Scott
“All I need are shears and a comb.”
SPECIALTIES
Short hair. Unconventional long hair. Classic geometric cuts. Razor cutting. Modern color Blowouts of all kinds. Whatever’s best for the client.
EXPERIENCE
Licensed stylist since 2005 . At VAIN since 2009.
Your specialties are pretty diverse. Tell us about that.
I like to think my specialty as a hairstylist is completing a client’s personal image through hair, so I specialize in a wide range of services to deliver the best cut, color, and style possible to make that happen.
You’re know for being a pro at the unicorn of haircuts, the dry cut. Can you tell us what you see as the benefits to cutting hair dry?
It just makes sense- we don’t wear our hair wet (unless the weather is particularly Seattle that day), so I don’t believe in strictly cutting it wet. The shape and movement need to be checked visually while dry.
What are hair must-haves for your clients?
Great products. It’s so important for great hair. It’s rare to find someone whose hair looks better sans product. What you get out of your hair is determined by what you put in it, quite literally.
Any hair textures or lengths you really love working with?
I love it all, but my favorite hair texture is fine, dense, wavy hair. I love doing short hair, too. It has more options for specific shape and texture, and it can really bring out the personality in someone’s face.
What’s your approach with new clients?
I ask a lot of questions to get a sense of who they are, what they like/don’t like, and their styling abilities. I love it when people bring in photos, even of something they want to avoid. Visuals can say so much so quickly. Since I usually know little to nothing about a new client, those first few minutes are crucial.
What are your style influences?
Music is a big one for me. I’ve been into music as long as I’ve been into hair, so I gather a lot of inspiration from what I see onstage, what I hear coming from it, what’s out in the crowd and on the corner outside. Other than that, my fellow stylists, architecture, sculpture, and fashion. But overall I try not to be influenced too much, but hopefully, to influence. I feel like hair should inspire other forms of art just as much as other forms of art inspire hair.
What advice would you give someone in a hair rut?
It depends on what’s stagnant and what you’re willing to change. Don’t want to change the cut? Adding color is a great way to breathe life into your old style. Color not your thing? Try using different products, change your where your part is, or ask me to show you a different way to style it. Want to change the whole thing, but not sure how? Have a seat in my chair and we’ll talk.
Life outside of VAIN?
I like playing guitar, collecting vinyl, going to shows, finding great clothes, eating new foods, traveling, and reading among other things, but I always have hair on the brain. I chose to be a hairstylist because I love doing it so much I would be doing it whether or not it was my job. Essentially, what began as my hobby turned into an obsession which turned into my career. I think of my time away from the salon as a sort of incubation period when I rest and take in the world around me, and then when I come back to work, the flow reverses itself.
