Watch the moment a stylist uses fire get rid of client's split ends

Whether it’s the fear of having to smile through your tears when the stylist showcases an unforgiving fringe in the mirror or it’s the small talk that fills you with dread – many of us fear our hairdresser’s appointment.

But what if your go-to hair guru suggested getting rid of your split ends with a lighter? Yes, LA-based hairstylist JR D’Angeles has gone viral after using fire to prevent breakage and dry locks.

The 54-year-old runs two salons and swears by the unusual practice he learnt growing up in the Philippines.

But what can clients expect when they don a robe and take a swivel seat?

First, he applies anti-burn cream onto a client’s neck and ears (a promising start). Then, the hairstylist rubs a moisturising serum into the hair in preparation.

Before getting out his lighter, D’Angeles then wets the locks and lays wet towels around the chair with a bucket of cold water on standby in case of an accident.

“Setting the hair on fire seals these ends and bonds it together,” D’Angeles said. “When the hair doesn’t split, it keeps all the moisture inside.”

Then comes the nail biting part, as he sets fire to the serum-soaked strands of hair for a couple of seconds which he admits comes with an “offensive smell”.

“It’s a dangerous art form but I have seen people do much more damage with a pair of scissors or curling irons,” the hairdresser of 30 years told SWNS.

D’Angeles hopes that he can be the first to bring it back to mainstream practice but after sharing a clip of him taking a lighter to one of his client’s hair via Instagram, a large majority of followers were less than impressed.

One social media user commented [sic], “From one stylist to another! First thing first you should know as a license hairstylist, safety and sanitation are of utmost importance for the patron. Burning hair is definitely not creative measures to be different. This gimmick of yours is completely irresponsible and lack of common sense. Multimillions are made selling heat protectant products and here you are damaging someone’s hair on purpose.”

While another expressed further safety concerns, as they wrote: “I would never let you touch even one hair on my head after I’ve seen this. This is extremely unsafe and you obviously did not know what you were doing. You looked like a three-year-old who found a lighter.”

We don’t know about you but we’re not planning on ditching the scissors anytime soon…

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