LET’S TALK SHOP

with Nick Trombetta

“CUTTING YOUR OWN HAIR”

Some folks think it’s easy to just cut hair, they think it’s a comb and snip thing, you better think again. It’s hard enough to cut someone else’s hair. Between angles, 90 or 45 degree, or vertical and horizontal lines, you have no idea. But to believe you can do your own? Well, that’s a bit far fetched. We hairdressers don’t even do our own and we possess the knowledge. Now I know some of you home crimpers think even doing hair for your kids or men is an easy feat, after all, how hard can it be to use a scissor, clippers and guards? Really, you think that’s it?

It takes understanding of geometry infused with an artistic eye and an understanding of how texture relates to style behavior. But if you must, stick to one length trims, trust me, stay away from layers, that’s how you make holes, dips and broken lines.

As far as guys, stick to cleaning necks and sideburns, and if you use a clipper, while putting a guard may seem easy enough, try blending between numbers. You will find an amazing sea of trouble. That is why for many of us, scissor over comb techniques are essential and a must

Let’s talk about anxiety fringes. This is a good one. This is best done when you understand where that bang area actually begins and ends. Go too far left or right and you now have open curtain bangs that resemble your living room “curtage” during the summer to get fresh air in! Go too short and you now have a nice bandana on your forehead. Not short enough, and enjoy hair in your eyes all day long. It’s not as easy as you believed.

Now let’s talk about my favorite subject, HAIR COLOR! Oh boy! There is a whole lot of bad hair information on the web. We begin with these young so called “influencers” that are simply waiting for the years to catch up and realize what little real work they’ve achieved in their lives. But much of it has been led by these hair color companies that are selling to the public online and in department stores and pharmacies. What people don’t realize is, you are buying product prior to installing in your brains, solid professional information. Madison Reed is also an interesting choice, they ask you to go online and be your own professional and figure out your own formula. Seriously?

Hair color is not just a cover up product, or a change and transformation to your hair’s natural color, it is an essential scientific driven product, which when used with the proper knowledge and artistic endeavor, can truly make a difference in one’s personal looks, essentially it is also repair tool.

Let me wrap this up, when coming to a professional hairdresser with a cosmetology license and experience, you are not just buying product, you are buying into a lifetime of knowledge. That my friends, does not come in a box! Expertise, and service is what you are purchasing, not to mention, your best outcome depends on who you deal with and what they can offer. I once was asked by a client, “Why is this so expensive, it only took you 5 minutes to apply?” I answered,

“Let me tell you a story. There once was a student of art, while walking in a plaza he turned to look, and there for the grace of God was Van Gough, sitting by his lonesome self having an afternoon tea. The student was star struck as he approached Van Gough and said to him,

 “Maestro, I am an art student and I have been a fan of your work. I’ve followed you throughout my life and you have inspired me in the most incredible way, would you mind giving me something as a memory of this moment?” The artist smiled and agreed as the student reached into his pocket and handed a small scrap paper and a pen to the Van Gough. He took it and in a few seconds he had scribbled an abstract drawing. Giving it back to the student who smiled brightly as he said,

“Maestro, I don’t know how to thank you. I wish there was a way to pay you.” Immediately Van Gough replied, “There is, you can pay me 1000 Francs!” The young man astonished said,

“But it only took you a few seconds??” As Van Gough replied,

“No son, it took me a lifetime of experience!”

And there you have it folks, you can have your hair done by someone who has given their lives to the cause, or you can believe the fools who would have you buy into the nonsense that what we know is nothing.

Good Luck!