 Hey everybody, Tom Harris with Matt Beck and FreeSelonEducation.com. I'm here today to do a great new haircut for you guys, a little bit about myself real fast. I've been a hairdresser for 39 years and loved doing hair from the very start. Here we are today. I'm an educator with John Paul Mitchell Systems and the art director for Panico Salons New Jersey. A lot of what's been going on behind the chair that I've been really paying attention to is what clients are looking for that's a little bit new and nothing is really that new but it's new if you're approaching a makeover or a change the way we're going to do it today. What I've been hearing a lot of is people are going shorter that have longer hair and there's been enough stars out there that have cut their hair off and the good thing about that is it gives us a nice creative way to show people that they could change their hairstyle and length and try something different. Where I'm going to go today is that mid length cut and I'm not really sure exactly the length we're going to end up with but we'll see it as the technique goes through. But this is a shape that's super versatile. It's going to have the ability to be worn in multiple different ways. I think you're going to really enjoy the technique a lot. So let's begin our haircut. So guys, here's how we started the haircut. We took a section from the parietal ridge and took a rounded horseshoe shaped section around the top and what I'm going to be doing is choosing my length through the interior layers. So depending on how long or short you wanted to create this haircut, the first section will be the most important. So I'm going to take, I'll show you, I'm going to take a vertical section here, straight down the middle of the back to the nape area. Okay, so we took our first section, sectioned off the top around the parietal ridge in a rounded shape here and then I took a middle section, a vertical section down the back into the nape area. So presently what I'm going to do is what you want to do is you want to, we talked earlier about this haircut being either it can be very soft and kind of almost a shaggy type feeling or at the end of the haircut we can make this extreme and strong. So depending on where we want to finish the haircut, that's how we'll wait till the end for that. But your first section will determine how long or short your length will be here. So you can see that this length here being combed out, that will be your underneath length. So depending on how long or short I take this, that's how that length will be determined. So we're going to take a vertical section out at 90 and I'm looking at about 7 inches long. So I'll take as much as my hands can handle and start with my first length. I'm going to cut straight up and then include the nape area. So this also gets combed straight out and cut square. So you want to look at that and kind of see what it's doing. You're releasing the weight on the interior and you can see your length is really soft. So anytime you're out from the head and then you release that hair, when you're cutting it first out from the head and release after the cut is done, you're going to leave a very soft edge. So all I'm going to do right now is rotate or pivot to my right using that first initial guide and taking two to one. Straight out, straight out on the bottom and just looking at that shape starting to happen. Okay three to two. Very simple technique and depending on how creative you want to get with it, with length. Like I said, this is a length that isn't short, isn't long. It's that perfect medium length haircut that I feel right now a lot of women are willing to go after. They're willing to take some hair away and still keep some at the same time. So again we're going to keep going forward working my way. Right now I'm right by the mastoid process bone that's directly in back of the ear. I like to keep the sections pretty controlled. So let's comb everything out of the way and make sure you really can see exactly the section that you're working on. Comb it out at 90, there's my length, this is all being combed out at 90 and my length on the bottom is controlling the length of the haircut. So now we're going to come presently by the ear and what you want to do is you want to continue keeping this initial guide that you started from the back working it directly into the front. If I had very fine hair and I was concerned about how much weight you'd be taking away in the front I might over direct the hair backward a little bit more but presently my model has enough hair for me to continue working with this pattern. So to preserve length and make it stronger I'd come further back but in this case I'm going to come straight out not at the front section but almost continuing the same pattern of layering. So straight out and then my last section where the front length is I'm going to take this back and not cut straight out from the parting but over direct back just a bit to the previous section to maintain a little bit more length. Okay so in examining the shape right now the great thing about what happens here is this movement really is soft. We can choose at the end what we want to do with this length whether we want to keep it this length or we want to go up a little bit shorter so I just want to continue working that exact pattern onto the opposite side right now. So I'm coming back to the center and looking at this length now I'm working my way to the left okay so as you work your way to the left body position is always super important anytime you're working doing a haircut. So presently everything was coming out from the head and I was cutting upward. Now at this point I'm going to still pull the hair out at 90 but I'm going to push it away from me so that I don't pull it towards me and cut a little bit too much into the hair. So it's still going to come out from the head but as I move my way to the left side I'll be kind of pushing that away from me opposed to pulling it straight out. So this is really going to come same pattern coming straight out 90 degrees and just removing that length. You know when I'm working I'm always wondering what the texture of the hair that you're working with is going to produce as you're choosing these lengths and working with the exactness of the texture that you're working on. So it's never a rush you want to see exactly what the hair is doing. The best thing to do is to take sections that you can truly see how you're developing the shape and you always want to be able to see exactly the length that you're cutting to. So again straight out right down to the bottom at the nape area length straight out. You're cutting a square a square layer okay so I'm moving my way towards the front and behind the left side of the head at this present time in your last section you want to push it away and keep it straight right in the center of that section. Behind the ear presently at the mastoid process area keep yourself organized keep your sections clean comb that out at 90 you want to just check yourself check that the head is straight out straight up in the position. The best thing about this right now is that what I'm seeing is that clients are really looking for a multitude of different shapes and we're doing a lot of geometric shapes that are very strong and then