the hair when it's dry and styled the way they are accustomed to wearing it.

Another key point is to make sure you and the client are on the same page as far as how much hair you will be cutting off. Remember it's not the actual number of inches that are coming off that matter; rather a clear understanding of a visual representation that matters most. Demonstrate to your client using your hands and fingers to show how much you plan to cut - so she is clear not just "how much", but what the length will look like when the haircut is complete.

Be sure to avoid too much fancy lingo as well. Stylists tend to get comfortable using common professional hairdressing terms that may be unfamiliar with the client. The important thing is not to prove to your client that you're a seasoned professional by your words, but that she understands what you are doing and is satisfied with the end result.

Great haircuts start with clean hair... period. Not only is it essential to thoroughly clean the hair for a great cut, it is also much easier to cut the hair when it is wet. Always begin your haircut by washing the clients hair with a good shampoo, then follow it up with a good conditioner. Next rinse in cold water, then air or blow dry the hair. Finally comb the hair throughout to get out any tangles. Be sure to have a good spray bottle handy for use during the haircut to keep the hair damp.

When cutting the hair, it's better to be gradual in order to not cut too much off at a time. As you proceed to cut the hair length of each section, cut it in increments of an inch or so. Remember when you cut the long strands to be careful, as you can't get hair back once it's gone. Cutting or trimming your clients hair regularly will help keep split ends away and maintain the condition of the hair.

When it come to extremely long, thick or "poofy" hair, using a great pair of wide-tooth thinning shears to remove small chunks of the hair will help to tame the bulk and accentuate the appearance of the curl in curly hair as well. In cases when the client would like to preserve the overall length of the hair, removing some bulk with a few passes of your thinning shears will leave the hair easier to maintain with less poof.

When doing a haircut on a client with curly hair, there are a few key things to keep in mind. First, avoid cutting curly hair when it is wet. Curly hair takes on a completely different form when it is wet compared to in its dry form. Wet, curly hair looks longer and finer because its stuck together. Curly hair that is dry takes on it's true form and will become shorter so it's very important to cut it as it will look in it's natural dry state. It's also best to avoid "blunt" cuts on curly hair because this requires stretching the hair beyond it's natural "spring" which can also lead to over cutting. A few other pitfalls to avoid with curly hair are: over layering (gives hair a big, poofy look, that weighs down the lower layers), over-thinning, or the use of a razor (causes frayed ends). Finally, always remember to cut curly hair before the crest of the curls (not midway through to avoid frizz or unevenness), and top, front area of the hair last where curls are at their shortest length.

The layered haircut is a great cut, both because of its style and versatility, as well as it's ease of maintenance. Another advantage to layered haircuts is the fact that they can be worn short, long and can be easily modified to suit your client. The hair should be damp prior to beginning this cut, and divided into approximately 7 sections with about a half inch spacing along the neckline.

Once all the sections have been clipped up and you proceed to cut each section, remember to keep the hair damp throughout the cut as it will shrink as it dries. Straight hair shrinks around 1 inch, while curly hair can shrink as much as 4 inches when it dries. Finally as you cut each section, be sure to include some of the hair from each previous section you cut with the each new section, so the cut remains even across the back.