The Observer (2022-01-09)

The Observer

News 09.01.22 23

Are you brave enough

to let instinct guide

the stylist’s scissors?

Hair trends in 2021 ranged from
the “shallet” – a shaggy mullet pre-
ferred by Miley Cyrus and Rihanna

• to the buzzcut, as seen on Iris Law
  and Adwoa Aboah. But this year it’s
  a technique, rather than a style, that
  is increasingly likely to be requested
  at salons. The phrase you’ll need to
  know is: “instinctive cutting”.
  This technique is not for the faint-
  hearted. It involves a hairdresser cut-
  ting freehand, based on their thoughts
  on a client’s face shape, hair type and
  product routine. This differs from the
  typical “picture” fi rst approach, where
  a client shows an image of a celeb-
  rity with a haircut they want. With
  instinctive cutting, the goal is a hair-
  cut as unique as its wearer.

George Northwood , whose clients

include Alicia Vikader, Rachel Weisz

and the Duchess of Sussex, practises

instinctive cutting. The result, he says,

is that “the client will emerge from the

chair with hair that works specifi cally

for them; rather than with a repro-

duction of something which doesn’t

look or feel right”.

Jacqueline Kilikita, the senior

beauty editor at Refi nery29 feminist

website, recently wrote about the

trend , saying she had fi rst encoun-

tered the phrase on the websites of

fashionable hairdressers such as

Northwood, Adam Reed and Hare

& Bone. She experienced the tech-

nique herself at The Hair Bros. “They

chopped inches off of my lengths,

layering and razoring as they went,”

she says. “The result was a cut that

complemented me perfectly and I

love it. I haven’t straightened my hair

since because the cut allows me to

embrace my natural waves.”

Kilikita says the growing popular-

ity of such a technique can be seen as

part of the wider impact of the pan-

demic on self-image. “We want low-

maintenance hair that’s going to look

effortless in real life and on Zoom,”

she says. “For many, being isolated

has allowed us to be our most authen-

tic selves, and instinctive cutting is all

about embracing individuality.”

Northwood says more clients

are becoming aware of the tech-

nique, which tallies with other

trends: “Now that personalisation

is more commonplace, everyone

seems to have higher expectations.

Bespoke styling responds to the

needs of the individual and rarely

disappoints.”

A good relationship

between client and

hairdresser is essen-

tial. “More successful

hairdressers will have an immedi-

ate instinct for what will work best

for their client,” says Northwood.

“Without this, the outcome can be

safe or at worst, unsuitable.”

Showing pictures can still be useful.

“Bring pictures of haircuts you love so

that the stylist can get a feel for your

aesthetic,” says Kilikita. “While they

probably won’t refer to those images

during the cut, they’re likely to take

elements of the style – a fringe or lay-

ers – and make them unique to you.”

Northwood cautions: “Not all hair-

dressers are aware of what instinc-

tive cutting is, so I recommend that

you just ask your stylist to follow their

instinct. Be sure to offer a yardstick in

the form of images you like, to ensure

that both of you are in a similar terri-

tory beforehand.”

Tom Warr, the academy director at

London salon chain Blue Tit , doesn’t

use the term “instinctive cutting”, but

he encourages trainees to think on

their feet when presented with a pic-

ture: “If someone shows you a picture

of like a really sharp fringe, and you

notice they have a massive cow’s lick,

that’s something that you may want

to talk about with the client in terms

of their expectations.”

Warr uses images to give him an

idea of his client’s ideas. “I like to see

if I get their personality [so] there’ll be

a lot of icebreaker questions, trying

to get to know them,” he says. “You’re

weighing up their vibe. That can help

loads with the end result.”

Above left and

below: hairstyles

by Blue Tit salon,

which offers

the ‘instinctive

cutting’

technique; above

right, Rachel

Weisz in 2019.

Getty

In top salons the hot new

trend is ‘instinctive cutting’

for clients eager to embrace

a look u n ique to t hem

Lauren Cochrane

tic selves, and

about embra

Northwo

are becom

nique, wh

trends: “No

is more com

seems to hav

Bespoke st

needs of th

disappo

A

be

h

t

inctive

ue; above

achel

n 2019.