There are many myths about the razor that I would like to dispel in this article.  Some of the types of comments I hear are "razors split the hair", "razors make my hair frizzy", and "I had a razor cut and it hurt."  Let's take the first two comments. Many times, people think that razors split the hair and make it frizzy. But typically, the real cause is when the stylist is using an old blade. I use a straight razor without a guard, and load a fresh Plier blade for every hair cut. Sometimes I have to use  two blades, depending upon the texture and cut I am doing.  Not using a guard give me a direct surface from blade to hair. I can get an edge that is as clean to the eye as if I used shears where there is nothing in between the hair and blade, like a guard.  Note: using a razor vs shears does give a different edge, but it should never be frizzy or split the hair.

The feather razor, with a guard, is dynamically different than a straight razor in balance and the way it is held. More tension is required when holding the section of hair, keeping the hair more taut, since the cutting surface of the razor is compromised by the guard. 

Many people are fearful of the straight razor because they are afraid they will cut themselves without a guard.  Another fear is that the blade is too sharp, so they keep the blade in for 3 to 4 hair cuts before changing the blade.  This causes the pulling, frizzing and tearing of the hair, and causes discomfort to the guest we are working on.

It's ironic that we are so particular about how sharp our shears are, and we usually cut ourselves from time to time with them, but still don't give it any mind. Yet the minute we think about using a straight razor, we cringe in fear of cutting ourselves.  Like shears, there is a proper way in holding and cutting with the straight razor that will reduce the likelihood of injury.  If we practice the proper techniques, we find that the fear goes away and we become as comfortable with a straight razor as we are with our shears.

Many of us use the razor for texturizing not thinking about our body positon, finger angle, and elevation. These are all just as important in using the razor as they are when using shears.  And there is no secret deviation from the same techniques with shears. Expanding our knowledge and leaving our fears behind are two key principals to get the most out of the razor and in becoming a master of the razor.

The razor I use is the Feather Plier straight razor. I use Plier blades, because in my opinion, these are the sharpest and strongest blades that are made.  We all want the best shears and the best razor we can get in order to create guest comfort and outstanding shapes.  I teach the class All About Razors at the Redken Exchange in New YorK City on April 21st through the 23rd of 2008 with Teresa Mockler from San Francisco and Sam Villa as our special guest.  I will also be posting some razor techniques via web cam on my web site soon.