In 5 years of blogging, you can't imagine the number of emails I've received about hairdressing, with questions like:
- what cut would suit me?
- Where can I find a good hairdresser?
- How do I know which cut suits me?
- my hair is like that even though I would like to wear my hair differently, is it possible for me?
And each time my answer was the same: hairdressing is not really BonneGueule's core business, the best thing to do is to contact a specialist.
Interview with a great men's hairdresser
Very recently, I had the chance to speak for almost an hour with Christophe-Nicolas Biot, a great Parisian hairdresser. When I say "great", that is to say that he is now widely recognized in the profession, particularly through his creative shows.
And above all, he is someone absolutely passionate about his profession , with encyclopedic knowledge on the subject that he only asks to share. It was the first time I spoke to such a passionate and sharp hairdresser. To tell you the truth, it even reminded me of my first meetings with creators.
So, when BonneGueule meets a great hairdresser to ask him questions, what does that give? Well, a reflection of unsuspected significance on men's hairstyles...
On the use of the word "visagiste"...
Christophe-Nicolas in action, during his creative shows.
From the outset, Christophe-Nicolas is very clear about the word “visagiste”. For him, it's a completely overused word, which was successful 25 years ago, when we began to take facial lines into account.
He believes that this is not the right approach, because if we concentrate on the face, we forget the body, the social aspect, the way in which the person "moves" (I will explain this word a little further away). Parameters which are all the more important to take into account, because Christophe-Nicolas considers that a hairdresser must think of his hairstyle in terms of globality. For example, he doesn't hesitate to tell some clients to let their hair grow out and come back later so he has more volume to work with.
According to Christophe-Nicolas, a very good professional may not go with the client because sometimes clients have completely stereotypical expectations, and a professional must understand this. A good hairdresser must therefore go beyond trends and be focused on the client and their hair , and not on the latest hair fashion.
Moreover, Christophe-Nicolas prefers to talk about style rather than cut , because he considers hairstyle in a true global sense as we have seen. He expresses this very well:
"Man today wants to change his style, but he does not want it to be visible, to be noticed. He wants us to have the impression that it happened naturally . That is the challenge of a a real hairdressing professional. He doesn't want it to look like he spent 3 hours in the bathroom blow-drying. The woman wants it to show when she leaves the hairdresser. These are very important psychological parameters to take into account for a male clientele."
Men's hairstyle: should you refer the professional or not?
Don't let yourself be influenced by these lookbooks from big chain hairdressers!
When I ask him if someone who wants to change their look should suggest ideas to the hairdresser, Christophe-Nicolas is categorical: it is up to the professional to suggest them first . You should definitely not go to a hairdresser with stereotypes in your head.
Christophe-Nicolas adds that if we are not able to say what we want, it is at least important to formulate what we do not like, what we do not want . Think about it the next time you go to your hairdresser!
Christophe-Nicolas therefore always asks a customer first what they don't like, and especially why.
I then ask him if we should take photos of cuts we like to a hairdresser. Here too, Christophe-Nicolas answers bluntly: that's out of the question, because each style corresponds to a face.
And even if there are relatively similar faces, we should not start from a hairstyle in a photo, because Christophe-Nicolas rightly emphasizes that we are moving towards standardization rather than personalization by proceeding in this way. And Christophe-Nicolas also adds that we don't help the hairdresser with photos, but we make their task more difficult.
And afterwards, the hairdresser can take into account the nature of the hair. Christophe-Nicolas also insists a lot on the question of maintaining the style (I remind you that he uses the word style instead of the word cut!), and he advises not to hesitate to ask your hairdresser at length how to reproduce your new style at home.
Moreover, according to him, very well cut hair can last a very long time . He takes his personal example, where he did not cut his hair for several months, but simply let it grow. He insists that he prefers evolving styles to definitive styles. But as you can imagine, to have such a long-term vision, the hairdresser must be really talented.
How to choose a good men's hairdresser?
I then try to find out what a good professional is according to Christophe-Nicolas. Immediately, he replied to me that a good hairdresser never waits for a client with a pair of scissors in hand, but first listens to them at length about their needs and their search for style and looks at their clothes and their body.
Another element that should alert you: a very good professional asks a lot of questions!
It also opens a digression on the fact that we cannot change our look and style every month! Because for Christophe-Nicolas, a hairdresser corresponds to a slice of life , around ten years, or even more. “A hairdresser matches you to a decade because you have a style, an appearance, a body shape that will not be the same at 20 or 30.”
He also draws a parallel with couturiers : very great hairdressers have a signature, a cut of scissors, which one day no longer necessarily corresponds to the client, because a client evolves, changes over the years.
Conversely, for Christophe-Nicolas, a bad hairdresser does not look at the client, shampoos him directly and asks the client, with his hair wet in front of the mirror: " what am I doing to you today?" ". This is a phrase a customer should never hear.
The thorny question of hairdressing trends...
I will then address the question of trends in men's hairstyles. He immediately corrects me by saying that currently, there are no real trends , because Christophe-Nicolas firmly believes that we are in an era of personalization, and no longer of standardization as we saw above.
Despite everything, he recalls that there was a "Zidane" era in 98/2000 which pushed many men to shave their hair, whereas before, it was only the gay community who did it. For him, it's the latest big men's trend with the "ball" cut (those are really his words!) that you know well.
What if I don't live in Paris?
Christophe-Nicolas's very beautiful living room, with warm, well-used materials.
I only have a few minutes left, so I take the opportunity to ask Christophe-Nicolas how to find a good hairdresser when you don't live in Paris .
His answer is frank and direct: there are very good hairdressers everywhere . He even presents a surprising piece of advice : according to him, you should not hesitate to go to a hairdresser for the first time just to get advice (because he thinks that the advice dimension will become more and more important in men's hairdressing).
He draws a parallel with a ready-to-wear boutique where purchasing is not obligatory... Christophe-Nicolas therefore really insists on calling or pushing the door just to ask for advice. The “very big pros” as Christophe-Nicolas calls them very often get an appointment behind thanks to the quality of the advice they have just given you.
Regarding high-end hairdressers outside Paris, Christophe-Nicolas insists on the fact that there are good hairdressers even in the big chains , but he deplores the fact that the cuts are timed because there is a logic of profitability. However, to begin with, he affirms that the price is still an indicator of quality, and should be a first clue to finding THE hairdresser in your city.
So ended my interview with Christophe-Nicolas, rich in reflections.
A huge thank you to Christophe-Nicolas for his availability when he is in high demand!
Her salon is located at 52, Saint André des Arts, in Paris, in the sixth arrondissement. It’s a beautiful show, don’t hesitate to take a look!
