Guide To Thinning Shears For Hair

Introduction

Image Tweezerman Shears

Tweezerman All Rights Reserved.

Hairdressers use a variety of cutting tools when creating hairstyles or cutting hair.

One common haircutting tool is the thinning shears which is designed to thin bulk from hair.

Thinning shears are designed much like a scissors except that have matching jagged edged blades that resemble miniature combs.

Designed to remove bulk by thinning strands of hair, they are also designed to shape the tresses without significantly changing the base hairstyle.

If someone has a bob haircut but wants the bulk of the hair thinned out, the thinning shears is the tool to use.

At this point it should be mentioned that thinning shears should only be used by a licensed hairdresser who understands the best use for this specialized hair cutting tool.

Thinning Shears Are Not Compatible With Curly, Coily Or Kinky Tresses In Most Cases

Thinning shears, except in some very rare cases, should not be used to thin curly, kinky or naturally frizzy hair. If thinned inappropriately the natural texture can be altered in such a way as to make the natural curls, coils or kinks frizz out of control.

Image Courtesy of British Hair Awards

Kennadys Hair Salon All Rights Reserved.

While thinning shears or thinning scissors, as some hairdressers call them, can reduce puffiness in very think hair, it is not appropriate for every type (fine/thin, medium, thick, super thick) or texture of hair (straight, wavy, curly, kinky, extra curly).

One of the best advantages of the thinning shears when utilized carefully on the proper type and texture of hair is that it can help to blend hair throughout the layers which will reduce sharp edges or unnecessary choppiness.

Thinning Shears Are Not Best On Stick Straight Strands

Obviously thinning scissors are not well suited for hair which is thin, fine or stick straight.

The reason thinning shears don't work well on straight hair is because this texture shows every single line or mark a hair cut makes. Shears can leave actual teeth marks on hair which is fine, thin of stick straight.

For some reason thinning shears are more popular with some hairdressers then others. In addition, in certain parts of the country thinning shears are used much more liberally on men's haircuts than women's style.

Thinning Shear Use

It's best to only allow a licensed hairdresser to thin your tresses. Most hairdressers combine the shears with a comb as they work through the hair.

Thinning shears should never be used directly along the roots of the hair. The hairdresser should allow a range of 2 to 3" of root spacing before the shears are utilized on the strands.

Image Courtesy of British Hair Awards

Kennadys Hair Salon All Rights Reserved.

Thinning shears are held at a 45 degree angle and carefully directed down the hair strand in a gliding movement with cuts being made along the length of the hair.

Dry Haircut

Many hairdressers have a difficult time cutting hair when it is dry. They prefer to cut hair when it's damp or wet.

Thinning shears should never be used on anything but bone dry hair. Wet or damp tresses have a tendency to clump together which means as the shear glides down the hair shaft it may remove way too much thickness.

A thinning shears should only be moved through the hair at the end of a cut when the hair is dry and it is used to shape or fine tune the original hair cut.

When the shears are used on the lower half of the hair they have the result of providing lift to the roots.

Why should thinning shears never be used curly, coil rich, kinky or frizzy hair? If the client doesn't know how to style the hair appropriately their hair can become fuzzy or excessively frizzy after they leave the salon.

Achieving Proper Balance With Shears

One of the biggest challenges of utilizing thinning shears is to achieve a good balance of hair is sheared off. The key is making sure there is neither too much or too little removed.

Thinning shears should only be used a few times a year and not during every haircut. Experts suggest they should be used to thin out hair only once or twice to prevent hair from becoming unbalanced in texture and fullness.

If too much hair is thinned out the result will be lank or flat. Hair can also become so light it is actually fluffy and becomes difficult to style properly.

Hair needs time to recover from a thinning cut and to grow back.

A Quality Pair Of Thinning Shears Should Be Used

A good pair of thinning shears can range in price with the very best pair ranging up to several hundreds of dollars. Inexpensive shears will tend to be less sharp than expensive ones.

Thinning shears will have different teeth designs. The more teeth the shears contains, the less hair that can be removed. The less teeth the more hair.

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