Curly Cutting

The stylist has to approach each curly girl individually, regarding her hair’s texture, degrees of curliness, and how one curl relates to others around it.
-Lorraine Massey, Curly Girl: The Handbook

Looking for someone to cut and style your curly hair?

Don’t trust your curls to a stylist who straightens her own.
If a beautician claims that you can cut curly hair the same was as you cut straight hair, run–don’t walk–away from her scissors!

Do’s & Don’ts for Cutting Curls

Never cut curly hair when it is wet.
Never use a comb or brush when cutting curly hair.
Never use a razor to cut curls.
Don’t try to thin or “texturize” curly hair.
Don’t take off too much–remember the spring factor of curly hair can be up to 10 inches!
Always cut curly hair when it is well-conditioned, air-dried, and in its natural state.

Tips for Trimming Your Own Curls

(sometimes, cutting your own hair at home is the only way to keep from leaving the hair salon in tears)

Use high-quality hair-cutting scissors that melt through the curls.
Cut before the crest of each curl, at the beginning of the C of the curl.
Avoid blunt cut styles.
Don’t layer too much to begin with.
Use two mirrors, to enable you to see the front and back of your curls.
For longer hair, bring curls from the back around to the front for trimming.
For short hair, locate the spot to cut in the mirror and position your scissors, but then look away from the mirror for the snip so as not to be confused by the reverse mirror affect.
Check out Curly Girl: The Handbook (and the accompanying DVD) for lots of helpful information, photos, and a how-to video on trimming your own curls.