Hair Stylist Lights Women's Hair on Fire, Saying Strange Technique Helps Prevent Split Ends
In one of his more obscure passages on church polity, the Apostle Paul went into detail about hairstyles, calling a woman’s hair “her glory.” To judge by all the effort people have put into feminine coiffure down the years, he was definitely on to something.
From washing locks with egg or vinegar to scientifically concocted serums, stylists have tried all sorts of things to make hair the most beautiful it can be. But one hair artist is turning to something more elemental: fire.
According to Inside Edition, California-based stylist JR D’Angeles has salons in both Santa Monica and Los Angeles. He has built his clientele in a decidedly unorthodox manner.
See, he burns women’s hair. It’s not out of a sense of vindictiveness or anything.
Instead, D’Angeles insists that it cures split ends, among other things.
“Setting the hair on fire seals these ends and bonds it together,” he explained. “When the hair doesn’t split, it keeps all the moisture inside.”
D’Angeles seems to understand that he is quite literally playing with fire.
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His treatments begin with a liberal application of anti-burn cream on his subjects’ ears and neck. Then he massages an accelerant-laced serum into the locks he plans to shorten.
D’Angeles wets down the rest of the hair. Before he sets the select strands alight, he also packs wet towels around his stylist’s chair and makes sure he has a bucket of water ready to douse any unexpected flare-ups.
“It’s a dangerous art form, but I have seen people do much more damage with a pair of scissors or curling irons,” he stated. He also admitted, “It creates quite an offensive smell for the first few seconds.”
Amazingly enough, D’Angeles is far from the only person to practice this fiery art. Self reported that an octogenarian in Italy does much the same thing.
Franco Bompieri has cut men’s hair since he was in single digits, and do you know how he does it? His finishes his haircuts by taking a match and singing the ends of clients’ hair.
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“It becomes bigger, the hair gets stronger, and it doesn’t fall out anymore,” Bompieri claimed. “A lot of people lose their hair because barbers don’t know how to cut hair and burn the end.”
Asserting that this odd method produced a superior haircut might sound strange. But the technique has existed in multiple places over long periods of time.
D’Angeles stated that he learned it while in the Philippines. And Time reported that a variant has existed for ages in South America.
Called velaterapia or “candle cutting in” Brazil, it involves lightly tracing lengths of hair with a candle flame. It’s also supposed to singe off damaged sections.
“I’m not the first one to introduce it to the world but maybe I will be the one that brings it back,” D’Angeles said. He very well might!
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