The same piece of hair can act totally different when it’s in your fingers. If the tension is not even, the line will look even when it’s wet, but when it’s dry it will be skewered. You’ll find that as a student, some of your hair pops up or hangs longer than you intended, and this is because of uneven tension. Once you master this subtle pressure, cutting hair will not be a guessing game. Practice the following exercise:
Grasp a small section of damp hair and comb it straight down. Place your index and middle fingers in the section of hair. Observe how the length of the hair changes when you pull it. If you pull the hair too tight, it will be too short when it hangs dry. If you don’t hold it tight enough, it will collapse between your fingers. Practice applying pressure for a few minutes while observing the hair. This will help you develop a feel in your fingers, and this is more important than practicing the cut right away.
One of the most common mistakes students make is allowing the comb to move more slowly than their fingers. They comb the hair down to the length they want, but their fingers rush to close in the section before it can settle. Some of the hair will still be elevated while the rest hangs down. This will cause an uneven line. To correct this, wait a second after you have combed the hair before closing your fingers into it. This will give the hair time to settle before you cut it. Once you have the section of hair in your fingers, apply steady pressure from the roots to the ends so that you don’t lose control of the ends of the hair. Practice the following exercise to master controlling the tension of the hair.
Set aside fifteen minutes to practice controlling tension. Isolate a vertical section in the back of your mannequin head. (To isolate a section, simply clip the top portion of the hair away from the bottom portion.) Now, slowly comb down the section of hair. Then place your fingers in it, pull it out and repeat this a few times before you cut it. As you’re doing this, notice if the same hairs are lining up in your fingers every time. After doing this a few times on a couple of sections, go ahead and cut just the ends of the hair to test for evenness. If your tension is even, your line should be smooth and even without any of the hair sticking out past your guide.
As you get a feel for the hair in your fingers, you will be much more comfortable while you’re cutting. Your scissors will follow a more steady guide because the hair will be steady in your fingers. Your lines will look more distinct. As you get more comfortable with tension, it will become second nature, and you’ll be able to focus more on the cut and less on trying to fix your line after you’ve made it.