What To Do With Your Hairdressing Scissors Before You Start Using Them

WOOHOO! Your new pair of hair scissors have arrived at your doorstep! They are perfect and you can't wait to use them. We are so excited for you! But first let's take a quick minute to help prepare your scissors for their new life!

How to store your scissors

Upon receiving your scissors you will notice they have been secured nicely in a soft, plush case. This case is your scissors home! It is important to always remember to keep your scissors stored safely away. Too often we as hairstylists will bump our scissors on a hard surface, or worse, drop them on the floor. These accidents can severely damage edges on your hair cutting scissors. It happens to everyone! But it is preventable. If you keep them stored safely away there is less chance of accidents. This is why your scissors come with a protective case ! Let's keep those new hair cutting scissors in their best shape!

The Perfect Fit

Next up is our finger inserts. You will find a bunch of these in your case. These are there to ensure that your hair cutting scissors finger rings and thumb rings fit you perfectly! Simply insert these rings into the finger hole and thumb hole until they fit. You should be able to move freely, but not too freely. If they are too loose or too tight you will not have proper control of your scissors. You can add and remove these inserts until they fit you perfectly!

Cleaning and oiling your scissors

We recommend when you receive your scissors that you clean and oil them. Sometimes when our scissors are sharpened by our professional sharpeners there is a bit of metal left behind. It is also important to remember to clean and oil your scissors - everyday!

To clean your scissors you will find a soft cloth in your new scissor kit. This microfibre cleaning cloth is there to help you ! Use this cloth to wipe both blades clean between every cut. To sanitise your blades you can use a drop of isopropyl alcohol to give them a proper cleaning. Regular cleaning to remove hair and using Isopropyl alcohol will keep the blades dry and prevent corrosion or rusting. Keep your new scissors away from chemicals, water and other harsh cleaning products.

Inside your kit is a small oil pen. Simply place a drop of oil on the blade near the pivot screw, or as we like to call it the pivot point. Open and close your scissors to move the oil around. This will help to remove any hair that may have been left behind when you cleaned. Oiling your scissors regularly will help prevent blunt scissors!

Checking and Tension adjustment

This is an important one! Professional hairdressing scissors will either come with a tension screw as part of the scissor or they will have a tension adjuster. You will find this tension adjuster in your new kit.

To check the tension of your new scissors, hold your scissors by the handle with the scissor blades closed, pointing up. Lift the thumb ring up to 90 degrees. Release the thumb ring. If the scissor closes quickly and completely your scissors are too loose. If the scissor stays open past 45 degrees, they're too tight ! The correct position should be at about 20 degrees

To adjust your scissors, find your adjuster in your scissor kit. Slowly tighten, or loosen by one small turn. Check your tension again, making sure you get it to the right tension!

There are a few other ways to tell that the tension adjustment on your scissors is wrong. If you're finding you have sore hands at the end of the day, your shears may be too tight. If that scissors are pushing or bending your clients hair, your scissors may be too loose. If you begin to experience any of these problems, clean and oil your scissors and check and adjust your tension.

Proper care of your new scissors!

You've prepared your new scissors and they are amazing ! Let us help you make sure they stay the best!

• Always remember to clean your hair cutting scissors frequently!
• Oil your scissors everyday!
• Only cut hair with your hair cutting scissors. Cutting paper or other products can dull and damage them
• Keep your scissors away from harsh chlorine and other chemicals!
• Consider investing in a scissor mat or holster to protect your scissors from falls, chemicals, water etc.
• Make sure you get your scissors sharpened at least once a year! Scissor sharpening should be done by a trusted professional! If just cut hair everyday ( example: a barber who does walk-ins non-stop) make sure to get your hair cutting scissors sharpened more frequently, at least every 6 months!
• Don't cut dirty hair. Hair that has dirt, oil and product build up can dull your scissors quicker!
• If you drop your scissors- call a professional !! Cutting hair with improper alignment of your blades can cause more damage!

Get to Cutting!

This is our last piece of advice ! Go use those new hair cutting scissors and give them a lot of love! We hope you love your new scissors as much as we do !