Donald Scott: Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Donald Scott shares the story behind creating his Carving Comb, as told to Kamala Kirk.

The year was 2000 and I had been a long working stylist, always looking for new and innovative ways to create fresh and exciting looks for my clients. One day, I had the idea to develop a razor tool that was fun to use and completely unlike anything on the market. I knew that it had to be safe, easy to use, and to really maximize on my cutting ability. I wanted to be able to use it with or without my scissors in my hand at the same time 

I brainstormed a few ways to go about this and ended up creating the original prototype of what is now my hero tool—the Carving Comb. I glued razor blades to the comb I was using (a champion 16,) so that I had a texturizing side on one end and then blocked out every other tooth on the comb and glued that to the other side.

The result was a razor tool with three working sides—a cutting comb and two covered razor cutting edges. I continued to experiment with it and realized that I could use it with my scissors in my hand at the same time and eventually developed my own technique of free-form precision cutting with the tool.

I knew I had something different and completely unique—it allowed me to use a razor tool spontaneously, which changed the way I cut hair and allowed me to take my creativity to the next level achieving unparalleled shape, movement, depth and dimension—all of which was very easy to achieve. I wanted to be able to share my passion and innovation with other hair artists so I continued to innovate, eventually co-distributing my idea with major manufacturer Paul Mitchell, where we sold tens of thousands of them. Now, I’ve set out on my own, launching my collection of premium razor tools inspired by the original Carving Comb as well as my other new innovations that allow hair artists to take their craft and creativity to the next level. The result is Donald Scott NYC, a complete range of professional razor artistry tools and the exclusive techniques that help make them effective.  

About: Developed by Donald Scott, the hair artist’s hair artist, Donald Scott NYC is a premium collection of patented razor tools, specifically designed to promote the creativity of the professional hair artist. As an industry veteran and world-renowned educator, Scott first introduced his hero innovation, the Carving Comb, through an affiliation with Paul Mitchell Pro Tools.  Now, with the launch of his namesake collection, Donald Scott NYC features six razor-cutting tools and PREPARE— the first and only liquid tool. Each tool allows artists to work with efficiency, precision and the freedom to express individual artistry. To learn more visit donaldscottnyc.com.