How many of you have recommended a razor cut to that client who had just one unfavorable end result with a razor? You know the one, “I don’t ever want my hair to be cut with a razor again!” Here's how to gain confidence in razor cutting and pass it along to your client.

“Razors are really fun to work with, they allow stylists to create beautiful shapes and textures that are extremely difficult to replicate with shears,” explains Andrew Carruthers, Education Director for Sam Villa.

 The issue, Carruthers says, is that many guests have had an unfavorable razor cut experience, most likely from the razor pulling hair or the end result looking and feeling rough and/or split.  And, many stylists are uncomfortable using a razor because they don’t understand enough about how to adjust the angle when cutting to produce a nice clean edge.

 The answer is in the angle, according to Carruthers. It is a technique that can be taught and also, he maintains, learned in minutes.  When using a razor, the angle must be adjusted to cut cleanly and bluntly, versus raking the blade over the cuticle and creating a frayed weak hair strand and end.

1. Perpendicular or Right Angle - Blade shreds the cuticle layer and creates a fuzzy frayed effect.

2. Flat – Blade struggles to cut the hair, and when it does it creates a very thin fragile edge that resembles a split end.

3. 45°Angle: The Golden Angle – Blade cuts easily and cleanly leaving a blunt end, minimizing stress to the cuticle and delivering a soft blended smooth effect surface.

“The Sam Villa Signature Series Razor has a swivel handle so you don’t have to change your wrist angle, just rotate the blade slightly to be at the perfect angle to remove hair,” explains Carruthers.

samvilla.com.