Ridgefield’s downtown salon, Ridgefield’s Hair Artist, got a brush with national talent when celebrity stylist and educator Justin Thomas visited for an evening workshop focused on advanced dry-cutting techniques on Sunday, Oct. 5.
Thomas, a Sacramento-based salon owner and longtime Hattori Hanzo Shears educator, spent the session demonstrating his signature approach to cutting hair in its natural state — a method designed to preserve length, show texture and maintain hair health.
Around a dozen locals attended the hands-on class, watching closely as Thomas cut the long hair of volunteer model Ginger Fagg, who hadn’t had a professional trim in two years. Using dry cutting techniques, he maintained her length while removing damage and creating natural volume.
“In traditional ways, you would walk into the salon and your stylist would wash you and get you prepped for a haircut,” Thomas said. “But there are a lot of things that exist in the hair that they might miss. We kind of say this thing — ‘dry don’t lie’ — because when the hair’s wet, you don’t see any of the characteristics that it’s going to live every day.”
Thomas said the tools and techniques behind dry cutting go beyond style — they promote hair health by using precision steel shears that seal rather than fray the cuticle.
“Health doesn’t stop at products,” he said. “It’s like skincare. What you put on your skin and how you take care of it, all that matters. The same goes for the hair.”
For Lydia Weyhrich, owner of Ridgefield’s Hair Artist, the visit was more than a professional development opportunity — it was a chance to bring big-city education to a small-town salon.
“His agent reached out and said Justin had seen my work online,” Weyhrich said. “I love learning new ways to cut and form hair for different clients, and I was just super impressed with his work and so excited to learn from him.”
Weyhrich, who has been cutting hair for 22 years and moved her business to Ridgefield two years ago, said workshops like this one help bridge the education gap between stylists in large markets and those serving smaller communities.
“I’m hoping that stylists here get a different view for doing texture with clients and doing dry cuts,” she said. “It’s so important to meet every client’s needs and find ways to help them in a way that fits their lifestyle and skin tone.”
During the demonstration, Thomas walked the group through foundational techniques — cutting from underneath to build volume, using specific brush angles and refining shape without sacrificing length. Weyhrich said the session opened her eyes to how subtle adjustments can transform a client’s style.
“I took away that especially with someone who does not want to lose a lot of length, you want to go in from underneath first,” she said. “It wasn’t about taking too much off — it was about making the hair healthier and the layers proportionate.”
Thomas, who has styled musicians including members of Creed and Flatland Cavalry, said his mission with Hanzo Education is to connect stylists, not compete with them.
“There’s plenty of heads to go around, plenty of hair to cut,” he said. “Instead of looking at it like a cutthroat or competition-type of industry, the more salon owners and hairdressers can connect and create community, the better it is for everyone.”
As the evening wrapped up, Weyhrich said she left inspired and eager to share what she learned with her Ridgefield clients.
“I love education. I love learning more,” she said. “We can always learn and help each client because they have an individual, custom need with their hair type. I’m so grateful Justin was here to teach us.”
