How to use hair scissors?

Hairdressing is a meticulous and complex art. It is essential to handle your hair scissors correctly in order to guarantee a level of precision and obtain the desired result. In this article we help you use your hair scissors correctly.

Good handling allows you to be more precise and obtain the haircut desired by your clients. Tension in the wrist is minimized, which helps avoid health concerns related to your job as a hairdresser.

Here are the topics we cover:

• The ideal posture for holding your hair scissors
• The different types of scissors for hairdressers
• How to hold your scissors correctly
• Better use of your thinning scissors

You will discover how to properly use and position your fingers on your hair scissors, in order to work as a hairdresser in good conditions.

Let's go !

What posture to maintain according to the different types of hair scissors?

There are several types of hair scissors that allow you to make different cuts and very precise results. Depending on the model of scissors chosen, the result is different: straight cuts, thinning, creation of volume, layers... So many hairstyles that can be achieved using different shapes of hair scissors. Trust what you learned during your hairdressing apprenticeship. Only the thumb moves, for opening and closing the scissors. Your other fingers should hold the pair of scissors. Use your thumb to open and close the blades of your scissors.

When it comes to posture, think long term! Lower your arm as much as possible to avoid strain on the shoulder. Developing good habits is effective over time; in several years you will feel less of the impact of your job as a hairdresser on your health.

Some scissors, such as the Exthand scissors, are designed without rings to favor the position of the arm along the body during your haircuts. They are particularly effective for hairdressers who suffer from tendinitis or other health concerns related to hairdressing.

How to properly hold your hair scissors?

Here, we are going to talk about the two scissors most frequently used in hairdressing salons: “hair cutting scissors” and “thinning scissors”.

There are many ways to properly hold your scissors, but the traditional Western grip works best because it's the one we all use regularly. The thumb ring should be on the bottom of your scissors.

You place your ring finger in the top ring and your thumb in the bottom ring. Your little finger should be on the finger rest (handle hook). During this time, the index and middle fingers should rest on the upper handle. Typically, scissors have notches on the handle for fingers to rest on.

Your top four fingers put pressure on the stationary blade, balancing it, while your thumb gently moves the blades.

Using the Western grip helps keep the hand stable and reduces injury from muscle strain.

Learning the oriental grip is also helpful. In this grip, the index finger and the thumb are used to maintain the cut: to do this, you must insert the index finger in the smallest hole and the thumb in the other, the rest of the fingers being used to maintain the balance it will be enough to place the middle and ring fingers behind the blade, the little finger being free.

The similarity between the two handles is that only the thumb is used to maneuver the scissors in the oriental method.

Although it may seem strange at first, this technique allows for greater precision and opens up possibilities like point cutting called “picketing”.

Hair cutting scissors

They are used for full cuts, or to equalize. Perfect for bangs or a bob for example. More and more hairdressers are doing all their haircuts with hair cutting scissors. To use them, the position must be natural. Some models of ergonomic scissors help you place your fingers correctly to perform your haircuts with ease.

Hair cutting scissors require more performance than other scissors because they are the ones most used by hairdressers. There are different sizes for hair cutting scissors: from 4.5 to 7 inches in general, depending on the preferences of the hairdresser using them. The most commonly used size in unisex hair salons is size 5.5, which adapts to all types of cuts and is therefore the most versatile. The 7 inch size is mainly used for men's cuts. Large blades save time on your straight cuts.

Thinning scissors

They are used to sculpt, shorten and thin the hair. They are composed of a smooth blade and a notched blade. To use them, the hand is elevated and you have to cut along and above the fingers. The tip faces upwards. To hold these scissors it will be the same grip as for the hair cutting scissors.

There are three important things to consider when using sculptin scissors.

1. The type of hair you are about to lighten
2. The type of thinning scissors to use.
3. And how to hold and use scissors correctly.

What hair type are you about to lighten?

d scissors aim to remove sections of hair. As such, they allow:

• Blend hair between shorter and longer sections.
• Removing excess hair from thicker sections
• Soften the hairline.
• Start with cutting scissors and use thinning scissors at the end to enhance the final hairstyle.

When the hair is strong and thick, you should use thinning scissors which will remove some extra weight. But if the hair is thin, you need thinning scissors to blend different sections of hair.

What type of thinning scissors to use?

The main differentiating feature of thinning shears is the amount of teeth they have. Some teeth are further apart and others much closer together. The importance of the number of teeth on your shear will inform you about its use.

Smaller teeth are better used for blending and softening blunt lines. The finer the tooth, the more it will be mixed and even the greater the weight loss.

The four types of thinning scissors are:

• 6 to 12 teeth: Removes a lot of mass.
• 14 to 20 teeth: Hair texturization.
• 20 to 30 teeth: Mixing and finishing.
• 30 to 40 teeth: Sculpts and refines the cut.

So we see that thinning scissors are ideal for blending and finishing haircuts. Certain models, with few tapering teeth, are recommended for texturing and removing a lot of mass.

When you have thick and dense hair, thinning scissors are very practical. They can remove sections of hair to give a lighter look and feel.

However, thinning scissors with more than 24 teeth are the most commonly used type. Additionally, they make it easy to blend sections of hair for both men and women.

Using thinning scissors correctly

Using thinning scissors is very easy. Grasp a small section of hair between your middle and index fingers. Next, thin the hair between your fingers by opening and closing the blades. As with cutting scissors, only your thumb should open and close the scissors. You can also use a comb and thin out the section of hair that comes out of the comb's teeth.

Use the thinning scissors at the end of a haircut. In fact, they allow you to remove excess hair, mix it and texture it in order to perfect your haircuts. If you want to know everything about thinning scissors, we have dedicated an article to these hairdressing scissors.

Most hairstylists blend two sections of hair of different lengths using thinning scissors. However, if you find certain areas of thick hair, you can use thinning scissors to achieve a lighter look.