Haircutting & Styling
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08.11.2020
Being a left-handed hairstylist in a right-handed world…
August 13th is International Lefthanders Day! We wanted to hear from lefty hairstylist and BEA Finalist, Kelsey Higginbotham, about the haircutting struggles and tips for our lefty’s in the industry. Bonus, she is an EIMI Cut Craft Certified hair cutter!
Struggles of a Lefty:
- Your left hand always has ink on it so as an educator, your whiteboards are always a disaster!
- At a restaurant, where to sit is a thought process because you do not want to elbow bump your dinner date!
- During education trainings – finding a left-handed hair station.
- Finding scissors in the kitchen that won’t bend paper when you cut!
- When an instructor tells you to “mirror them”, this is very challenging for lefthanders because it’s backwards!
General Tips:
- Practice makes excellence.
- You will become more comfortable and adapt easier in learning situations the more you practice!
- Watch your instructors through a mirror! This will flip the visual for you in real life!
- Investing in the proper tools, like left-handed shears. Not all companies make them, do your homework to find them.
#ProTips when cutting:
- Proper body position – when your cutting elbow is up, your tips are down. When your cutting elbow is down, your tips are up!
- How to load a razor – how to change the feather blade is backwards for lefty’s! Flip the cartridge of the new razor the opposite way to slide the new razor in. You want the guard out and the razor closer to you. You will get a much better result!
- Importance of tension – whether you are right or left-handed, do not forget about tension. Zero tension will give you the strongest line.
- Don’t do this – do not cut passed your second knuckle because you have less control of tension.
Kelsey’s favorite prep products for cutting:
- Thermal Image – don’t forget to shake before using it! This product gives heat protection and slip.
- Eimi Perfect Me – add 2-3 pumps into your water bottle, this will give shine, light frizz control, and slip,
- The Booster – for men’s cuts, when finished, this product has cooling and tingly sensation and smells incredible but also makes the hair feel thicker.
- Dark Oil – Brings life back to the hair after cutting!
Let’s face it, we live in a Right-Handed world… here are some South Paw hacks. @wellaeducation @wellahairusa #wellapassionistausa #hairbyhigginbotham #lefthandedstylist #southpaw #tipsandtricks #cutcraftA post shared by Kelsey Higginbotham (@hairbyhigginbotham) on Aug 11, 2020 at 10:33am PDT