Often, new clients are told they need a corrective haircut. But what is it? Here’s what corrective cutting means and why it’s so important for healthy, natural curls.
A Corrective Haircut Allows Your Hair to Catch Up with Itself
A trained curl specialist will cut your hair with your curl pattern(s) in mind. That also means that sometimes other parts of your hair need to catch up. This is especially true in the crown, and for those of you with tight curls.
I have a client who is also a curl specialist and it took years for her hair to catch up. Think looser curls underneath in back, and tighter curls at the crown. Through corrective haircuts, we never touched those tighter curls until the rest of her hair “caught up.” We cut the longer, looser curls and focused on trimming the rest.
A Corrective Haircut Does Not Mean “Short”
Sure, it may take *years* of corrective cutting to get your hair just right, but don’t let the timeline bother you. A corrective haircut doesn’t have to mean “short.” Think of it as reparative scissoring that enables your style to look past bad haircuts, big chops, chemical processes and everything else you’ve put your curls through.
This type of curly haircutting requires an eye for detail
A corrective haircut isn’t typically a one and done. A curl specialist like me will utilize several appointments – over a series of months – to get it just right. So if your curl specialist gives you a corrective cut one visit, but doesn’t reassess your growth the next time you sit in the chair, you might want to consider another curl specialist!
A Corrective Haircut Works in Conjunction with a Healthy Curl Routine
While corrective cutting helps to transition your natural curls to a healthier, happier state and style, effective, nourishing curl products are equally as important as the scissor work. Yes, hydrated hair will shrink more, but hydrated hair is healthier hair. Treatments like Original Moxie Moisture Detox, K18 and Olaplex can work to restore your hair. A series of corrective haircuts work to restore your style.
Now you know exactly what “a corrective haircut” is and why it’s a valuable technique to achieve the healthiest curls possible!
PS: Love the image hanging in the salon? We do too! It’s by Houston artist Pink Lomein. Follow her on Instagram at @pinklomein_.