Layering thick coarse hair

[Clareh]

hi! I'm a newly qualified hairdresser and one persons hair I will always be cutting is my twin sister. She has dense medium/coarse shoulder length hair with a kink which she straightens.
When cut one length it doesn't have any movement and gets big easily. When heavily layered (not by me!) the surface of her takes on a weird razored finish and the ends splay out. When thinned it quickly poofs at the root after a couple of weeks! What techniques should I be mastering as I'd love to give her the best haircut she's ever ever had!

 

[Clareh]

Ps- I've told her lay off the straighteners but she won't listen- mine is more curly and I embrace my waves but she's firmly in the straight hair camp. We've been treating her hair to olaplex and conditioning treatments and regular trims .She just doesn't see the benefit of her beautiful, thick, strong hair (yet)..

 

[ELLE BELLA]

It sounds like she has similar hair to me ! I find my hair is better if it's not thinned out as encourages all the different lengths to do their own thing it's best scissor cut with just a bit of chipping into just to blend the layers ( longer layers )

 

[Reidebot]

I have similar hair. So what I usually get done is rather then layers I get the bulk cut our out of it. Keeps it smoother and less fluffy. But when I get the bulk cut out we usually don't use texturing shears.

 

[Clareh]

Thanks both of you! The main thickness is around the parietal ridge and underneath the occipital bone, I think I will layer the top but longer, I'll try chipping in where it's thickest and avoid any texturising on the outer layers. I think the top and sides have to never be thinned or texturised as it sits on the top and shorter bits start poking out like Elle Bella said!

 

[vividamnesia]

Slide cutting with super sharp shears to hand slice some of the bulk out is best & chip cutting the ends so you dont get "shelves" in the layers caused by blunt cutting them.