In the Thick of it
If the smell of Johnson & Johnson's No More Tangles triggers PTSD flashbacks to your childhood, you know what's up. Thick hair means knots that are tied with Boy Scout–level strength. Forcing a comb or paddle brush through it is time-consuming and hair-ruining. If you have an over whelming amount of thick hair, but don't want to cut it short to alleviate the weight, Ashley Lopez, a Premier Stylist at Christopher Stephens salon may just have a solution for you. Here are five different ways that she says your stylist can lighten-up the weight of your hair without compromising the length of your hair.
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Slicing- Taking small sections and slicing straight down at a 45 degree angle from the mid-shaft to ends. This technique will allow your hair to move more freely by removing excess hair, making it easier for you to style and it will also help to eliminate that stacking out or "Christmas Tree" effect that all people with loads of thick hair complain about, Ashley notes.
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Texturize- Texturizing will break up the thickness and give you a lot of movement and the highly sought after "Bed Head" look. Your stylist will use texturizing sheers, a razor or will point cut with regular scissors to strategically eliminate weight in your layers; making the hair more wispy on the ends and allow the hair to move more freely and naturally.
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Internal Cutting- This technique is reserved for excessively thick hair. Your stylist will cut small sections of hair from the mid-shaft to the ends of your hair. Generally this technique removes hair form the occipital bone (the curve of the back of the head) to the nape area. Internal cutting will remove a lot of bulk, but don't worry, you won't be able to see the shorter pieces as this form of hair weight removal, Ashley says, if done correctly the look is seamless, even when you put your hair up in a ponytail.
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Slithering- Your stylist can perform this technique by dragging open scissors along the hair shaft, opening and closing them gently. Your stylist will start with a one inch section of hair at the nape and working up the head dropping and slithering one inch sections until the entire head of hair is texturized. This will add tons of movement to very thick hair.
- Under-Cutting- This is the most Bold method of hair weight removal and the most aggressive as well. You should note however, if you want to change your hair style after this technique is done you must be prepared for an awkward grow-out phase. Under-Cutting is done by removing the underneath hair from the occipital bone to the nape of your neck by buzzing it off with clippers. After this technique is performed your hair will lay and look much more sleek and appear half as bulky as before. One more downside that Ashley notes is that this cut is very noticeable when you wear a ponytail, so it's definitely not for everyone.