A: Slide cutting is a technique of texturing the hair and removing bulk by sliding your shears – held slightly open – along the length of the hair. The technique is also referred to as “slithering”. Using a varying
amount of pressure, you can remove more or less hair and create a smoother finish than many texturing (bulk-removing) techniques. The result is akin to razor-cutting.
It’s important to remember that you need to use a gentle touch with this method and practice on a manikin before attempting on a live client. You have to hold your fingers steady, since
accidentally flexing during the process could result in clipping out a chunk of hair unintentionally.
Slide cutting is especially useful on long, coarse, straight-to-wavy hair to remove bulk. It’s not as good with curly hair types, since the bends in the curly hair can result in
unintentional “gapping” and the finished look can sometimes appear “frizzy”.
