Hair Retouching
Why Hair Retouching Falls Apart at the Edges (And How to Fix It Without Losing Texture)
The first time a client told me my retouching looked “plastic,” I was staring at a beauty shot I’d spent four hours on. The skin was technically clean. The hair was technically smooth. And it looked like a department store mannequin wearing a wig. I had over-smoothed the hair shaft, cloned out every wisp and strand that gave the style any personality, and delivered something that looked like a helmet. That job cost me a referral and earned me a painful lesson I’ve been grateful for ever since: hair is not supposed to be perfect.