At this stage of the game, it was time to comb out the towel-dried hair and smooth it again into
a mostly straight configuration before neutralizing. The neutralizer was applied carefully and combed though the hair until the entire
head was saturated, then the hair was allowed to neutralize for 5 minutes before the final rinse.
The final rinse was, as the previous rinse was, done while keeping the hair as straight as
possible. The hair was smoothed out carefully afterward before being wrapped in a clean towel and blotted dry.
Finishing Up:
To finish Brittany’s new look, I took the now “straighter” hair and cleaned up the fringe area into
the curved bangs that Brittany wanted. I then used the middle-length of the fringe area and elevated it to 180-degrees and used it as
a guide for the shag-style layering, which she also asked for.
The crown and top of the head, following the parietal ridge, was elevated to the 180-degree angle,
while the sides and back were elevated to 90-degrees and cut into layers using a traveling guide and moving horizontally around the
perimeter of the head.
While the straightening service did make Brittany’s hair significantly straighter, I had warned
her that it would not make it stick straight. There are chemical services that can give her stick straight hair (or very nearly) but
they are much more time consumptive and much more expensive. But in order to get her hair completely smooth, she will need to use a
flat iron. The straightening will mean that the hair can be ironed more quickly to make it smooth.
The benefit of this cut is that it is versatile. Brittany can use the flat iron when she wants to
make the hair smooth, but she can also simply apply product to her damp hair and shake it out with her fingers for a tousled look.
Brittany was thrilled with the finished look. (We flat ironed the hair to smoothness, since she
wanted it fully straight at least to start.) Since there was a dramatic change in her look, I assured her that all she needed to do
was call me and I would come and “tweak” the cut in any way she wished. I often find that a client who makes a dramatic change, may
ask for minor adjustments later as they get used to the changes and see slight differences that they didn’t quite know they wanted.
I try never to impose my preferences on a client and to have a clear idea what they are asking
for. Personally I would like to see Brittany go with more layering in the back (and a shorter length) while adding more layering around
the face. I do think that after a few days I’m going to suggest that we get together and she allow me to do some more texturing of her
hair. With some point cutting, I think she can get more of the choppiness she is looking for.
