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Hair cutting is sculpting ……….
We have all had hair cuts since we were children. Our first hairstylists are usually our mothers, who cut our hair in order to keep it out of our eyes! In other words, a haircut was something practical, something your mom insisted upon so you looked neat. Even later, when we went to get our hair done at a beauty salon, most people would look at themselves straight on in the mirror and worry about that one angle of the straight on view, not considering how their hair looked from different angles. or the movement of the hair cut.
But for me, a hair cut has always been something much more than just a matter of trimming hair to a certain length. I am not satisfied with something that simply frames the face. Because for me, a hair cut is a three-dimensional work of art. A hair cut is sculpture. It is something that is going to be appreciated from all angles. Instead of something that is just sitting in the center of a gallery, or two-dimensionally in a photo, a hair cut is continually being presented by the person who wears it. Every turn of the head, every change of expression on the face, every different neckline a person wears shows a haircut in a new way. It needs to balance the face from every angle. It has to fall as beautifully in the back as it does around the cheekbones. It is a representation of the personality of the person who is wearing it. Therefore, I am always seeing one’s hair cut as a motile art.
To build a nice shape or contour for a hair cut, there are two important elements that have to be considered during the process:
First is the foundation hair-cut or base hair-cut. I consider the shape of a client’s face and head, a client’s height, build and even the way they move, and that tells me what basic shape to aim for.
Second is the hair cut refinement. After building up the basic shape of the hair cut, I spend a good amount of time doing refinement cutting. The refinement cutting is a very important step. It defines the shape and personalizes the hair cut. Again, I am guided by the shape of my client’s face for the refinement. Just a slight adjustment of the hair cut can lift and change the overall look. So I don’t rush this part of the hair cut. It may seem like I am randomly carving into the hair cut or snipping little bits of hair, but this is where the flow of the cut is determined. Hair is always moving, and it has to hold it’s shape and be a frame for the person and the personality, at all times.
My training in art combined with the hair cut training that I received from the Vidal Sassoon Academy in London, enables me to apply my artistic ideas to the hair cut. When you sit in my salon chair, I will be excited to create a work of art for you.
By Ying Cao
