Transitioning Pixies to Longer Cuts

The last two seasons brought the famous pixie cut back; Jennifer Lawrence, Shailene Woodley, Jennifer Hudson, Christen Chenoweth, and so many more rocked it. But, as the seasons change, many guests will want to transition into a longer cut, and that means growing out their pixie. The most important thing you can do is advise them on the transition process, and that means making sure they keep coming to the salon. They should come in every 4-6 weeks so you can let the layers grow in and maintain the perimeter of the cut, so it doesn’t start to look tired and like an obvious “grow out” phase. You and the guest MUST be on the same page through the process. During a grow out phase, try scanning the perimeter to refresh the ends and keep the length. Take a section in your hand and hold it horizontally with the shear held perpendicularly, then cut an angle across perimeter to get a raw textured edge. This will make the growing transition more natural looking and the ends fresh.

Most guests probably liked their layers in the pixie and will want to keep them for mid to longer looks (the upside of giving someone a pixie, layers for life!).  Why?  Because layers add texture, character and movement, who wants to say good-bye to that?  You just need to hold their hands until the layers get long enough for you to work into another shape. Most will want a choppy bob, it’s a hot look right now, so utilize undercutting and under layers, tip them upside down to blend transitional layers and texture and make a style look new.

As with all cuts, a choppy bob should be a planned shape, taking facial structures and profiles into consideration, and it can be exciting to take your guest through several looks along the way. Most choppy bobs have a strong clean perimeter that can be styled sleek and polished or very organic with alluring texture. Most will opt for the sexy texture, here’s how to style a choppy bob with beautiful casual texture that highlights layers and movement.

·      Shake Redken Pillow Proof Primer and spray evenly throughout damp hair and distribute with the wide end of the Sam Villa Wide Cutting Comb.

·      Spray about a golf ball size amount of Redken guts 10 into your palms and distribute with fingertips, approximately one inch away from the scalp to mid shaft.

·      Turn on your curling iron and set aside.

·      Using the Sam Villa Professional Ionic Blow Dryer with nozzle and Sam Villa Styling Brush, dry the hair completely, smoothing hair from scalp to ends.  (No need for a directional blow dry as you will be using the curling iron to finish the look.)

·      Once dry, section the hair.

o   Occipital to nape

o   Sides

o   Crown

o   Front

·      The size of the section will determine how loose or strong the curl will be – the larger the section the looser the curl/wave.

·      Spray Redken iron shape 10 at least six inches away from your parting and comb through with the fine end teeth of the Sam Villa Wide Cutting Comb.

·      Begin in the nape with your curling iron and spiral wrap each parting leaving two inches of hair out of the iron at the ends throughout the entire head.

·      Once the entire head is curled, use fingers to rake through the hair for a disheveled, natural looking texture.

Don’t let the end of the pixie affect your business growth, sail through with a plan for a choppy bob!

Aspire for MORE!

-Sam Villa

[Image: Dr. Billy Ingram/Getty Images]