You pick a hairstylist because of their expertise and ability to cut your hair exactly how you like it. But, are you missing out on a key technique that can make your hair look even better? If you don’t know about dry cutting, you may be out of the loop in getting perfect hair every single time.
Dry cutting has been around for years, but as of late, it’s making a comeback. “Dry cutting has become extremely popular for several reasons,” says hairstylist Chris Dove and ReGenesis brand ambassador. “No matter if the cut is trendy or more classic, dry cutting is a way to create texture and give an immediate visual result for the client to see.”
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Different from cutting hair wet, dry cutting follows pretty much the same steps as a wet cut—it’s just done on dry hair. “There are no real shortcuts or steps that are omitted. However, shears are used instead of a razor,” says hairstylist John Simpson and ReGenesis brand ambassador. “The full cut, layers and textures are still performed. The key to dry cutting is that the pre–blow dry is done directionally to ensure proper movement of the form and fringe, which creates the overall shape.” Some stylists favor dry cutting over wet cutting because they feel they are better guided by the hair’s natural state.
It works great for all hair types, especially those who have bulky hair or fine hair. “It’s also good for cutting wavy or textured hair in its natural state—think curly hair that’s always worn straight. Or hair that only needs a very slight trim,” says Kelsey Osterman, senior stylist at Cutler/Redken Salon. “You can also see split ends better when the hair is dry, so you can trim only the tiniest amount off the ends. When hair is wet, you cannot see exactly where the split ends start or stop.” When hair is cut wet, you never really know how short it’s going to be once it’s dried.
As if that wasn’t enough, the icing on the cake is that your hair incurs less damage when it’s cut dry instead of wet. “It can relieve excess tension on the hair when dealing with strands that are highly processed and weakened,” explains Osterman. Cutting hair dry is better for your hair because the hair is more elastic, so there’s less fraying.
