Is It Better To Cut Your Hair Wet Or Dry?

by Laura Collins13 March 2023Categories: Hair Cutting 0 Comment

Does your hair stylist cut your hair when it’s wet, dry, or both? Have you ever wondered why they do this?

Before we get into things, I first want to address that there is nothing wrong with either wet or dry cutting. Both options have their place and their advantages and disadvantages based on the circumstance.

In my opinion, it is best to cut the hair both wet AND dry. But keep reading to find out more on this.

Why do hairdressers cut your hair wet?

There are a number reasons why your hair stylist may choose to cut your hair when it’s wet. But for the most part, it comes down to having better control of the hair.

Below I breakdown the 3 main reasons why your hairstylist may cut your hair when it’s wet.

1. Wet hair gives you better control over the haircut

Wet hair will clump together which makes it easier to cut a straight line than if the hair was dry and spreading out or staticky. This makes it easier to achieve precise lines. Dry hair moves more, so it’s not as easy to control.

This is especially the case if you are chopping off a significant amount of hair. You need to have optimal control over the hair, and don’t want to miss any pieces.

2. You can cut larger sections when the hair is wet

When the hair is wet, you are able to cut larger sections at a time because the hair is clumped together. It doesn’t move or bend with the scissors with a large section of hair as much as it would with dry hair.

This is also dependent on how sharp the scissors are, but in general a high quality sharp pair of shears should be able to cut a large section of hair easily. I do this often when cutting hair at a pony tail to donate.

3. Razor cuts NEED wet hair

And when it comes to razor cuts, the hair NEEDS to be wet. If you attempt to use a feather razor on dry hair, it will end up splitting the hair, making it frizzy and actually creating damage.

When I am performing a razor cut, I often continuously spray the hair to keep it wet and the porosity even.

4 Disadvantages to cutting wet hair

When it comes to cutting your hair when it’s wet, there are a few disadvantages as well. Now, this doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t cut hair when it’s wet, it just means that we need to be aware of the different things that can happen.

Below I breakdown 4 problems that can arise when cutting wet hair.

1. Hair shrinks as it dries

When your hair is wet, it’s being weighed down by water. The hair strands actually stretch when they’re wet and combed down. The amount that the stretches is dependent on the elasticity of your hair.

Because of this, your hair will always look longer when it’s wet. If your hair stylist cuts your hair to chin-length when it’s wet, it will likely be laying above your chin when it’s dry.

Wet hair also lacks volume. Volume is achieved by hair strands climbing on top of one another, and this doesn’t happen when they are absorbed with water and weighed down. So when your hair dries, not only does it shrink, but volume is achieved which lifts the pieces up even more.

2. It is easier to take too much off when the hair is wet

Aside from the fact that hair shrinks when it’s dry, you can’t properly see the split ends when the hair is wet. This is because the hair is clumped together and absorbed with water.

This means that if I didn’t already decide how much I need to take off when the hair was dry, than I’m just guessing when it’s wet. When cutting wet hair, you’re more likely to take more off than the bare minimum.

3. You can’t properly texturize wet hair

While there may be some hair stylists out there that prefer to texturize with a razor on wet hair, in my opinion you cannot properly texturize wet hair. I personally am not a fan of texturizing with a razor as you can often take off too much hair and can’t properly see the weight lines.

Texturizing is the process of removing bulk to reduce weight lines and add movement into the hair. This helps to adjust the shape of the hair and affects how it lays.

When the hair is wet, you can’t see how it’s going to lay when it’s dry. You also can’t make the proper cuts on wet hair to texturize because it’s clumped together. You can try to do this with thinning shears, but you’ll likely create lines in the hair and will see every cut.

4. You can’t see the wave pattern of wet hair

When curly hair is wet, it’s weighed down, which stretches out the curls. Curly hair can shrink SIGNIFICANTLY when it dries. I’m talking multiple inches.

And aside from the length of the hair shrinking, it can also be a problem for the shape of the haircut when it’s dry. The hair will not be in its natural wave pattern when wet, so the wave pattern of the hair definitely needs to be considered here.

Why do hair stylists cut your hair dry?

Now onto the dry cutting! As I’m sure you’ve gathered from the last section, there are a number of reasons to cut your hair dry. Let’s talk about them below.

