This Hair-Styling Technique Changed My Entire Face

A few weeks ago, I didn't get my hair cut—I got it carved. Kristen Shaw is leading the "hair carving" movement from her studio, Shop Cabin, in Los Angeles, and her frequent visits to New York's Suite 303 Salon, where she hunkers down and takes clients as a visiting stylist. Hair carving a special way of cutting hair that minimizes the need for product, allows for the hair to dry naturally with distinct shape and texture, and helps hair grow into a style that gets better, not worse, with time and length. She's also largely responsible for many of the modern-'70s-style locks in the wellness world at present—Amanda Chantal Bacon of Moon Juice and Paula Mallis of WMN Space are featured on her Instagram. She's graced the locks of Hilary Swank, Shailene Woodley, Olivia Munn, and many more.

I'd gotten a trim from Shaw several months prior to seeing her this past October, where we established that special stylist-client bond of trust. It's an important ingredient in a hair transformation. I'd been going through some scary health issues and big life transitions (new way of working, new diet, new lifestyle all together) and I wanted a big change to mark the end of an era. And, quite frankly, I needed to feel uplifted! I saved some inspiration photos that I showed Shaw before the appointment, and she got to work.

As it turns out, hair carving is quite technical. Shaw first learned the technique when she apprenticed with Suite 303 Salon in the Chelsea Hotel back in 2007. "I learned to look at hair and see where weight gathers in different areas of the head and use the corner of a beard trimmer to gently carve into the hair to create the kind of texture and weight that is right for the hair and desired style," Shaw told mindbodygreen.

Shaw cut my hair in three different stages. First, she lopped off all the extra dead length I was ready to release—that was probably 6 inches. She continued to snip dry for a while, and then we did a heavenly shampoo and scalp treatment, because I'm never not tending to my scalp. She spent the majority of time cutting while it was wet and blow drying. (Side note: Shaw gives one of the best and longest-lasting blowouts I've ever experienced. No matter how hard I try or how much she teaches me, I can never achieve the same balance of hold and movement she somehow consistently nails every time.) Finally, she had me stand up as she continued to cut what looked like large swathes of hair from my head. "All carving is done dry so I can see and feel the hair density and see how the hair responds to each snip. This gives the most accurate, beautiful haircut that will stand the test of time as your client leaves the salon," Shaw said. 

"We are often taught to look at length to establish a haircut, but I believe more stylists would get it right if they decided to build their haircut from the inside out," Shaw said. That means taking a look (and feel) for the client's head shape, how the hair moves, and looking and the hairline to determine how the hair grows and how best to cut it.