there's that whole marketplace of people that really don't want geometric shapes they want to stay soft and moving and very easy to style. So I think that this is a nice combination you know you're gonna we don't know exactly the the finished product here yet so the good thing is as this moves along we can decide at the end where we want this shape to stay and what type of shape you want to finish it with okay last section in the front again remember what we did on the opposite side so we're going to over direct this here back and do that last final section okay so let's look at this before we go further and the nice thing is right now is that you've got hair that's moving and I like to really let it you know look at it I've got a bit of nice bit of wave happening in this hair and that's releasing the way from the interior okay so we're going to release the top now and drop this down I checked all the way through and your length is you know it was really consistent all the way through just keeping good tension and good elevation keeping your fingers really in place and really pushing that hair out and keeping yourself knowledgeable about where you are on the head and and then checking through to check your lengths it really is a very easy technique to start this haircut out so now I'm going to drop the top down and let's talk about where this hair is going to fall so you can now see that the top length has dropped down over that undercut and depending on where she's going to part her hair will be where we'll work we could work we could work off of a center part I'm going to be a little bit different and work off of a side direction so I'm going to take a parting off of the left side working from approximately mid eyebrow talk a little bit about face framing through an interior layer because a lot of times you'll create your face frame and then layer within I'm not sure I'm very sure but I'm not exactly sure where I want this to fall I like length I think it would be nice to keep some soft length and at the same time I want to open up the face a little bit so using the the side direction this part ranging from the mid eyebrow to the top of the crown I'm going to take a section from the crown forward in a pie shaped section okay so as you can see I'm working off this side direction side parting my set my parting is ranging it's a pie shaped section from the crown everything is going to pivot off of this length that I choose so I'm going to over I'm going to lift this hair up directly off the top of the head and choose my length to have the interior move the underneath is already released it's got a very moving type of feeling it's it's lighter and it's not heavy it also collapses the underneath so the shape won't get wide on the bottom it's going to be a little bit more narrow the good thing about that is it really is a flexible shape you'll have a lot of movement in the hair and we'll decide at the end how long or short we want to leave it so now for the interior I'm going to take this section and I'm going to over direct it forward using my crown length as my did my deciding factor on how short or long to make this I could be very long or I can make some more movement on the interior and go a little bit shorter which is what I'm going to do so it's approximately about eight inches long here and I'm going to work from the length of the crown down into the front hair line so this all gets elevated out and I'm cutting straight down into the front hair line knowing the length that I that I lift up and cut into will be the length of the front of her hair so you can see that length right here now became the length for the face frame in the front the cool thing about this is that when it's cut up in the air and released down you're going to have a very soft effect it won't be heavy and won't be blunt so you're talking about this first section being the guide for the entire haircut so I'm just going to make sure it's good and work right down into the front okay my second section will utilize the first section that I just cut and I will come directly like I just did it's two sections that you're over directing forward like this okay so I'm still in the front area this is being combed straight up at 90 my fingers are moving down towards the front hairline and you can see the whole shape taking place in the front by what you're doing up in the air let's look at that really nice really soft okay so the pivot from here moves to the ear area and I'm going to take now I go from being a pie shape section to more of a vertical section and I'll turn this so you can see that so I'm going to over direct the hair up in the air at 90 again but not straight up 90 it's really more off the top of the head straight out from the head I don't want to lift straight up that would take too much hair away I want this to be more coming out from the head if you use your comb it'll tell you where to go and you're going to just cut straight down on that part combing directly in back using that same guide I'm pivoting around the head keeping the same momentum and the same length change so here I am up in the air and the cool thing about this is it doesn't have to blend exactly on to the bottom you can leave a little bit of a disconnection right around here because as you can see that's my underneath section from the first part of the haircut and now I'm just leaving a little bit of length over that I don't want it to be a perfect blend continuing on that same pattern now I'm at the back of the head so my section goes directly down into the back again I'll turn this so you can see it and this will be my last section in the back on this side so you're working from your lighter side first and then you're coming around to the heavier side so again up at 90 not straight up but more out from the head from where it's living and following that exact pattern from that first initial guide and as you can see I don't blend exactly down to that underneath layer I'm leaving an overhang with a little bit of length but when you look at this now and you see the movement there's not a start and a stop from what it did underneath to what I'm having way on top of that it's staying very soft at this point your body position truly does have to change so this next section in the back switches over to the opposite side and we still go back to the original guide which is at the crown so I'll take that section out pie shaped and I'm gonna I'm gonna layer the hair exactly the same using that length that the crown is my guide pulling that hair straight out at 90 until I run out of here okay working my way towards the front now I'm utilizing vertical sections in the shape of a pie coming straight off the crown finding that initial guide that we started with and just following it pulling the hair to me now you can see that instead of pushing it away it's all being pulled to me I'm gonna take pie shaped sections I'm right behind the mastoid process bone right now or in back of the ear guys always use that word mastoid process it is the the technical term for where that is it's always funny sounds like a funny name for that area of the head and we're stopping right over and on top of that guide I'm gonna be taking diagonal partings towards the front again keeping in mind that you really don't want to come straight up