Cutting Methods

Cutting Methods

August 2020 | Without fail it seems, every few years we learn of another hairdresser claiming to have invented a new way to cut curly hair. One of the more recent attempts is called a 'Rezo Cut' and claims to be salvation for anyone wanting volume and length. As an individual who has been working with curls for multiple decades, these supposed new methods are anything but and certainly aren't necessary to achieve the things they claim to.

In this oversaturated and obsessive social media era, people go to great lengths to promote themselves with the hope of driving greater success their way. The trouble is when it comes to anything curl related, the consuming public often gets caught up in this online hype and believes that it is actually possible to discover a new way to cut hair. I am writing to tell you this is all complete nonsense.

Before diving in too deep, it is important the following is stated right up front. There are many different methods of cutting hair, and each can resolve positively for everyone involved. My method of cutting is not the one that should be branded, patented and used on everyone, nor is anyone else's.

Each method has the potential for success if the results can help make someone happy. Don't ever believe there is one singular way that is best for everyone. As stated elsewhere on this blog, absolute positions are limiting. Despite what the loudest most popular groups state, there are many roads to hair happiness. The key is finding someone who will listen to what your needs are and how you actually live with your hair Monday to Friday. While there certainly are different approaches for cutting particular hair textures and shapes, the road to proficiency with them is an entirely fluid and evolving process and not something that anyone individual alive today can ever claim to have invented.

​Taken from the Cambridge dictionary:

Invent. To design and/or create something that has never been made before.

There is archaeological evidence of hair combs dating back to the Stone Age. Scissors themselves were invented in Italy about 400 BC. The first hairdressers date back to the 17th century and hair salons started to become prominent in the 1920s. When considering these historical facts, the chance anyone alive today has suddenly invented a new means of cutting hair is extraordinarily unlikely, if not entirely ridiculous. Since most of the individuals claiming to have invented a new way of cutting hair are specifically referring to curly hair, it also seems to indicate that cutting curly hair is something that has only recently begun to occur. As though curly hair itself didn’t exist prior to the 20th century. While the understanding, skills, and tools related to cutting hair have certainly evolved over time, there is little chance anything done today with a pair of scissors, on any texture of hair, hasn’t already been done by another person at some point in human history.

What this seemingly all comes down to is marketing. We are up to our necks with individuals using social media to drive business their way. Ever since Vidal Sassoon made a name for himself, it seems hairdressers from every corner of the plant have attempted to elevate their status similarly. Claiming to have invented a method, is just one method they may attempt this. If the motivation in claiming to have invented a technique is to help attract and educate other professionals, that is a noble pursuit. However, thinking other professionals should learn to cut hair with your particular method seems to be an egocentric decision.
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Now, about this Rezo cut. Yes, compared to the rather one-dimensional, all one length principles of the Deva cutting method, Rezo seems significantly better, but that doesn't mean that what it offers is something new. It simply is a means of achieving increased shape and volume into a cut. Truth be told, individuals who can cut hair well have understood this and likely been doing just that for a long time. To be fair, those who have been successful with a pair of scissors will likely develop a way of cutting that, in small ways, is just as unique as they are. This however doesn't mean that their personal evolution in cutting is new or an invention. It's simply is a personalised tweak of something that has already been done by someone somewhere.

Those who teach and practice the Rezo method also claim that their haircuts can also straighten well, without the unevenness of a Deva cut. To be perfectly clear, the unevenness in a Deva cut is a well-known flaw inherent to that method. The fact that the Rezo method claims to have resolved that issue is strange. From my perspective and experience, this was never an issue if you knew how to cut hair well. It really does seem that somewhere in the last 20 years, a lot of hairdressers have forgotten how to cut hair well, either that or they never learned in the first place.

While we're at it, it is absolutely worth pointing out here that with each of these supposedly newfangled methods, never once is it mentioned that they grow out well. This, above all else, is the most important criterion of every good haircut. After all., hair grows. It changes. It evolves over the months. This reality has been the foundation of my work for the entirety of my career. Any haircut that fails to grow out well or stops performing too quickly is not a good haircut. Lives are busier and time restrictive as ever. Heading to get a haircut isn't something that should need to be done all the time. A haircut that is designed properly will not only be flattering and supportive to one's natural texture but also endure for an extensive period of time. This should be non-negotiable. The fact all these new methods don't mention this is a worry.

For any client who has struggled to find someone who can cut their curly hair in a supportive manner, the notion of a new discovery by some far away hairdresser with a strong social media presence can be an alluring proposition of salvation. It's no wonder I receive the messages I do from clients who thirst to have what they believe to be the latest best thing they read about online somewhere. Again, they need to separate reality from online hype and understand that cutting hair isn't some complex task that needs new discoveries every few years.

Human hair has not evolved in the last decade, let alone the last 2000 years. I have spent more than 30 years actively developing a means of cutting hair that supports all the different textures and types of hair I regularly work with. Have my methods changed and become better over the years? Absolutely they have. Is anything I do with a pair of scissors new or has never been done before? Of course not. Now, my clients often tell me they haven't had anyone cut their hair the way I do, but that doesn't mean that what I am doing to their hair is at all new. It may be new for them, but on the larger scale of history, it is not. What about my principles or how I choose to engage with clients? While that may seem different, I certainly didn't invent anything there either. I just aim to have the client experience be much more supportive than what a conventional hairdresser or salon would ever think to offer.

At the end of the day, a client needs to be able to communicate effectively with me in order to have the best chance at us both feeling satisfied and happy with the result. My cutting methods are as refined and successfully proven as one can find anywhere on this planet and certainly so within Australia. They darn well should be thought as it has been my entire professional focus for a long time. Are the results of all this effort perfect? Certainly not. I am human after all. That said, I do take exceptional care to ensure the odds of success here are about as high as they possibly can be before starting. This approach contributes greatly to the success that I have achieved. Regardless of the methods used to get there, as long as we both work together in a supportive and open manner, there is no better chance of being happy with your hair than in my chair.​