This hairstylist uses samurai swords and blowtorches to cut clients' hair

Hairstylist Alberto Olmedo has caused a social media meltdown after posting a video of his unconventional hair-cutting techniques. The Spanish hairdresser has ditched the scissors in favour of samurai swords and fire to chop his clients' tresses. Describing his style as "a bit medieval", Alberto shared a sneak peek at his methods in the short clip which has already garnered over 163 million views on Facebook.

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Alberto Olmedo uses swords and fire to cut clients' hair

Taking hairstyling to the extreme, Alberto, who is based in Madrid, asks clients to lean back, draping their hair over the back of the salon chair. He then takes a pair of samurai swords and, after carefully measuring the length, begins to slice away the extra length.

It's not just swords in his tool kit – he also sets fire to the ends of his clients' locks using a blowtorch, swiftly cutting off the burning locks to add shape or layers to a look. This could be a more extreme take on the Brazilian candle-cutting trend, favoured by stars such as Alessandra Ambrosio, in which candles are used to burn off split ends.

Alberto's approach has led him to be nicknamed 'the real-life Edward Scissorhands', a reference to the famous 1991 hit film starring Johnny Depp as a young man with blades instead of hands.

While there's no doubt that the stylist's methods are unorthodox, he explained that he found it worked better when trying to achieve an even finish to a hairstyle.

"Hairdressers usually cut one side, and then the other," he explained in the short clip. "And one side is always a bit different from the other. Even if it is only a little bit, the only way to do it in an exact mathematical way is to cut both sides simultaneously."

He added: "I'm practically using primitive tools – fire, swords. It's a bit medieval. Sometimes you have to use a bit of your imagination to get positive results."