Improving your Precision Cuts

Straight, dramatic lines are the signature of a precision cut.  This geometric cut is recognized by precise edges and clean angles.  Follow these tips to improve your precision cutting.

1) When cutting a straight solid edge, attempt to cut hair at its natural fall point.  Keeping your fingers or comb straight will prevent hair from lifting and messing up your clean lines.  

2) Do not flip the hair up to cut.  By doing so, you will be bending the hair out of natural position and creating graduation, not solid lines. 

3) Always cut at the bottom edge of your guideline.  This ensures that the next section will be consistent and not be slightly above the previously cut section.

4) Use the proper scissors.  A sharp, sturdy scissor is the first choice for the artist opting to execute this style.  A 5.5 inch (PS24, PS11) shear will suffice, but many stylist's prefer a longer shear.  A shear in the 6 inch to 7 inch range will be chosen.  When using the longer shear, consider a sword blade style. (PS26, PS18) This design adds rigidity to the scissor which keeps the tips closer together.  This stability prevents the hair from bending which is often the problem with a longer shear.  The result is a masterfully precise cut.

Thanks to Modern Salon for the inspiration behind this educational post.

A post shared by SAL SALCEDO (@salsalhair) on


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