Hair Cutting Direction

Female African hair stylist — Photo: Rudo Film/Shutterstock

Q: What's the healthiest direction to cut hair? I've seen stylists cut into the hair (with the scissors vertical) because they said it was better for the hair.

I always just cut straight across in a horizontal line. Does the direction and angle matter to the growth and health of your hair?

A: Actually, the direction and angle of the cutting of the hair matters only in dealing with the desired texture and layering of the finished style. In some cases, people use special texturing techniques to remove damaged ends from the hair without removing overall length.

But generally speaking, you cut the hair using specific techniques in order to create specific layering or texture in the hair, not because cutting the hair using one technique or another is better for the hair.

That being said, certain texturing techniques and cutting styles can make various textures of hair more manageable and healthier looking, so in that sense, the way the hair is cut does need to be considered. This is dependent on the hair type and shouldn't be considered a general rule.

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See also: How to cut hair