8 Snip Tips From Carmine Minardi

At Minardi Salon in New York City, client expectations are high, so standards for staff are even higher.  Co-owner Carmine Minardi keeps a close watch on everything that goes on when it comes to cutting, styling and texturizing, and as a result, New Yorkers walk out the front door sporting some of the best looking locks in town.  At the recent Minardi Beauty Focus event, Carmine shared a number of his favorite cutting tips. 

1. Texturize Everything.  Keep hair lively, says Carmine, by creating lots of texture like double design lines and shorter layers under longer pieces.  (The latter is a particular favorite when he is creating fringes.)  Piece-y movement makes all the difference between hair that moves and hair that simply sits there.  “If you have a solid exterior line,” he says, “create some interior irregularity.  It gives the cut movement.”

2. Border Lines.  You can also texturize perimeters, he says, with deep, chunky notches.  “This technique makes fine hair feel thicker and look like it’s full of body,” he notes.  He’ll also use this notching technique throughout the top sections of long hair so that cuts remain buoyant.  

3. Don’t Fear the Razor.  But respect it, Carmine advises.  The tool is perfect to break up the heaviness of medium-to-coarse textures, but, he says, skip it if your client has curly hair.  “When cutting with a razor,” he advises, “don’t push too hard—you’ll slice open your fingers!  Instead, glide it over the top of the section.  Stay away from the root—concentrate razor cutting on the last two-thirds of strands.  (Same goes for thinning shears.) And it’s always a good idea to work with a guard.”  One more tip—when he pops in a new blade, he’ll “strop” it on a towel first to dull it just a bit.  Otherwise, he notes, it might be too sharp.  “That’s why,” he laughs, “I have so many holes in my towels!”

4. Curly Cues.  Razors aren’t the best choice for curly textures, believes Carmine, because when the cut begins to grow out, the texture explodes.  He also thinks they produce too much frizz on this hair type.  A better approach is to lift sections of curls, place your scissors vertically and cut deep, irregular, interior lengths.  This removes weight and encourages a pleasing curl formation.

5. Fringe Benefits.  Here’s a trick for creating fringe sections.  Place your comb flat, on top of the head.  The fringe section is everything underneath that isn’t actually touching the comb.  And, to create those sexy, side-swept bangs, pull the fringe section to the side and create the shape by cutting several c-shaped sections.

6. Once is Not Enough.  Minardi always cuts hair twice—the first time when it’s wet and again when it’s dry.  Dry cutting, he believes, is the only way to touch up cowlicks, crazy hair lines, etc. and it’s the best way to texturize.

7. Use Lulls to Your Advantage.  Admittedly, many stylists are not as busy as they once were, thanks to the current economy.  Rather than focusing on the lemons of a slowdown, says Carmine, he uses it to make creative lemonade.  “I tell my staff, ‘let’s not look at the negative,’” he asserts.  “’How do we make this a best case scenario?’”  For him, for example, it’s an opportunity to focus on the clients in his chair with fresh eyes.  “I’m doing 40 minute cuts now instead of 15 or 30 minute cuts,” he reveals.  “I’m slowing down, booking more carefully, spending more time with clients and they appreciate it.  We’re rethinking each style and coming up with new looks.  So while it’s a bad time economically, it’s a great time creatively!”

8. Take Notes.  Good colorists keep careful records on formula and placement, and Carmine believes that record-keeping is also a trait of great cutters.  “I keep files on every haircut on the computer,” he reveals.  “It helps me remember what I’ve done, and what the client does and doesn’t like.”  He also believes that turning this note-taking task over to an assistant is great training.  “It helps them start to learn how you’re thinking,” he points out.  “And I believe you can’t be a great hairdresser if you haven’t been a great assistant!”

For more information please visit www.minardinyc.com

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