JR D’Angeles cuts hair in Santa Monica and Los Angeles -- so I would assume his clients are pretty particular about how their hair comes out, given that Californians are stereotypically prissy. Turns out they must not be, because they’re letting him burn their tresses off.
Yeah, like with a lighter. And flames.
After coating his tributes’ neck and ears with anti-burn lotion, he covers the parts of hair he wants gone with accelerant. D’Angeles lights up and combs out the flames before they get too crazy, asserting that the fire shortens and seals the ends instead of causing breakage like scissors do.
“When the hair doesn’t split, it keeps all the moisture inside,” he said.
There are other strange haircutting methods out there -- Sarai Speer, a stylist from Kansas City, uses what she calls the "Whoville Christmas Tree" method, which is freaking frightening, even if she does promise no split ends.
D’Angeles does take some precaution, though. Aka a bucket of water close by -- cool?
He learned the method growing up in the Philippines and has been styling for 30 years. D'Angeles calls the hair burning an art form and hopes it...spreads.