What Is the Difference Between Scissors and Shears?

If you’ve been reading hairstyling blogs for a while you may be wondering what’s the difference between scissors and shears. The two terms can seem like they’re used interchangeably, however, that’s not exactly the case. In fact, while many hairstyling blogs use the term shears, that’s almost always incorrect. So, scissors vs shears, what’s the short answer here? Essentially, shears are extra-large scissors. Scissors’ blades are usually long 6 inches or less while shears go above 6 inches. Additionally, the handles of most shears are different too in order to accommodate the larger size of the blades. And that’s actually…

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How to Sharpen Hair Cutting Scissors at Home

If you like to cut hair, chances are that you’ll need to know how to sharpen hair scissors. It doesn’t matter if you cut your own hair, are an amateur hairdresser, or if you are an actual professional hairdresser. Most people go their entire lives without sharpening their scissors once. That’s completely fine most of the time – if you aren’t really using them. You can also get away with sharpening items like garden scissors or kitchen scissors very rarely, unless you’re using them very often, of course. Sharpening your hair shears is important, however. This is especially true if…

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How to Properly Use Hair Thinning Shears

You have probably heard of thinning shears. These hair tools have a scissor-like appearance. They are used to make your hair look its best. But wait! You need to be careful when using these tools. Improper use of thinning shears could mean disaster for your hair. Do you use (or want to use) thinning shears in your barbershop or salon? Do you use them at home to make things easier for you? For your children? For your household? Before breaking out your shiny new thinning shears, it is a good idea to learn how to use them properly. That’s why…

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Materials Used for Manufacturing Shears

The material your hair cutting shears is made from determines how long they can last without sharpening and how fine the edges can be. Of course, the way you take care of your shears has an impact on their longevity as well. But the first things that their quality depends on are the materials and the manufacturing process used. Thanks to years of development and innovation in manufacturing, nowadays, a variety of different materials are used to make shears. You’ll find the most common of these below. The Manufacturing Process for Scissors A long time ago, cutlery makers discovered that…

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How Scissors Are Made

Hair cutting shears and scissors are usually made out of steel. But those scissors which are for more specific purposes are made from other metal alloys as well. For example, scissors meant to cut the explosive substance cordite cannot produce sparks. Along the same lines, scissors meant to cut magnetic tape cannot interfere with the tape’s magnetism. Types of Steel Scissors Steel scissors can be divided into two basic groups. Stainless steel scissors usually have a plastic handle fitted to the metal blades. This plastic handle is generally made from a strong and lightweight material such as ABS plastic. Stainless…

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The Differences Between Expensive and Cheap Hair Shears

The old saying, “you get what you pay for” is true for many things. Hair shears are no exception to this rule. There are several factors which can influence the price of a pair of hair cutting scissors. Try to keep them in mind the next time you are looking for a pair to make sure that you get exactly what you need for the cuts you plan to do. Materials As you might have guessed, inexpensive or cheap hair scissors are made of inexpensive materials. They are usually made of steel, but the quality of that steel directly affects…

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Tips for Buying Hair Cutting Shears

It’s no secret that shears are the most important tool for every hairdresser. That’s why it’s important to buy scissors that are high-quality, long-lasting, and suitable for each particular hairdresser’s needs and wants. To find out how to orient yourself in the shears market, read on. The Design It’s obvious that we pay for many different things while buying hair shears. We pay for the design, material, functionality, and labor as well as many other factors. In terms of all those factors, each manufacturer has its own particular style and focus. Some manufacturers focus only on design, leaving functionality and…

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Types of Barber’s Shears

Hair cutting scissors are the most basic and essential tool for every barber. This is regardless of whether they are a professional or simply an amateur. Apart from the regular hair cutting shears, there are a few other types of barber shears. These are used for different hair cutting techniques. Since these scissors are a hairstylist’s artistic tool, they must be different to achieve different ends. For example, there are different shears for cutting, thinning, texturizing, and styling. The quality and result of a haircut depend on more than the quality of the barber’s scissors. It also depends on how…

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The Terminology of Scissors

You may think that an everyday item like scissors would have a simple construction. You might think that the names of the parts of scissors would be quite easy as well, but that is not true. Scissors – especially those meant for use on hair – are quite complex items with their own specific terminology. So, let’s check out the vocabulary of scissors in more detail. The points or tips are the ends of blades. The finger bows are the handles, where the fingers are inserted. Generally, there are two finger bows, one for the thumb and one for the…

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