“Razors are really fun to work with, they allow stylists to create beautiful shapes and textures that are extremely difficult to replicate with shears,” explains Andrew Carruthers, Education Director for Sam Villa.
The issue is, many guests have had an unfavorable razor cut experience, most likely from the razor pulling hair or the end result looking and feeling rough and/or split. And, many stylists are uncomfortable using a razor because they don’t understand enough about how to adjust the angle when cutting to produce a nice clean edge.
The truth is, stylists can learn the golden angle of razor cutting in just a couple of minutes. This is the AHA moment that will instill confidence when cutting with a razor and the result will consistently be more of a blunt look and feel to the ends of the hair that will convince guests of the beauty only a razor can create. Yes, both stylists and guests will come to love the razor!
When using a razor, the angle must be adjusted to cut cleanly and bluntly, versus raking the blade over the cuticle and creating a frayed weak hair strand and end.
1. Perpendicular or Right Angle - Blade shreds the cuticle layer and creates a fuzzy frayed effect.
2. Flat – Blade struggles to cut the hair, and when it does it creates a very thin fragile edge that resembles a split end.
3. 45 degree Angle: The Golden Angle – Blade cuts easily and cleanly leaving a blunt end, minimizing stress to the cuticle and delivering a soft blended smooth effect surface.
“The Sam Villa Signature Series Razor has a swivel handle so you don’t have to change your wrist angle, just rotate the blade slightly to be at the perfect angle to remove hair,” explains Carruthers.
Andrew Carruthers’ career as a hairdresser has been extremely diverse. Fueled by over 17 years of full time work in a salon, his experience also includes salon ownership, photographic work, as well as personal and professional coaching. As an educator, Andrew has worked for many national cosmetology brands and is currently the Education Director for Sam Villa®, a brand that provides a wide variety of both online and live education. From small hands-on classes to large stages, his love for supporting others personal growth and sharing his discoveries has been a passion since the early days of his career. Primarily focusing on women’s and men’s haircutting and finishing, his approach to education is all about connecting with the everyday hairdresser and offering them the tools necessary to build a fulfilling and long-lasting career. "I'm not trying to impress the top 5% with what I do, I’m thinking about how I can serve the 95% of our industry that works at XYZ Beauty Salon to make every day stronger in their career.”
