by James Adams August 15, 2020 6 min read
People of all ages will cut their hair at home due to a number of reasons. In some cases, they may not be able to get an appointment at a salon or find visiting a salon unpleasant.
In other cases, they may decide their hair is too long and want a haircut immediately. Sometimes the salons may be closed if there is a lock-down due to covid-19 pandemic, riots or similar reasons.
In this case, some people try to cut their hair with any scissors which are available in the house. These scissors are usually tailoring, kitchen scissors, which are not designed for cutting hair. Some information on how to cut hair with regular scissors is provided.
For cutting hair properly with scissors, it is necessary to have properly sharpened scissors. Most of the regular scissors are not sharpened properly.
If the scissors are not sharp enough,the user will feel resistance while cutting the hair and apply a lot of pressure. So instead of cutting the hair, the user will be breaking the hair.
Though the problem will not be immediately apparent to the user, the damage will become visible after a few days or weeks. The hair tips which have been broken by applying pressure will usually develop split ends, adversely affecting the appearance of the hair.
Control is important while cutting hair, since the user wishes to trim only a particular section of his hair. Most of the regular scissors are large in size, with a large blade and handle.
So it is difficult to control these scissors properly while cutting. It is also difficult for you to see all your hair while cutting it. Hence it is advisable to cut only the hair which is easily visible, since this can be cut according to the requirement.
Usually you should only use regular scissors for cutting hair only for basic maintenance work, like trimming the hair ends
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Many people are cutting their hair at home for the first time this year . They do not know much about cutting their hair and they think that any scissors available in the home can be used for cutting.
Most homes have fabric scissors which are used for cutting different kinds of fabric and doing tailoring work. Also the home will have kitchen scissors used for cutting food and other kitchen items.
Office scissors are designed for cutting paper, opening packages. All these scissors are designed specifically for a particular purpose and should not be used for other applications.
One of the main reasons why the office, kitchen and fabric scissors should not be used for cutting hair, is that they are not sharp enough.
The fabric, paper or other item which is cut using these scissors, will not grow in future, so it does not matter if the scissor is not sharpened regularly. If the scissor is well maintained and sharp, it will cut any material fast without applying much pressure.
On the other hand, even if the scissor is not sharp, it is possible to cut by applying pressure, though the material is torn resulting in an uneven cut. However, if hair is cut, the cuticle of the hair will be damaged, and split ends will appear after some time.
Another reason why the fabric and kitchen scissors are not suitable is because of their design.
The blade of these scissors is very large in size, so it is very difficult to make precise cuts with these scissors. Often only a small part of the hair has to be trimmed or cut for hair cutting and it is not possible to precisely trim the hair using these large sized scissors.
The handles of the kitchen scissors are also larger in size, making it difficult to get a proper grip in the hand. It is also more difficult to open and close these scissors while cutting hair.
Why professional scissors are better for cutting hair
If you decide to cut your hair at home, it is recommended that you purchase professional Hairdressing scissors at the earliest for multiple reasons.
One of the main reasons is that the scissors are designed specifically for cutting hair, after consulting a large number of hairdressers and barbers.
In addition to being suitable for precisely cutting the hair according to your requirement, these scissors are designed for ease of use. It is easy to open and close the scissors , hold and move the scissors to any position while cutting hair.
Realizing that the quality of the haircut depends to a large extent on the sharpness of the scissors, many of the high quality hairdressing scissors are designed so that their blades are sharp for a clean cut of the hair, without damaging the cuticles in any way.
Many of these professional scissors are self-sharpening so that they can be sharpened easily by the user after they are used. So every time these scissors are sharpened they are like new scissors since they slice and cut the hair stands smoothly without causing any damage.
Another reason why hairdressing scissors should be used, is that they are small in size making it is easier to handle while cutting hair. Usually most people want to only trim the ends of their hair, cutting off a thin layer of hair. For this they require precise control of the scissors.
The professional scissors are typically less than 17 cm in length, with many popular models only 13-14 cm in length. Since the scissors are compact in size, it is easier to maneuver the scissors so that they can be positioned accurately for hair cutting any section of the hair.
Additionally the handles of the hairdressing scissor, where the fingers are inserted are smaller in size. This makes it easier for you to hold the scissors in the hand compared to other scissors with larger handles.
You will get a better grip when using these well designed hairdressing scissors, so it is easier to move the scissors across the hair while cutting it.
You will also have better control over the scissors since the handles are small. This ensures the scissor will not slip out of your hands while cutting the hair causing injuries.
For precise cutting of hair, it is necessary to have thin and sharp blades. Only the hairdressing scissors are designed for cutting hair and have thinner blades, for precisely cutting specific sections of the hair.
Thinner blades make it possible to separate sections of the hair, depending on the styling or trimming required, and cut the hair at precisely the right location. The scissors have specially designed blades which are slanted so that they can hold the hair allowing it to be trimmed more accurately.
The hairdressing scissors for hairdressers and professionals have been designed after considering the fact that they will be used for many hours daily. So they are ergonomically designed, so that the fingers and thumb of the hair is placed in its natural position while cutting the hair.
This reduces the stress on the fingers and hand to a great extent, reducing pain which the user will experience. Since it is light in weight and is gripped properly, the strain on the wrist and elbows is also reduced while using the scissors.
Since people pay their hairdressers and barbers well for hair cutting, most of the professional scissors available for hairdressing use top quality components.
The stainless steel alloy used for the blades, handle and other parts includes multiple metals to make it more durable so that it will not get rusted or damaged easily. The steel is hard, so that it will not develop scratches or get damaged if accidentally dropped from a height The blade of the scissors is tempered to make it sharp. The pivot screw used is of high quality and will last for many years.
Though the manufacturer has designed high quality scissors, it is also necessary for you to maintain the expensive scissors well so that they last for many years. Different designs of scissors are available with a variety of blades, and it is important to use the right scissor while styling the hair.
It is also necessary to clean the scissor after every use to remove hair, oil, and other dirt. The scissor should be sharpened regularly, preferably daily. The pivot screw and blades should also be oiled periodically, so that the scissor openly and closes easily when it is being used.
Most people are not aware of the difference between hairdressing scissors designed specifically for cutting hair and other scissors like kitchen, fabric and office scissors. So they often make the mistake of using any scissor they find to cut their hair, damaging their hair in the process and resulting in split ends after a few weeks. Hence it is necessary for people to know what will happen when they use the wrong scissors to cut their hair, and why they should purchase well designed hairdressing scissors, if they wish to cut their hair at home, for convenience and safety.
James is an experienced hairdressing and barbering enthusiast. He has experience in the Japanese and North American scissor market and strives to bring information on haircutting shears in one place. Writing for Japan Scissors USA, he focuses on Japanese hairdressing scissor brands, models, and the manufacturing process, so you can make the best choice in scissors the first time round.
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