“For the last 10 years, my hair style has been average short back and sides, cut by random barbers when I get the chance. With lock down, I took the opportunity to see what I had to play with. It grew long, messy and in layered blocks. After a few months all I could do was slick it back.” - Matt.
What if Matt could channel his inner David Cassidy for something more flowing and fulsome? Most barbers nowadays are only trained in very short hair, less than an inch long all over or with clippers. But for men that want to wear their hair a little, or even a lot longer, they need someone skilled in layering, and that is becoming very difficult to find.
Brutally short haircuts on men were popularised by footballers in the 1990s. They took the skinhead cut of the 1970s and with their wealth and fame gave the look a bit more class.
The cheaper copies looked too close to convict haircuts for my liking but they evolved over the years from hardcore ‘Clippered 0’ or ‘Number 1s’ to short back and sides. The similar look that older post war teachers all thought we should have. Reminiscing over their military life, they couldn’t understand the liberalisation of the 60s and 70s and the seeming ‘lack of backbone’ longer-haired ‘hippies’ had. “Oi, get your ‘aircut” was a common expression. They would have been delighted to see fashions return to army haircuts, faded up the back and not much left elsewhere.
But lockdown has turbo-charged many societal changes, including a shift away from severe short hair for men. Fortunately, Matt has great hair. Thick, strong and supple.
This is what we didStage 1 – I sculpted a shape using our signature Diamond Dry Cut™. This is the only method that allows precise balancing of the hair in a natural organic way. No length was cut from the bottom or from the shortest hairs on top. But everything was rebalanced and refined. Stage 1 gave a 1000% improvement but I like to refine more, so that the haircut is effortless and stable for as long as possible.
No-one wants to faff around and struggle with their hair unnecessarily. A great haircut is essential in giving you the confidence to forget about your hair. We believe in maintaining great looking hair. Not fixing a shape that’s fallen apart by the next visit.
Stage 2 - With Matt’s thick hair I also wanted to taper the ends a little to balance the weight and encourage the layers to fold easily into a feathered effect.
Now the different lengths and weight densities of the hair across the head were in harmony. This meant easy-care hair that stayed looking good even past its sell by date.
If you have any texture in your hair and want a shape that works, you have to have precisely connected layers. This is what our unique Diamond Dry Cut™ method gives. With the haircut now corrected it can simply be dried with a towel and hands.
“Michael supported me with my desire to keep the length, but he shaped and blended the mess into a very stylish and manageable shape. I can now wash and almost leave natural as the way the hair falls, it styles itself.” – Matt Oakley
For Matt’s hair we used LifeSaver Prewash Treatment to rehydrate, then Cashmere Protein Volumising Shampoo and Conditioner. A little Thicker Quicker to give grip and hold to the floppy front, then finally a little Ten Second Transformation to feed and smooth the hair giving a little shine and texture too.
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Email: reception@vanclarke.com
Michael Van Clarke
How many Bobs have you got?
These quick clunky haircuts are becoming prolific as hairdressers become less and less able to layer hair properly. Emily had the very common 3-step Bob. The baseline, a step four inches off the bottom, and a sort of torn irregular piece suggestive of a long
