Jim Shaw Shares His Hair Styling Tips in Time for Party Season

Christmas party season is here and barbershops will be busier than ever with clients booking appointments to have their cut refreshed for the festive season.

Jim Shaw tells us that there are three highly requested signature looks he expects his clients to request this year – the voluminous quiff, enhanced bouncy curls and the faux hawk: "Below I outline how I would achieve these looks in the salon and my key products for finishing the styles to provide them with all day and night hold and shine – both key for festive season."

Voluminous Quiff

The quiff is a classic style that never goes out of style and the Christmas season is a great time for clients to really experiment with their quiffs and allow their barbers to create something cool and creative by adding more shape to the quiff and extreme volume. For me, it’s so important to use a hairdryer and large paddle brush when creating this look to direct the damp hair where you want it to go and create volume and movement. Once you’ve done this, using a product like American Crew Fiber is a must. This will give the hair even further hold, increase fullness and add texture, whilst also giving the hair hold to keep the style in place all night long. It also has a low shine which I love for this look so it appears effortless - despite the effort that has gone into creating it!

Enhanced Bouncy Curls

Curls have been a key trend over recent years for clients and the party season. Clients will be looking to come into the salon to have their curls looking more ‘groomed’ – enhanced, bouncy, full of shine and with little to no flyaways. When creating this look in the salon I always like to use a hairdryer with diffuser to work through the curls and give them definition, volume and shine with no frizz. I would then use a product like Label.m Curl Define Souffle to gently break up the curls whilst enhancing them and giving them a glossy finish, as well as added moisture that is needed throughout the winter months. This party season we may also see the return of the perm. With many clients looking to change up their looks completely for the season and embrace a new style as they head into the New Year. A more modern take on the perm is wearing with longer length on top and the hair much shorter at the side so that all eyes are on those gorgeous curls!

The Faux Hawk

Taking inspiration from the Mohawk, clients will look to incorporate a faux hawk style into their look this party season. This is a great style for those who want something
quick and messy that doesn’t take much time, looks styled to perfection but has a messy edge. The key to creating the faux hawk is ensuring the top of the hair is uniform in length but has layers throughout the top section to give it shape before fading the sides to ensure there’s a contrast. You can then use a product like Label.m Matte Paste to give more definition throughout
hawk and to separate the layers and allow them to really stand out. Finish with hairspray to ensure hold all day and night.