For years, I found myself constantly asking the same “to razor cut or not to razor cut” question every time I wanted a new style. Just trying to muster up the courage to tell my stylist that *gasp* I wanted her to razor my hair was a huge task. I had never known what razoring curly hair could do until I met a nice girl in Forever 21 who had perfectly styled curls with minimal frizz. My conversation with this girl went something like this:
“Excuse me, I really like your hair. What kind of cut is that?” (By the way, this is by far the best way to get information on a cut or styling methods.”>
“Well,” she said. “I have razored layers in my hair. My hair was about as thick as yours.”
My reaction to this was about as accurate as if finding out that ice cream has no calories (if it were only true”>. I was amazed and intrigued at how something I had always been told was so bad for your curls could do something so amazing.
So I did some research, and it seems my answer to the infamous curly hair question is clear: to razor!
The Positives of a Razor Cut
Nick Arrojo, master of the razor, says, “Using a razor helps to enable more swing and movement in hair styles; a modern, jagged, disheveled line; the ability to redefine the texture of the hair; thinning out thicker textures; short, messy, and undone hair styles; and beautiful soft-shaped layers.”
So, if we’ve all heard the same horror stories, but the real-life stories seem to contradict, then where is all of this information coming from? It had to have originated from somewhere.
Razoring can do wonders for your hair, especially if you have thick wavy hair like I do. When you razor the hair, you are thinning your hair out, shedding your extra layers, if you will. The process is done in long layers to keep the consistency of the effect throughout the head and will produce a more styled look. Thinning your hair in layers reduces the amount of weight that is pulling your curls down and making the bottom of your hair look like you got into a fight with a blowdryer and a brush, and lost horribly.
After you have gotten a razor cut, you can basically wash, apply leave-in conditioner and head out the door without worry of the ramifications of not spending an enormous amount of time to keep the puff under control.
An excerpt from Wisegeek.com’s article on curly hair suggests that “when curly hair is cut short, the cuts should be made with the natural curl rather than against it. Consider looking for a stylist who is adept with a razor and you may get a better cut.”
Personally, I found this to be true when I decided to go short for the summer. Since my hair is in the phase of deciding whether it would like to grow out before next summer or crawl its way to glorious, long locks, razoring has been a life saver.
I ran into my friends shop and told the stylist, “I need you to razor my hair. I’m tired of looking like Molly Ringwald had a bad hair day in the ‘Breakfast Club’.”
Razoring has been what has allowed me to have patience and keep my sanity with the long process of growing my hair out again.
But What About All The Bad?
For the skeptics out there, you may be saying under your breath as you read this article, “I don’t care what you say about it, razor cutting is bad for your hair.” And, I sympathize. I was once a skeptic too after hearing from stylists that “razoring your hair will only make it frizzier” and “razoring is going to damage your hair,” or “your hair will grow out weird and its going to be a lot of maintenance.“
So if we’ve all heard the same horror stories, but the real-life stories seem to contradict, then where is all of this information coming from? It had to have originated from somewhere. Could it be someone was trying to thin out their hair with a Lady Bic and saw the end result that caused this chaos? Not likely, but rumors have been known to start off by things far more absurd.
These “razoring is bad for you” statements are true to an extent but with simple solutions, you can avoid getting a bad razor cut and enjoy the benefits of one instead.
“Your hair will only get frizzier.”
This has been said due to the fact that razoring will decrease the weight and add more curl. Because hair isn’t weighed down, curl increases and this isn’t necessarily a negative thing. As long as you know how to care for your new curls, there won’t be an issue. Simply make sure you add some leave-in conditioner once you get the cut to keep frizz under control and keep your hair healthy.
“Razoring is going to damage your hair.”
If you razor cut your hair while dry will, it damage your hair. As with all things curly, a good stylist is the key to a good cut. A good stylist will understand that razoring curly hair dry will cause it to become damaged and will have the skill of a surgeon with the razor. Check out curly salons near you and talk to them about the process. Chances are, you’ll find someone who knows exactly what you want and how best to do it.
“Your hair is going to grow out weird and it will be a lot of maintenance.”
It’s true. But the additional maintenance is only as routine as getting a trim to maintain the style and after seeing the difference, unless it’s winter, why carry the extra weight? Besides, getting a trim every six weeks is GOOD for your waves!
