Question about using a razor on curly hair

A new client came in yesterday with a weird, choppy shape, and she said her last stylist used a razor to thin it out. I see this a lot, and it always wrecks the curl pattern. How do you explain to clients why this is a bad idea without trashing the other stylist?

3 comments

3 Comments

patkelly1mo ago

My old barber used a razor on my thick hair and it took a year to grow out the frizzy mess. It's like using a chainsaw for a job that needs a scalpel, it just shreds the hair shaft. I always tell clients it's a tool that needs very specific training to use right on textures like ours.

lane.joel1mo ago

Yeah, patkelly's chainsaw comparison is spot on lol. I used to think a razor was just another tool, but seeing how it frays the ends on curly hair changed my mind. It doesn't make a clean cut like shears, so it just invites frizz and ruins the shape as it grows.

ray_carr2d ago

Read an article where a stylist said razors basically split the hair like a frayed rope... that visual stuck with me. @patkelly is right about the training, but even then it seems risky on curls. My cousin's stylist used one and her ends looked chewed up for months.