How to Choose Haircutting Shears

Whether you're a novice looking to save money on haircuts, or a certified stylist starting out, finding the right pair of haircutting shears is the first step to creating professional-looking results. Professional and aspiring stylists can find haircutting shears at beauty wholesalers, salon supply stores and specialty boutiques. Regardless of where you purchase them, by assessing available shears and matching them with your desired styles and personal haircutting method, you can select a pair of shears that will last for years to come.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Make sure that the blades of the haircutting shears are sharp and pointed

2. Ensure that the haircutting shears you select come with at least a 5-year warranty.

3. Determine which hand you favor, right or left. Choose left-handed shears if the left is your dominant hand.

4. Select a blade type, choosing beveled blades for layered or tapered cuts and opting for convex blades for standard cuts and slide cutting.

5. Choose a handle grip. Opt for opposing grips if your cutting style involves the middle finger, offset grips if you use your ring finger and crane grips if you tend to build up muscle tension in your wrist and shoulder when cutting hair.

6. Select a thumb grip. Choose a cutaway thumb grips for increased comfort, anatomic thumb grips for wider movement, rotating thumb grips which minimize thumb movement or standard ones which feature removable, reversible grips.

7. Assess the blade length, favoring short blades that measure less than 6 inches for detailed cutting or longer blades over 6 inches for use on thick hair and creation of popular styles like bobs.

Tips & Warnings

• Always check with stylist publications to find out if your desired cut is achievable with a single pair of basic haircutting shears. Visit salon equipment wholesalers for the widest selection in current haircutting shears.
• Never cut hair for another person without disclosing your haircutting certification, experience or lack thereof.

References

• Love to Know's Guide to Haircutting Scissors