Changing Styles: Pushing Limits
for the Knowledge That Follows
By Dan Panuccio
In this article, the first of a series, I am discussing changes in styles and the affect it all has had on my career and by the by, did I say how much I miss cutting a beautiful bob.
My journey began 12 years ago when I left for hair school in Montreal, Quebec. I had been working in the salon for a while yet I knew I was missing something and would soon realize that I didn’t know much about hair at all and that I had a lot to learn. Back then it was all about straight hair – flat ironing everything was all the rage. I remember never finishing a style without taking the flat iron to it. Texturizing was big at the time as well. Lucky for me, my girlfriend then had long, thick, curly hair with lots of frizz and it would take me forever to blow dry her hair, but she was the best model to learn from and see where the hair falls, where the weight comes from and how to remove unnecessary bulk from a style.
My biggest “ah ha” moments came at the time I was cutting a beautiful ponytail or making it look blunt. To grow as a hairstylist you need to be able to change and adapt with the trends. These trends were fun but they didn’t allow for the creativity with shape that I was searching for until my personal favourite came on scene … the bob.
What can I say about the bob? Can I say that at first I really didn’t know what I was doing and should I say that aloud? Well, I said it. No shame here. For the longest time, I would cut a nice line but could not figure out where to put the layers. That’s why in this industry, admitting your faults, asking for help, and educating yourself is how you rise to the top and stay there in order to be the best hairstylist you can be. Everyone wanted this haircut and I kept changing and adapting to what I thought the outcome should be. I was fortunate enough to able to take a cutting course and BAM!, I was a hair genius again [haha]. I loved cutting the bob, and I still do, but I definitely didn’t expect what would come next… fast forward 5 years and we’ve arrived at long, luscious beach waves!
We’ve gone from straight with texture to short and precise, to billowing beach waves… you can see how as stylists we need to be willing to adapt our techniques to the changing styles. Styling was never my strongest skill – I could follow instructions well but for some reason I always felt like I was a step behind. I didn’t have long hair to practice on and as a salon owner, finding time to practice had its challenges. So here comes along all these wonderful clients demanding beautiful beach waves. For a time giving it everything I had I would still only be able to get sausage curls. I felt I couldn’t get the hang of it and started passing off my clients to Julianne or Brigitte to finish styling. It used to make me sweat. I wasn’t going to let something like beach waves get in my way so I took another course, and then another, and with perseverance, determination and wonderfully patient clients (not to mention the guidance of the Spanish Queen with amazing waves, Brenda) I finally conquered those amazing waves! My ombres and balayages finally looked complete with the perfect wave to accentuate the colour melt. It was really something to watch the beach waves evolve and I am still proud of myself for pushing my limits (but still don’t ask me for updos or upstyling ! At least for now.)
I have to say – I’ve learned a hell of a lot from my mentors and will continue to pass on everything I know and learn to my fellow hair stylists. We all must continue to learn from each other to create better hairdressers in both my salon and in the industry as a whole. These three styles/cuts each have a unique twist to them. I love creating each one of them
on their own and mixing techniques from them to create something unique and different. With every hair cut and style comes knowledge, product and power.
Stay tuned for more…men's barbering and hair styling, more than meets the eye....