The slicing hair technique or “slice cutting” is a technique to cut hair. It is meant to be fast, simple, and capable of adding layers and volume to one’s hair. It is ideal for individuals with thin or fine hair who still want some movement and body. Read on to learn more about the slicing technique.
Quick answer to ‘What Is The Slicing Technique’?
The slicing technique is achieved by breaking the hair into sections, raising these sections to be horizontal, and snipping at different lengths to achieve layers.
How to Slice Hair At Home
The hair slicing process is best achieved with wet hair if you have thicker hair and dry hair if your hair is on the finer side.
The technique can take some time, as the hair will get carefully divided into sections before each individual section is positioned and trimmed.
What You Will Need
Whether you’re doing this technique DIY or having a stylist perform it, the following supplies are necessary:
- A comb
- Barrettes or hair ties to keep sections separated
- A water spray bottle
- Hair cutting shears (preferably short-length)
Instructions
Once you or your hairdresser has all of the required supplies for this hair-cutting technique, the following steps will achieve sliced hair:
- Part the hair with a comb according to your preferred part style
- Use the comb to pull out and separate sections of hair (fewer sections for thin hair and more sections for thick hair)
- Make sure the sections are relatively even in terms of their size
- Secure the sections atop your head with barrettes or other hair fasteners to keep them out of the way
- Leave the bottom-most layers/sections hanging down so that you can cut them first
- One by one, take a section of hair out of its barrette or fastener and lift it up until it’s horizontal
- Hold the section of hair a few inches above the ends with a non-dominant hand, letting the ends dangle
- Place the hair shears around the hair section below your fingers, where you desire
- Snip as you flick up with your dominant wrist
- Clean up the trim so that the hairs aren’t choppy, then drop the section
- Continue this process, moving from the bottom sections up to the ones pinned to the top of the head
Benefits of Slicing Hair
There are a lot of benefits to getting this technique done, whether you have thick or thin hair:
Makes Hair Feel Lighter
One of the main reasons people do slicing is to take some weight off of their hair. Whether your hair is so thick that it gives you headaches or so thick that it makes you too hot in the summertime, slicing can help.
It removes a lot of hair without compromising volume or length.
Relatively Quick Technique
Slicing is pretty easy and quick for stylists to do. They just need to know how to section your hair and how long you want the layers to be.
It Reduces Split Ends
Because this hair cutting technique cuts off a few inches, depending on the section, it also gets rid of pesky split ends in the process. This restores the health of your hair and takes off dead weight.
It Improves Appearance and Thickness
Although your hair feels lighter after slicing, the technique actually makes the hair appear more thick and volumized.
Downsides to Slicing Hair
There are a few potential downsides to slicing, though, including:
- Can have a reverse effect on people with super fine hair
- Can mess up the quality of curly hair if not cut at the right angles
- The angles of the layers make certain hairdos look abnormal
- It may be harder to pull shorter layers into ponytails or other hairstyles
Slicing Tips
Keep these tips in mind when getting hair slicing done:
- Pull the hair sections into zig-zags or other shapes to get more unique texture and layering
- Don’t do this technique on yourself if you aren’t confident in measuring sections, parting hair, etc.
- Tell your hairstylist exactly what length you want the layers to be and how much texture you desire
Final Thoughts
Slicing is a popular hair-cutting technique that can easily be achieved by sectioning, angling, and cutting layers of hair according to the client’s desires.
Whether you have thick or average hair, you can get your hair sliced to add more volume, improve the appearance of thickness, and take off the excess weight that is troublesome in hot weather.
Although this hair cutting method doesn’t work well on certain hair textures and it doesn’t suit certain hairstyles, it’s a simple way to add some variety to your hair. Consider trying it out the next time you go to the hair salon.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Yes, it’s perfectly okay to layer thin/fine hair. The hair slicing technique can actually benefit thin hair by adding more volume and the appearance of thickness. But if you have extremely fine hair with little volume, slicing may not work well.
A “sliced bob” is a hairstyle that resembles the bob (above shoulder length) but uses hair slicing just at the ends to create the same length all around the head and a blunt chop. This makes the ends of the hair appear much thicker and voluminous.
Hair slicing is typically done to add more of an interesting look to a hairstyle. Rather than a blunt cut or flat and voluminous hairstyle, slicing lets you achieve a lightweight texture. It is especially helpful for people with ultra-thick hair so they don’t have to get rid of so much hair length.
Hair chipping is similar to hair slicing in that it is a kind of texturizing method. Chipping also removes weight and adds texture to hair, but it does so at different lift angles and by cutting the ends of hair into triangles.
References
- https://www.joewell.co.jp/eng/manual/slide-cut.html
- https://www.americansalon.com/videos-podcasts/how-to-layer-hair-a-slicing-technique
- https://leafscissors.com/en-us/blogs/news/how-to-do-slice-hair-cutting-technique
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