The Binary Beginning: Why We Start with Right and Wrong

In the salon industry, we often seek clear-cut answers: the "right" way to hold your scissors, the "perfect" formula for blonde highlights, the "correct" sectioning pattern for a bob. This black-and-white approach is what we call binary thinking. It can show up when we’re expecting to rely on exact measurements rather than ranges.  It’s what happens when we are following  precise steps rather than guiding principles.

For many professionals, binary thinking feels like a structured approach that is the epitome of good practice. This is for good reason. Binary thinking provides the essential foundation that all technical excellence is built upon. When we're starting out, we crave certainty for the work that were doing. We want to know what the clear rights and wrongs are. We want to execute exact formulas, and perfect techniques because this means we are getting it right.

These desires and actions aren’t a weakness. Binary thinking is our brain's way of creating structure when everything feels overwhelming. Beauty school is structured with this approach at its core because it allows you to build foundational skills without concerning yourself with the nuance. The rules are necessary to learn in depth first.  Those early lessons in "correct" techniques build muscle memory for the body and the mind. They also provide a fundamental basis for which your creativity begins to flourish.

What many don't realize is that binary thinking isn’t all there is. It is just the first stage of a natural and progressive journey to excellence. The foundations based in binary thinking are like learning grammar before writing poetry or perfecting scales before improvising jazz. These rigid rules of foundational knowledge  create and install the structure that your future creativity depends on. Even the most innovative stylists today didn't skip this stage, they moved through it. Understanding this progression can help to appreciate where you are while recognizing it's part of a longer path.

The trouble isn't binary thinking. The trouble is getting stuck in it. When we mistake the training wheels for the bicycle itself, we limit our growth. We get unstuck when we start asking the right questions like "why does this work?" instead of just "what am I supposed to do?"

You'll know you're ready to move beyond binary thinking when you can predict when standard formulas might not work for specific clients, when you can adjust techniques without conscious effort, and when you're more curious than anxious about challenges. You'll find yourself connecting concepts across different areas of your practice and feeling comfortable adapting when things don't go as planned.

Moving beyond binary thinking isn't rejecting structure. It’s internalizing that structure so deeply that it becomes intuitive. Even as you develop more nuanced understanding, you'll return to binary thinking whenever you learn something new. So next time you catch yourself thinking in absolute rights and wrongs, remember binary thinking isn't a limitation to overcome, but a natural stage to move through on your journey to excellence.