Q: What is cutting up, down, in and out, freehand, and channel cutting?
A: These are terms generally used in texturizing techniques for a stylist. “Cutting up”, “cutting down”, “cutting in”, and “cutting
out” simply refer to the direction of the shears while the hair is being cut. The “up” and “down” are self-explanatory, and the “in”
and “out” refer to whether the shears are pointed toward or away from the scalp.
Freehand refers to the technique of snipping locks of hair without using fingers or a comb to
isolate or direct them, while channel cutting (also sometimes called sliding) is using the shears (pointed along the length of the
hair) to trim away small amounts of the hair and create very steep smooth layering. The effect is similar to razor cutting but is
more targetted and results in a more textured look.
