Everything Hair Stylists Need to Know About Texturing

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Few modern hairstyles are worn without texture, making proper texturing a skill that every cosmetologist wants to refine and perfect. Whether you’re styling your client’s pixie cut or adding movement to long, Ariana Grande locks, no cut is complete without proper texture.

Practice makes perfect—you’ll have learned the most popular ways of texturing hair, including point cutting, slithering, weaving, twist cutting, chipping, and smooth cutting, through your cosmetology program. Still, you may find yourself considering advanced training to provide your clients with even more options – and more polished results.

Advanced Training Seminars and Workshops in Cut Texturing

Through your cosmetology program, you’ll have learned all of the ins and outs of how to texture hair, what tools to use, and how to create the latest styles.

However, as fashion changes, it can be a good idea to pursue advanced training to make sure you’re able to create the most cutting edge effects.

Salons and beauty academies throughout the country offer advanced hair styling courses, seminars and workshops for licensed cosmetologists, including sections on hair texturing. You’ll also be able to practice the techniques on mannequins and live models, which is extremely helpful, because it can take some practice to really master texturing techniques.

Through these courses, you’ll learn:

  • How to Use a Straight-Edge Razor
  • Which Tools to Use on Different Types of Hair
  • Hair Texturing Techniques

As styles evolve, you’ll want to make sure you are keeping up with the latest trends in texturing. From Victoria Beckham’s super-short, super-textured look to Jennifer Anniston’s longer, textured style, staying on top of the trends will set you apart as an exceptional stylist.

Essential Texturing Techniques

Texturing is a way to remove bulk from the hair and give it more dimension. For instance, a pixie cut or a bob with no texture would look very plain—but add some texture, and you’ve got a chic new style.

Even longer styles benefit from texture. Long hair that is all one length has no interest or movement, but add some textured layers, and you’ve transformed the entire style.

There are several different texturing techniques that you’ll need to perfect, as they create completely different looks. A few of the most popular texturing techniques include:

Internal Cutting

One method of texturing is known as internal cutting. Through internal cutting, you can either use chipping or weaving to remove segments of hair and add texture to the cut.

Chipping involves shortening segments of hair freehand, while weaving uses a tail comb to separate the hair and trim the hair in a specific place.

If your client is more interested in modern texture, the chipping method is great, but the weaving method allows more control, so the finished texture will be smoother.

You can also use thinning shears when performing internal cutting—when using thinning shears, your snips won’t take all of the hair, but only a percentage of it. Thinning is a great method for clients with thick, heavy hair who want to lighten their style. Curly hair can also be thinned to make it more manageable.

Smooth Cutting

Smooth cutting is another way to thin the hair—you’ll run a blade along a hair strand to thin it out and only leave a portion of the hair remaining. You can use a razor to perform smooth cutting or use a slithering technique, which uses one blade of a pair of scissors and requires a very steady hand.

Point Cutting

Point cutting involves holding the ends of the hair between your fingers and cutting inward into the hair. You can do notching, which involves cutting spikes in the end of the hair, or simply snip several times into the strand to give it extra texture.

Another technique, known as chipping or slicing, involves point cutting at an angle.

Twist Cutting

Twist cutting adds texture by twisting certain strands and then cutting them in the middle of the strand, so the texture is not even all over the head. Twist cutting results in a very modern look and works especially well as longer hair.

Texturing Tools

The tools you use to texture your client’s hair will help you create the most current looks. Here’s what you’ll need:

Straight-Edge Razor

A straight-edge razor can be used to add texture to the hair. Although you’ll need to be very cautious with the razor to ensure that you don’t take off too much hair or take off sections unevenly, using a straight-edge razor can be easier than using one blade of a pair of scissors. However, this comes down to personal preference, and which tool you find it easier to manipulate.

Blending/Thinning Shears

Blending shears are specifically designed to help create texture and even layers. They have teeth on one blade and a sheer blade on the other, so that when you snip a section of hair, it won’t take off the entire section.

Chunking Shears

Chunking shears are similar to blending/thinning shears and are designed for texturing hair, but take off more hair than traditional thinning shears. They’re especially helpful for texturing curly hair or very thick hair.

Finishing Shears

Finishing shears are meant to make a final pass over the hair after creating texture with either thinning shears, a razor, or chunking shears. Because they have more teeth, they take off a minimal amount of hair and can just be used to clean up and even out the texture that you’ve already created.

Tail Comb

A tail comb is extremely helpful in the texturing process, especially when performing weaving.

Creating The Texture Your Client Wants

Texturing is a really specific method of cutting that you’ll need a lot of practice to achieve. Communicating with your client is the most important part of your session.

If your client is going for a really bold look, you can feel comfortable using a razor or a slithering technique to really thin out the hair. However, if your client wants a smoother, more traditional look, stick with point cutting and weaving to produce even layers.

In addition, texturing curly hair is a very different process than texturing straight hair. You’ll need to practice texturing techniques on all different types of hair in order to be a versatile stylist capable of working with any client that might walk through your door.

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