Cutting individual hairs on an angle?

[julliams]

I'm still pondering something my hairdresser said to me at my last trim. She likened cutting hair to cutting flowers and said that they cut each strand at an angle for optimum growth, just like you cut flowers before you put them in a vase. I couldn't fathom how this was possible but anyway...

I've always read on LHC that I should cut completely straight across.

What are your thoughts? I'm asking for S & D purposes.

[heartgoesboom]

well, since hair doesn't grow from the tips, that thought doesn't make sense. i would continue cutting straight across since cutting in an angle just makes the ends thinner and more vulnerable to splitting.

[Yozhik]

I agree with heartgoesboom.

From what I understand of the purpose of cutting flowers diagonally, it's to help them absorb water and suck it up the stem once they've been cut. They're already dead at that point, so it's just trying to keep them pretty longer, and shouldn't have any effect on helping them grow better. :confused:

I cut my hairs in S&D straight across, because reduced surface area is supposed to minimize the chance of splitting. :shrug:

[Mesmerise]

LOL That logic is rather confounding!! It's done with flowers, yes, but that's no the same as hair :confused:. I've heard angled cuts are more prone to splitting... but yeah, I don't know. I do know that hair can't be compared to flowers though!

[julliams]

I'm wondering if this is what she actually did (which I can't understand how she could have done it) it could be why both I and my daughter have noticed increased splitting since our haircut there. Hmmmm....

[UltraBella]

Uhm, optimum growth ???? WHAT ?! Complete BS.
However, my hair is usually trimmed at an angle and it doesn't increae my split ends at all.

[Mesmerise]

I have seen hairdressers kind of snip small chunks of hair at an angle... so instead of trimming straight across, they do these small angled snips. Maybe that's what she did?? I'm not really sure if there's any other way you could do it though... because generally when you trim you trim straight across!

[julliams]

Ultrabella - what would be the use for cutting at an angle other than for aesthetic reasons? And I wonder - do you believe S & D is necessary or useful? Most stylists laugh at me when I admit to S & D.

[selderon]

I'm still pondering something my hairdresser said to me at my last trim. She likened cutting hair to cutting flowers and said that they cut each strand at an angle for optimum growth, just like you cut flowers before you put them in a vase. I couldn't fathom how this was possible but anyway...

:confused:

1. Cut flowers don't grow. They die.
2. Hair is already dead once it leaves the follicle, so it isn't going to grow either.
3. While cut flowers may take sustenance from the water for a time, hair is not going to suck sustenance from the air no matter how you cut it.

They don't teach logic in school anymore, do they?

[monsterna]

Most stylists laugh at me when I admit to S & D.

That is because they want to make you feel silly and feel like you absolutely HAVE to come back to THEM for your regular 1 inch trim every 6 weeks. ;)

[julliams]

:confused:

1. Cut flowers don't grow. They die.
2. Hair is already dead once it leaves the follicle, so it isn't going to grow either.
3. While cut flowers may take sustenance from the water for a time, hair is not going to suck sustenance from the air no matter how you cut it.

They don't teach logic in school anymore, do they? Yes it didn't make sense to me but I did wonder if I'd been doing it wrong all this time. I feel a bit stupid raising it at all now.

[AlicesPlatforms]

Trimming only helps by getting rid of damaged, or split ends... O_o

[UltraBella]

Ultrabella - what would be the use for cutting at an angle other than for aesthetic reasons? And I wonder - do you believe S & D is necessary or useful? Most stylists laugh at me when I admit to S & D.

For thick hair, wavy hair, layered styles and most current trendy cuts, a blunt cut will not lay nicely. The method is essentially what Mesmerize described, small snips in an upward direction at an angle, it just creates a prettier looking hemline than a blunt straight across one. But that's just my opinion.

The first time I was told about S&D, it was by a stylist and I was 17yrs old. I think it is very useful, but I don't personally do it. I did when I was in high school though :)

[julliams]

Thanks for that. I do know what you mean by angled cutting giving a nicer look to thick wavy hair. I guess the stylist was trying to explain why she was cutting my hair in this way and used the wrong analogy to explain it. Thanks for coming back and clearing that up for me.

[growingpains]

Ya I heard the angle cut is meant for styling purposes, but as my stylist told me, if you have fine or fragile hair it increases the risk of damage.

[kitchenwench]

I do find the front pieces of my hair show significantly more damage, also not as coarse as the back, lighter from the sun etc. So I have to cut more off the front which ends up with an angled look when it hangs down my back :)

I love my aunt who trims my hair, no scary hairdresser conspiracy theories to worry about with her, if I say take off two inches, she takes two inches bless her.

As for individual hairs when applying S&D I've never paid attention to the angle when holding the scissors I probably will a bit now....straight across for me.