Next time you go to the salon, ask for a dry haircut

Regardless of where you go to get your hair cut, the experience pretty much remains the same. It starts with a quick consultation where you tell your stylist your hair dreams, and then you’re moved through the shampoo, condition, cut, and dry four-step process. You know the drill.

And that’s all well and good, but more and more stylists are going by way of the dry cut. This is something that women with curls are well accustomed to, because by cutting hair dry, stylists are better able to account for the texture, the part, and truly see how hair falls to give you good hair days on repeat. And it’s something that everyone can benefit from doing, says Jon Reyman, celebrity hair stylist, educator, and owner of cool-girl salon Spoke & Weal. I’m ready to put it to the test.

When I arrive at the salon in New York’s Soho—long, damaged tresses in tow—I see several people getting their hair cut with their lengths completely dry. “Have you ever had your hair cut dry before?” Reyman (who’s rocking some dope Balenciaga sneakers, might I add) asks me upon sitting down into his client chair. “No,” I respond, feeling somewhat ashamed for not having experienced it yet. “I’ve never done it so this is going to be our first time,” he quips.

“[Cutting dry hair] gives me a clear understanding of your length and your density.” —Jon Reyman

He’s kidding, of course. Reyman is not only a hair genius but is renowned for his dry cutting method, which has a plethora of perks compared to the wet method many are so accustomed to. For one? Everything is much clearer. “I cut hair dry because I can see exactly what’s going on,” he says as he starts snipping away. “If I cut it wet, I don’t really know what’s going on—so this gives me a clear understanding of your length and your density.” I mean, he’s right: When your hair’s wet, you can’t tell whether it’s fine or thick, which effects how your final look turns out.

It also creates a world in which the stylist can see exactly how hair falls and the length where it hits (because TBH, if you’ve ever gone to the salon to have an inch taken off only to see your hair dry into a bob, you know how clutch this is). “I wouldn’t let anyone cut hair wet because they’re just going to cut it shorter where they don’t need to,” says Reyman. “The nice thing about cutting it dry is that I can see your texture. When it’s wet, I’m just taking a guess.”

Of course, you can also account for texture when cutting hair dry: certain curls are springier than others. so by seeing how bouncy they actually are next to one another, the overall look can be more cohesive. This goes for those with pin-straight hair as well, because stylists are better able to add face-framing or wispy layers.

After Reyman’s done, I am very pleased when I look into the mirror—he gave me exactly what I asked for (AKA he livened up my lifeless strands while keeping the length).

BTW, did you know that you should also be getting a waterless manicure? Yep. Anyway, here are 10 supplements to take to keep your hair thick and full.