When you first go to beautician school to become a hairdresser, you’re bombarded with information about different hair styling and cutting techniques. One of the techniques you probably learned was palm-to-palm cutting. If you don’t use this technique frequently or are still in beautician school, you may not know much about it. Keep reading to learn what you should know about the palm-to-palm cutting technique so you know how to help your clients and protect your hands.
Palm-to-Palm Is Versatile
You can use the palm-to-palm cutting technique for almost any part of the head. Stylists use this technique when cutting hair at the front of the head, the sides, the top, the back, and the neck. While few haircuts and styles require this technique, the versatility will help you get through almost any haircut. You may have problems with this technique when cutting extremely thick, curly hair because those hair types can make it more difficult to see your fingers when cutting.
Palm-to-Palm Is Safe
Many hairstylists use this method, even when it’s not required, because it helps reduce strain on your joints. Handling the hair this way makes it easier to see and cut, reducing strain on your fingers, hands, wrists, arms, upper back, and neck. If you can sit down while cutting this way, or relax the rest of your body, then palm-to-palm can also help reduce strain on your lower back and legs.
You Can Use Any Scissors for Palm-to-Palm
The palm-to-palm cutting technique is about how you position your hands, not what tools you have in your scissor toolkit. You can use almost any pair of scissors for palm-to-palm cutting as long as they provide the right support and grip for your fingers. You will probably find it easy to palm-to-palm cut using scissors with 5.5 to 6.5-inch blades, since they’re not too heavy for most people to manage.
There’s a lot to learn about the palm-to-palm cutting technique. Knowing how to use this technique can make cutting your clients’ hair easier and protect your upper body. Practice makes perfect, so if you want to get better at this technique, practice when you can!