Dear Ouidad: I have really thick 3b hair and I want to get it cut so that it’s not so bulky, but I live in London and there doesn’t seem to be any good hairdressers near me. What do you recommend?

A: If you cannot find a stylist who is versed in Carving and Slicing, find one who uses a vertical cutting motion on small sections of hair, as this reduces the weight of curls.

Do not allow a stylist to “layer, texturize or thin” your curls. Layering can create a shelf-like effect, with shorter layers that can look like thick sausages. Texturizing, on the other hand, creates frizz and unevenness to curl patterns, while thinning can result in lopsided effect, in which half of a curl shrinks and the other half remains long and limp.