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Anthony Payne

@anthonypayne

39.5K

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2520

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Seriously. All jokes aside.
Helping humans solve problems with their hair Air Drying perfectly.

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Oh wait let me be sensitive and give yall grace so you feel like other women when you are the woman! by @anthonypayne

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2 days ago

So which one is it?

One day we’re told, “Keep your hair stretched. That’s how you keep it healthy.”

Then the next day, we’re washing that same hair and watching to see if the curls “bounce back” so we can determine whether the hair is healthy.

But wait…

Which one is it?

If your hair’s ability to stretch and return toward its original shape is part of its natural elasticity, then shouldn’t we be paying attention to what happens when the hair moves between those two states?

Hair elasticity is a real part of the hair fiber’s biology.

Think about a rubber band.

A healthy rubber band can stretch, move, and return toward its original form. That’s elasticity.

But if you constantly overstretch that rubber band, pull it beyond what it can comfortably handle, expose it to repeated stress, and never give it a chance to recover, eventually it doesn’t behave the same way anymore.

Hair isn’t a rubber band—but the comparison helps us understand the principle.

Stretching isn’t automatically bad.

Natural hair is designed to stretch.

The problem is when we start treating stretched hair as the only healthy version of the hair, while simultaneously using the hair’s ability to return toward its natural configuration as a test of its health.

Your hair doesn’t have to remain stretched to be healthy.

And it doesn’t have to “bounce back” perfectly to prove that it’s healthy either.

Elasticity is just one piece of the larger picture of hair-fiber integrity.

The goal should be understanding how YOUR hair moves, stretches, contracts, dries, and recovers—rather than constantly forcing it into one state and then judging it for how well it can escape that state.

Stretch it. Let it shrink. Let it move. Learn its limits.

That’s cultivating your natural texture—not constantly fighting it. by @anthonypayne

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5 days ago

We have to start looking at Black hair differently.

For generations, we’ve been taught to contain it, make it presentable, straighten it, chemically alter it, manipulate it, cover it, or constantly “protect” it.

And somewhere along the way, we forgot something very simple:

Black hair is beautiful.

You can wear it in its natural state and it can be beautiful.

But we haven’t even begun to explore all the ways to groom, shape, cut, and style Afro-textured hair while actually working with its natural structure.

I’m starting with the basics of grooming because I want to solve the problems underneath all the styling confusion.

We have generations of people who were never really taught how to work with this texture.

So we assume it’s dry.
We assume it’s difficult.
We assume it’s fighting us.

But maybe…

we’ve been fighting the hair.

And I think it’s time we learn what happens when we stop fighting it and start understanding it. by @anthonypayne

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a month ago

True to this. It’s not a trend for me boop. by @anthonypayne

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a month ago

Are black woman inherently more masculine woman? taken in Brooklyn, New York by @anthonypayne

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a month ago

Most people assume I don’t do Black hair.

And honestly? Early in my career, I didn’t know what to do with Black hair.

Not because I didn’t want to learn it. I just didn’t want to learn it through the same limited menu I was seeing everywhere: silk presses, braids, wigs, extensions, and styles that were often treated as the entire Black hair experience.

That wasn’t what I was interested in.

I wanted to understand AIR-DRIED hair.

I wanted to figure out how to make natural hair behave better without constantly manipulating it into something else. But at the time, I didn’t have the tools or knowledge to solve that problem.

So I kept working on my own hair.

And that changed everything.

Working with clients can teach you a lot—but ultimately, you’re working with what they can tell you about their hair.

With my own hair, I had to LIVE with the results.

I knew when a comb snagged.
I knew when my ends started catching.
I knew what happened after repeated manipulation.
I knew what made my hair feel better.
I knew what made it worse.
I couldn’t fake the results.

My own head became the laboratory.

So when someone says, “You only know one type of hair,” or “You don’t do Black hair,” I think there’s an important distinction:

I may not be the best stylist for every Black hairstyle.

But styling isn’t the only thing I’m trying to solve.

I’m trying to figure out how to help your hair exist HEALTHIER.

How to air-dry it better.
How to detangle it without destroying it.
How to preserve the ends.
How to understand what your hair is doing before you start manipulating it.

And honestly?

Most of y’all wear your hair natural anyway.

So maybe we should spend a little more time learning how to live with the hair we actually have. by @anthonypayne

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2 months ago

I started talking about my Dimensional Trim, and suddenly everybody and they mama started talking about “dusting.”

