Care of Professional Shears

Caring for your Shears

Your shears are one of the most important tools in your kit, but if you’re not properly caring for them, you may be missing out on their full potential.  You will need……..

Clean cotton cloth
Shear oil (We only use Japanese Camellia Oil)
Tension tool
In order to keep your shears in tip-top shape, you’ll need to perform these maintenance checks: after every haircut, once a week and every six months.After every haircut, wipe the blade from the pivot of the shears to the ends with a cotton cloth. Remember to close your shears and place them on a towel between use - this will help protect the blades.

Oil your shears once a week(minimum) to prevent corrosion.

Here’s how.

  1.  Wipe the shears clean with a cotton cloth
  2. Use a single drop of high - quality shear oil between the blades and screw.
  3. Open and close your shears several times, working the oil behind the joint. This will help release the product and hair fragments between the blades.

How to Maintain your Shears

Quality Shears are a significant investment. With proper care, premium shears should provide you with 12-15 years of service. In order to ensure your shears perform well over their lifespan, we recommend the following simple maintenance tips. 

Cleaning:
Using a soft cloth towel, thoroughly wipe your shears and blades after every cut. This will reduce build-up of chemicals and debris, which may adversely affect the performance of your shears throughout your workday. At the end of the day make certain your shears are thoroughly dry between the blades.

 Lubrication:

After cleaning and drying your shears, carefully open to a 90 degree angle. Put one or two drops of top quality scissors oil (we use Camellia Oil) into the “joint”. It assists the cleaning process by washing out dirt and debris from under the pivot and leaves a wax like coating. Open and close your shears several times working the oil between the joint. This will help remove any chemicals as well as hair fragments. This should be done at least once each day. 

Why Oil and Clean Daily?
Daily oiling and cleaning will enhance the performance and extend the cutting life of your shears. Regular cleaning and lubrication protects against rust and deterioration from chemical/moisture contact in the salon environment, build-up of bacteria attracting debris in the interior pivot and blade area, reduces friction from blade movement, and prolongs sharpness.

Adjusting Tension (Balancing):

Adjusting tension is an important part of getting the best results from your shears. If the tension is too loose, it will allow your shears to fold the hair. If it is too tight, it will cause unnecessary wear and user fatigue. To test for tension, hold the shears with the tips pointed upward. Lift one handle up so the blade is in a ninety-degree angle and let the blade fall closed. If the blade falls completely closed the tension is too loose. Rather, it should close about two thirds of the way. For reference, the shear angle should be between 10 degrees and 30 degrees.

 

 

 Storing your shears

Always store with the blades closed. It is beneficial to store your shears in a shear case or leather holster when not in use.

Be Careful When Handling Shears

Hair-cutting shears are to be handled gently and carefully while being used throughout the day. Throwing the shears down hard on the counter or accidentally 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.

It's also important that you don’t let others use your shears. Hair-cutting shears are very expensive and designed with a very specific purpose. They shouldn’t be used for everyday applications. Never use your shears to cut wrapping paper, open a bag of chips, etc.

 

How often should you sharpen your shears? 

  • The shears just aren’t cutting properly. If you have been using these shears for a while and suddenly, they just don’t feel right, it’s time to determine why. If it has been 6 months since sharpening your premium shears, they probably need to be sharpened. (3 months for regular shears). First wipe the blades and apply some oil, adjust the tension and see if that improves the performance. If not, it’s time to have your shears sharpened.
  • If your blunt or straight sharpening and the hair is pushing away, it’s time to have your shears sharpened.
  • If you are slide cutting and the hair is pulling or grabbing, your shears need sharpening.
  • If cutting the hair feels “chunky”, there could be a nick or nicks on your blade. They need to be sharpened immediately.
  • You are experiencing strain in your fingers or wrist. Dull blades make cutting the hair laborious…shears need sharpening. If the strain continues afterwards, you may want to consider a “rocker” shear.