Paul Mitchell Stylists on Dry and Wet Cutting

by Cassadie on Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Ah yes, the ever-burning and often polarizing question within the community of stylists who work with curly hair: should curls be cut wet or dry? During The Truth About Curls session at the annual Paul Mitchell Gathering, the artists and educators provided their expert option on the subject matter: curly hair can be cut both ways!

The truth about cutting curls is that a wet cut or a dry cut should depend on the client’s unique texture. Before deciding which cutting technique to employ, a stylist should first discuss how a client typically wears their hair and analyze their texture. Attendees at The Gathering watched how textures with more shrinkage were cut dry using a “stroking” technique to “open up the hair” and create space while other looser textures were clipped wet. Watch how a Platform Artist analyzes and cuts this 3c hair:

The moral of the story is that as a stylist, you have flexibility in how you decide to cut your clients’ curls. Take the time to listen to the client and look at the texture before deciding which technique will work best for each unique curl.