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Ever heard the term point cutting and wonder what it is? Well we can help with that! Point cutting is a technique that helps hair stylists remove hair while adding texture. The technique looks good on men and women alike as certain people prefer a straight cut for certain areas, but point cutting offers a bit of character that cannot be achieved otherwise. Learning point cutting techniques will change your opinion of your hairstyle and how you care for your hair. You might cut your own hair, a friend’s hair, or learn the art of hair styling, and point cutting elevates even the simplest hairstyle.
When you point cut, you are quite literally using the point of the shears or scissors at an angle to cut the ends. Point cutting allows you to remove length, texturize, or both. You cannot complete this process with clippers. Sorry! Point cuts help you create a solid foundation without the strict lines of a classic cut. For example, you might try a classic bob, but you can avoid clean lines with a point cut.
You should point cut when it is clear you or the client needs more than a standard cut and blow-dry. Removing hair leaves a straight line that does not line up with everyone’s style. This is even true for men with modern hairstyles as they need to look as though they care about their hair. Believe it or not, this technique is used more than what you would think!
Point cut when you are trimming around the ears, trimming ends, or texturizing a hairstyle. For example, you can cut your friend’s hair because you’ve been stuck in quarantine for months. After cutting their hair, you realise you need more flair. Go back to the ends and snip with the point of your scissors until some of the weight is gone.
A point cut hair before and after picture clearly shows that wavy ends with soft tips look more natural than a traditional blunt haircut. Even though we don't recommend it, you can, if absolutely needed, cut your own hair to soften the ends in between appointments. You may choose to trim the ends off your long hair to keep your hair healthy, and a bit of point cutting makes it look as though a professional stylist cut your hair.
While point cutting is a lovely idea for you or your friends, there are times when this technique doesn’t work. Avoid point cutting in the following situations:
Point cutting helps bring flavour and texture to your hair, but unfortunately you cannot use it as a universal technique. The situations listed above clearly do not call for point cutting. You should also avoid point cutting when the clients hair is very wavy, permed, or too short to texturize properly. Assess the situation before assuming you should automatically add texture.
Learning hair cutting techniques requires both tools and skills. You first need tools that help with point cutting and similar hair styles. These tools include:
Aside from these tools, you need patience. If you are not patient while point cutting, you will take off too much, make the ends look jagged, accidently point cut your own finger and defeat the purpose of the original trim. You must sit in a proper chair so that you do not move during the cut, or you need a tall chair to make the client’s hair accessible.
When point cutting, you can either let the hair hang normally or pull it up between your forefinger and middle finger. When holding the hair, you can see exactly how much you’ve cut. If you let the hair hang, you can be sure you do not cut off extra length. If you fear the style will look jagged, use a comb to measure the hair, and create a straight line. This is basic hairdressing people!! Use the tip of your scissors to quickly snip the hair at a slight angle, but do not cut up into the hair as that process removes too much weight. The ends should look lighter, but they do not necessarily get shorter.
Cut as little hair as possible with each pass. Drop the section once cut and step back, assess the hair, and start again. When the ends look natural, you are done. If you are cutting your own hair, complete this process in the mirror so you can see what you are doing. You can also show the client the finished product, listen to their feedback, and cut again as needed. Thick hair needn’t get in the way of the perfect hairstyle, but you need to learn hair pointing before cutting or trimming your hair. You can add a bit of visual intrigue to your hair, eliminate some weight, and obscure an obvious line created by a quick trim. Careful point cutting friends!