it's in the shape of the head leaving the top a little bit longer and moving my way down this comes straight out and that layer it's gonna lay right on top of the you're underneath undercut okay key point right here this is where we're working the front and because it's parted on the side I want to over direct this hair back to exactly where I'm at right now so I'm taking a diagonal parting utilizing the section before it and I'm gonna start over directing this hair back to that guide and the reason why I'm over directing it backward towards the ear is so that we can keep a little bit more length in the front so this hair will come straight back and we'll leave it a little bit longer into the front taking a vertical diagonal section and bringing it back to me so that we maintain a heavier front last section to over direct this back until you complete the front section separate this where it was parted and I'm gonna utilize this length and over direct my front hair to this length just to just to make a better connection in the front so I'll take a diagonal parting in the front with some of what I did on the side that initial shape and over direct it back to the opposite side of that parting and just cut that from longer from shorter to longer moving across the head I'll bring this hair over and just finish off that length just to make a nicer connection it's still gonna have lots of length in the front but the connection will be much better right to the corner of the eye last section for the front and making sure that everything on this side is connected to the length the shortest length on the left side of the head so my last part of this haircut now will be just changing the back length I'm going to part the hair down the center and I think guys we're all used to I think everybody's used to creating these strong shapes first going in and creating the front the length in the back and then putting layering in first I mean second so by choosing a concave length in the back I think that's going to add a little bit more interest to the haircut because the shortness in the center is going to push the length into the front we're going to over direct this section into the back and choose what would be the appropriate length now I knew it was in here that I didn't like I might go up a little shorter in the center to leave that corner a little heavier so I'm going to over direct this hair backward keeping it in my fingers cutting from shorter to longer okay so it's a nicer length shorter to longer and now what I'll do is I'll over direct the second side over directing it to the center and I'll cut from lower to higher let's check that length a little longer on the side I just cut which is much better than being too short voila okay so I'll bring another section down over directed back you want a little bit more less elevation at this point because you're creating a stronger shape on the bottom and I'll do this whole section just to make sure it's all there just to make sure okay opposite side using the center as your guide I'm going to work cutting in the front of my fingers which is so much easier to control the hair because that's where that's the strength of your fingers at that point utilizing the strength of your fingers will always give you more control as you create a shape last section into the corner over directing it to you and just strengthening up that bottom okay so this is the the finished blowout I really didn't get back in there and iron it I wanted to leave some body in it because this is a more of a fuller feeling right now and I didn't want to see it get flatter to her head although it would be awesome being a lot closer as well but we wanted to show a little bit more of a commercial softer blown out feel but the interior needs to be softened up so we're going to start by going to the back corner and I'm going to work diagonally I'm going to take a diagonal section and I'm going to be pulling the hair back to me and all we're looking to do is lighten up some of the stronger edges so I'm just going to point into that I'm going a little deeper and you'll find that that will also take some of the weight out all the way through so I'm coming in and I'm just removing a little bit more weight and that's the you know every haircut that you do after you're finished the ultimate finish is really looking at how it's falling I immediately knew that my top was going to be heavier than I wanted it so coming in and creating that softness with just a really soft point cut is really going to give you a great finish and the ability for you to just see how it falls a lot nicer I always like to lighten up a lot of my work after it's dry and you really want to see exactly the way it's falling and you want to stare at your work you really want to look at every angle and see exactly where that hair needs to be just touched up and softened up working my way right down to the front where I over directed this back I'll do the same want to come in and still over directed back but put that texture in and that softness you know that's where the client absolutely knows the difference when you're done and you're staring at her and you're really looking at the way the hair is falling in and putting that personal touch I find that the hairdressers today that are very attuned to not just getting a haircut finished and done and out the door but they're staring at what it's doing and they're seeing exactly where that hair might need to be either thickened up or softened up in order for it to have its best effect and for me right now I just I like lightening this up people are lightening up hair lots of different ways razors blending shears your own sheer I find that a lot of times just using your own sheer just to put your personal touch on I think the clients absolutely know the difference they they see the difference and they see the artistic ability of the hairdresser just by the way they handle themselves I think that my favorite thing about hairdressing is putting your personal stamp on all the work that you do and the best thing for me is just to study study the individual and really determine specifically by looking at them and seeing what their profile is what would be the best shape for them this shape I feel right now is going to be universal I think that so many people could very easily fit into this haircut and and it would be a commercial success it's not the you know it's not this you know it's it's not the it's a classic shape but the technique is just a little bit different because you're working from you're underneath and then you're choosing your length on top and you're not creating the outside shape first you're more going into it afterwards and you can finish this any way you'd like you know with you know I would definitely put some some smoothing oil on her hair and and if need be some some spray or some spray wax just give it a great finish so we're really we're good I mean we're really good I think that this is a a technique that you guys will definitely have a lot of fun with and the best thing for me is that we share our knowledge and freesaloneducation.com for sure is doing that and I'm very happy to be working with Mr. Matt Beck today on this finished look guys we'll see you soon enjoy was it me stepping on it I don't even think it was on it