Now listen—I’m not here to argue about who gets credit. Give credit wherever you want.

But I can date my work. I’ve been studying and developing this for 16 years, and I was on these same Instagram streets watching what hairstylists were promoting long before I started talking about it publicly.

What matters to me is why this technique is necessary.

Most hairstylists will tell you to “grow healthy hair,” but they aren’t necessarily teaching you how to maintain the entire hair ecosystem that allows you to retain that length.

My Dimensional Trim was developed around that problem.

It’s not just a dusting. It’s a method of removing compromised ends from the shorter interior pieces through the longer exterior pieces—while accounting for different textures and different hair behaviors.

And yes, I designed it to work across textures. You shouldn’t have to blow your coils straight and flat-iron them just to properly maintain your ends.

Because here’s the bigger mission:

I don’t want you dependent on your hairstylist for every aspect of your hair health.

You learned how to do a basic one-length trim. You can learn how to maintain your dimensional hair.

I’m here to teach you the WHY—not just hand you another technique to copy.

Because I’m not finished studying this industry, and I’m not finished figuring out why so many of the things we do to our hair work against the very results we’re trying to achieve.

Thank you for the flowers. I appreciate them.

But I don’t need confirmation.

I’ve been watching this industry for 16 years. I know what I’m seeing.

And I’m going to keep teaching you how to see it too. by @anthonypayne

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2 months ago

Life❣️ by @anthonypayne

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2 months ago

I’m honestly so grateful that I get to wake up every day and do what I love—and even more grateful that people trust me enough to want to learn it.

Lately I’ve had so many requests for books, templates, PDFs, YouTube tutorials, and step-by-step guides. And I’ve tried. I really have.

But after 16 years behind the chair, I’ve learned something: there is no universal blueprint for healthy hair.

No two heads are the same. No two haircuts are the same. No two grooming habits, textures, environments, or goals are the same. Hair care isn’t just information—it’s intuition. It’s muscle memory. It’s learning how your hair behaves and making decisions in real time.

That’s why every time I try to turn what I know into a generic guide, it gets misunderstood. Hair is too personal for one-size-fits-all instructions.

That’s exactly why I love my one-on-one virtual consultations. We focus on your hair, your routine, and your goals. That’s where the real breakthroughs happen, and honestly, it’s my favorite part of what I do.

Thank you to everyone who’s trusted me with your hair and your journey. I can’t wait to help even more of you. ❤️ by @anthonypayne

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2 months ago

I live for a yearly cut. Took us a few hours tho. #dimensinalhaircut by @anthonypayne

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3 months ago

I don’t just cut hair—I solve problems.

Every head of hair has a story, and every client has something that bothers them. Sometimes it’s split ends. Sometimes it’s hair constantly falling into the face. Sometimes it’s a lack of volume, shape, movement, or simply a style that works with their lifestyle.

The foundation of my grooming starts with my dimensional split-end removal technique. Instead of only trimming the perimeter, I remove split ends from the shortest pieces to the longest lengths, helping improve the overall health of the hair and allowing many clients to go longer between major trims.

But healthy hair is only the beginning.

After that, I focus on function. Where is the hair getting in your way? Where is it too heavy? Too flat? Too bulky? What can be adjusted so you spend less time fighting your hair and more time enjoying it?

This client is a photographer who was constantly tucking her hair behind her ears throughout the day. Her hair lacked shape and movement, so my goal was to create texture, balance, and a haircut that would continue to grow out beautifully long after she left my chair.

A great haircut isn’t just about how it looks today. It’s about solving problems you’ll have tomorrow. ✂️✨ taken in Brooklyn, New York by @anthonypayne

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4 months ago

What if the reason your hair feels dry, rough, tangled, or impossible to retain length… isn’t your texture — but your ends?

Across every texture, damaged ends can quietly disrupt the entire hair ecosystem: longer detangles, wash-day frustration, breakage, dullness, snagging, lack of movement, and hair that never seems to thrive.

For coily and curly hair, unhealthy ends can make knots, tangles, and retention harder. For straighter textures, it can mean dullness, thin-looking ends, frizz, and lack of shine.

Here’s the truth: hair doesn’t grow in one perfect length. Every strand lives a different experience.

So ask yourself:

What does your trimming regimen look like in 2026?

If your hair grows in dimensions, why wait for every strand to catch up before caring for damaged ends?

Maybe healthy hair isn’t about cutting more.

Maybe it’s about trimming smarter and protecting your hair ecosystem. by @anthonypayne

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4 months ago