How to Achieve Out-turned Ends

Q: Can you explain how to cut hair to achieve a flick up at the sides and bottom?

A: Most hairstyles that feature out-turned ends are layered. These layers have been textured. Usually, this is to sufficiently thin the ends of the hair in order to create "points". In some cases this is also referred to as feathering and similar techniques are employed to achieve both looks.

To create a basic flicked-out style start with your regular layered haircut. This can be any length you desire. However, be sure to take the length of the overall style into account as you plan your texture stage. As always balance and proportion are the keywords by which to operate.

As you prepare to texture the hair for the style, you want it is important to remember a few lay points: One: be careful to keep an eye on the evenness of your cuts. Texturing one side more than the other can result in an awkward work in the finished hairstyle. Two: try to separate the scalp into a grid (at least mentally). This will enable you to decide what size of slices to use when texturing the hair. Hold your hair in vertical slices and cut inward at the ends of the hair in a technique called point cutting.

Once properly textured, styling can be achieved through a few different means, chief among them are the traditional roller wet set, using rollers of sufficient size that the hair will wind around the roller only one and one-half times. When the curls set, they can be manipulated using a round brush to flip the ends outward. The finished style can be tweaked using pomade to fine tune the hair ends into points.

Hair with out-turned ends — Photo: Olga Ekaterincheva/Shutterstock

Other styling options include the use of a large barrel curling iron to create the outward bend desired in the hair (or hot rollers). Enhance these tools with pomade and hairspray to add structure and hold.

Depending on the specific nature of the cut and your skill with a round brush and blow-dryer, you can learn to create the desired bend without extra styling tools. For this, one of the most needed items is a hair dryer with a "cool shot" feature (a button allowing the conversion of the warm air flow to cool air) which will allow you to set the hair as it lays around the brush.

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