9.4 Finishing Techniques

Finishing Techniques

Exam Focus: Beyond the backcombing versus backbrushing distinction, which is directly examined, this section covers the finishing decisions that determine whether the set the client paid for survives the walk to the car. The professional rule is that structure comes from technique and product only holds it — a style built entirely on hairspray will not last.

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1. Structural Finishing Techniques: Backcombing vs. Backbrushing

To give a hairstyle a solid foundation, longevity, and seamless volume, cosmetologists use two classic structural finishing methods:

┌───────────────────────────────────┐     ┌───────────────────────────────────┐
│            BACKCOMBING            │     │           BACKBRUSHING            │
│ (Teasing / Ratting / Matting)     │     │             (Ruffing)             │
├───────────────────────────────────┤     ├───────────────────────────────────┤
│ • Tool: Fine-toothed tail comb    │     │ • Tool: Natural bristle brush     │
│ • Action: Comb pushed to scalp    │     │ • Action: Soft strokes to base    │
│ • Result: Dense, firm cushion     │     │ • Result: Soft, blended mesh      │
│ • Use: Dramatic height & support  │     │ • Use: Seamless curl integration  │
└───────────────────────────────────┘     └───────────────────────────────────┘

Backcombing (Teasing, Ratting, Matting, French Lacing)

• Technique: Section a small strand of hair (approximately 1 inch wide and 1/4 inch thick). Hold the strand straight up at 90°. Insert the fine teeth of a comb 2 to 3 inches from the scalp. Press the comb smoothly down to the base in short, rhythmic strokes, interlocking shorter hairs at the scalp to build a dense, compact cushion.
• Clinical Purpose: Creates maximum structural support, height, and dramatic lift for updos, bouffants, and evening designs.

Backbrushing (Ruffing)

• Technique: Hold hair subsection with gentle tension. Insert a curved natural bristle or nylon styling brush into the underside of the hair strand. Gently stroke the brush down toward the base while rolling the wrist.
• Clinical Purpose: Builds a light, airy cushion and blends two or more curl patterns together into a smooth, seamless surface finish without visible section partings.

2. Smoothing the Surface

Backcombing and backbrushing build the structure; smoothing makes it presentable. The technique is the part most often done badly.

1. Never brush through backcombed hair. It collapses the cushion and creates tangles that then have to be pulled out.
2. Use the bristle side of a brush or a wide-tooth comb lightly on the surface only, at a shallow angle, moving in the direction the hair will fall.
3. Support the hair with the other hand below where you are smoothing, so tension is not transmitted to the cushion beneath.
4. Smooth in the finished direction, not back and forth.
5. If the surface will not smooth, the backcombing was placed too high on the strand. It belongs at the base, not through the mid-lengths.

Taking backcombing down

Backcombed hair is removed with conditioner and a wide-tooth comb, from the ends upward, never by dragging a brush from the scalp. Section 6.1 explains why: raised cuticle scales catch on neighbouring strands, and pulling through the tangle tears them off.

3. Choosing a Finishing Product

The professional principle is the lightest product that will hold the shape. Products add weight, and weight is the enemy of volume.

Applying spray correctly

• Hold the can eight to twelve inches from the hair — closer produces a wet patch and a hard spot.
• Spray in light passes, letting each dry before the next.
• Shield the client's face with a hand or a card, and ask the client to close their eyes.
• Ventilate. Aerosol propellants are flammable, which is why 19 NYCRR § 160.12 prohibits open sources of ignition, and § 160.25(b) requires flammable products to be stored in a metal cabinet remote from ignition sources.

4. Finishing Long Hair and Updos

• Prepare the texture first. Freshly washed, slippery hair will not hold an updo. A light working spray, a day-old wash, or a set that gives the hair grip makes the structure possible.
• Build on a foundation. Backcombed cushions, a small padding, or secured base sections give the shape something to attach to.
• Secure in the direction of the tension. A pin inserted against the direction of pull holds; one inserted with the pull slides out.
• Use the right pin. Bobby pins hold flat sections close; hairpins hold looser, larger sections; the open end always faces the direction of support.
• Check from every angle, including the back with a hand mirror, and check the silhouette rather than the detail.
• Finish with the lightest hold that works, then show the client how to take it down safely.

5. Preventing Finishing Damage

The classic finishing injury is a band of short broken hairs at the crown, and it is caused by technique, not product.

• Backcomb at the base only, and only where volume is genuinely needed.
• Never backcomb wet hair — the cuticle is raised and the hair is weakest.
• Never backcomb chemically compromised hair with poor elasticity, as measured by the test in section 6.5.
• Remove backcombing with conditioner from the ends upward, every time.
• Limit repeat backcombing in the same place at successive appointments.