1. You can take a very minimal amount off of dry hair

When someone comes in wanting a trim, or the very bare minimum cut off, I always opt to cut the hair dry. When the hair is dry, you can easily see the split and frayed ends that need to go. It’s much easier to only take off those frizzy pieces when the hair is dry.

I call these haircuts “pretend haircuts” because it is trimming the hair without it looking like it was cut. Often times the hair looks longer, or at least fuller after one of these haircuts!

2. You can easily texturize and detail dry hair

As mentioned above, it is not easy to texturize wet hair. So if your stylist cuts your hair wet and sends you out the door with wet hair, it’s my recommendation that you find a new stylist.

The hair ALWAYS needs to be checked dry. You can cut dry hair without checking it wet, but you cannot cut wet hair without checking it dry.

When the hair is dry, the weight lines become visible. When there is too much weight or bulk in a section of hair, it needs to be texturized out. This can also be referred to as detailing the hair.

I often use 3 different types of scissors when doing this part of the haircut. This is how you create texture, movement, and whispy pieces in the hair.

One side of the hair may also have more volume than the other side based on the way it grows out of the scalp. So you always need to check how the sides are laying dry. You may need to cut one side technically shorter than the other because it naturally has less volume than the other side.

3. You can see the wave pattern of dry hair

When the hair is dry and in its natural state (not ironed), the natural wave pattern becomes visible. If you have curly hair and only wear your hair curly, than having your hair cut dry can be beneficial to the shape of your cut.

The hair stylist will likely go into your curls and start taking chunks of hair out to shape and form the hair. Think of it a little like trimming bushes in the yard. They cut the bush based on the shape they want to create.

4. Dry cut only appointments are often quicker and cheaper

If you get a dry cut only appointment, you are likely able to save some time and money. If the hair isn’t shampooed and blowdried, you’ll be in and out in about 20 minutes or so.

I only recommend this in-between regular haircut appointments as I do believe the hair does need to get a significant wet cut from time to time.

You also need to be sure that your hair is clean, dry, and straight when you come in so that your hair stylist can easily go in and cut your hair without anything getting in the way.

4 Disadvantages to cutting dry hair

Now let’s talk about the disadvantages of cutting your hair dry.

1. It can be difficult to get precise lines on a dry cut only

As we mentioned earlier, you have to be more careful with precision when dry cutting. This is different than detailing, as detailing is often done with point cutting.

Cutting a blunt line is just way easier when the hair is wet. The hair doesn’t move as much, so you can get that precise blunt line when the hair is cut wet.

2. Your hair can get damaged if not done properly

If your shears are not sharp or you attempt to perform a razor cut on dry hair, you can severely damage your hair. The hair can get caught in the feather razor, stretch and split when you attempt to cut it dry.

When dry cutting, very sharp shears are extremely important.

3. Dry cutting is not ideal for transformation haircuts

If you are taking off significant length, it is recommended to do the first part of the haircut wet, and then go back and detail it dry.

It would take you nearly twice as long to perform the cut dry (since you have to take smaller sections when the hair is dry), and it likely wouldn’t lay right.

4. You have less control when cutting dry hair

As mentioned above, dry hair is not controlled as easily as wet hair is. When the hair clumps together it is easier to cut larger sections as well as make each cut with precision and little movement.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, I cut 90% of my clients both wet AND dry. And there are times when I solely do dry cutting only, it all depends on the circumstance and when the last time was they had a wet cut. But I never recommend cutting the hair wet only without also checking it dry.

Wet cutting advantages

More control
Can take larger sections
Razor cuts need wet hair

Wet cutting disadvantages

Hair shrinks as it dries
It is easier to take off too much on accident
You can’t properly texturize wet hair
The wave pattern is stretched out

Dry cutting advantages

Better for trims and minimal cuts
Optimal for texturizing and detailing
You can see the natural wave pattern
Quicker and cheaper appointments

Dry cutting disadvantages

Not as precise for blunt cuts
Easier to get damaged
Not ideal for transformation cuts
Less control

If you enjoyed this cut, take a look at some other posts I’ve written around haircutting:

If you have any further questions for me on this topic, be sure to leave them for me in the comment section. Subscribe below to Have A Good Hair Day!

Last updated 03/10/2023

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