Cutting with Chris and Sam at the Redken Exchange

Compression, disconnection, horseshoes, triangles and diamonds – what are we talking about here, anyway?

Chris Baran and I are talking about cutting disheveled and shag-a-licious shags.   We’re talking about disengaging the mindset and applying disconnection to create looks with a sense of looseness.

We’re talking about combining the ’60, ‘70’s and ‘80’s shaggy looks and bringing it all into the “NOW”.  Forget about precision, forget about connecting and let your fingers do the walking into a fresh new feel for today’s hottest look – the modern shag!

What’s cool about the modern shag is that it has “double identity” – it can be worn down and loose or pull it back from behind the ears for the illusion of short and sexy.  We are also “modernizing” volume by using diamond, triangle and horseshoe sections that result in frothy volume.  And we are using products such as Redken’s Wool Shake from their Style Connection line.  We like to refer to Wool Shake as a “curling iron in a bottle” as it brings out any bend or natural curl the hair may have with a matte “wool-like” finish.

In addition to teaching new techniques in this two-day class Chris and I also incorporate scenarios that may take place in the salon and how to approach them.  We love this part of our class – it’s where we drive home the fact that “mistakes are ok”…

Chris and I ask two for volunteers to cut one random piece from two mannequins while we step out of the room.  We came back to cut the mannequins and work around the “mistake” to demonstrate how to work with a mistake you might make in the salon or a mistake that may have been made by the client them selves– very very cool stuff to take back to their salons.

Important to remember:

• Don’t get caught up in the mistake – Stay out of the fear mode – look at the other possibilities and make something out of it!   If you see something you don’t like about a shape, change it – make it your own!

• Never ever let your clients see you sweat over something you may think is “wrong”.  We must take the time to learn the discipline to be cool and calm and be in control at all times.

I have the distinct honor and pleasure of working with Chris Baran at The Redken Exchange about four times a year and I am extremely grateful for the knowledge I gain from Chris and the students – there is so much to experience, I will never stop learning!

For information on classes at The Redken Exchange please call 800-545-8157.

To learn more about Sam Villa’s Signature Shears, click here.