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Tips for Maintaining your Shears

It is professional best practice to regularly clean and sanitize your haircutting shears. Not only will this help keep the shears in great working condition and help them last longer, but it is required by many states for hygienic reasons. In addition to cleaning, proper use and storage are necessary in maintaining your haircutting scissors.

1. Be Careful When Handling Shears​ ​​

Haircutting shears are to be handled gently and carefully while being used throughout the day. Throwing the shears​ down hard on the counter or accidently dropping them on the floor can cause damage to the alignment of the blades as well as dull the cutting edge of the blades.  If the scissors get damaged or nicked when dropped, they will need to be serviced and repaired.

2. Haircutting Shears Cleaning

Haircutting shear maintenance begins with daily cleaning and sanitizing. Most of these procedures require one to clean and sanitize the scissors between clients. Water, cleaning solution and sweat should never be allowed to dry on the shears. Not only does it make the shears look dirty, but the residue build-up can dull the scissors, deteriorate the surface of the shears and cause possible spreading of infections through cross contamination.

In addition to the regular cleaning and sanitizing throughout the day, daily oiling of shears will also keep them in tip-top shape which will extend their useful life and keep them in great operational order. The haircutting shear oil keeps them from rusting and getting stiff, allowing for easy, smooth, efficient and controlled haircutting. Rusty or stiff shears will be difficult to use, causing hand discomfort for the haircutting professional and an unsatisfactory cut for the client. Hair shear oil also helps flush out lodged or stuck hair fragments from the inside of the scissors that the regular washing and sanitizing may have missed. When using shear oil, it is best to have the scissors open to 45 degrees and place a small drop on the center joint holding the two blades together. Gently rub the oil into the scissors using a soft cloth. Too much oil can cause the shears to become slippery which will increase the risk of them being accidently dropped.  

3. Properly Store Your Shears

After cleaning, drying, sanitizing and oiling, keeping haircutting shears stored in a way that keeps them protected and dry will also extend their useful life and maintain their performance and handling. After they have been cleaned, sanitized and protected, store your shear in a protective case, with a soft, absorbent lining that will help keep the shears from moisture and environment factors. The shears should have their own compartment in the storage case, and you should never store your shears loosely with other tools. If the shear and other tools can knock against each other, you run the risk of damaging the blades. Store the case in a location that will remain dry.

4. Keep Shears Sharp and With the Right Tension

When haircutting shears become dull, it is important to have them sharpened and service by a professional shear sharpener or sharpening company. Not only do the blades need to be sharp, but they should be easy and comfortable to handle.  A pair of haircutting shears that either have a tension that is too loose or too tight can negatively affect the scissors proper handling and cutting ability. Too little tension in the scissors can lead to damaged blades and additional stress on the hands. Loose tension scissors will yield a poor haircut as it will bend, not cut, strands of hair. The best way to check for proper shear tension is to hold the shears horizontal, open the shears and let gravity let the top blade fall. The blade should fall about two thirds closed for correct tension.  If the blade closes all the way, the tension is too loose.

5. Use Haircutting Shears for Hair Only

Hairstyling professionals and barbers know that their haircutting scissors are for only cutting hair. A client may want to borrow your shears to cut open an envelope or cut a loose thread from their sweater, but this can cause damage to the scissors. While to the untrained eye, there isn't much of a difference between a strand of hair, a piece of paper and a strand of polyester. Cosmetologists, however, know there are noticeable differences. Hair has a different thickness and texture that cloth and paper. Hair is made of microscopic strands of connected proteins.  Paper is made of compressed wood pulp and fiber. Fabric entails twisted threads or woven cloth. When haircutting shears are used to cut anything other than hair, the blades become dull quickly and the blades can be thrown out of proper alignment.

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Haircutting shear maintenance requires:​

  • Careful handling

  • Regular cleaning, drying and sanitizing

  • Daily Oiling

  • Regular sharpening

  • Tension checking

 

You have made a large investment in your shears.  Following these tips for how to take care of your shears will help make these valuable tools last longer and deliver easy, comfortable, accurate and great-looking haircuts.

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