How to clean hair shears the right way

Hairdressers and barbers of the WORLD please listen up! There is a right and a wrong way of how to clean your shears. This isn't something that should be over thought but definitely taught more in salons and hairdressing supply shops everywhere. If you want your hair shears to last longer than a single haircut then be sure to read on to give your hair shears the long life they deserve and to be able to get what you pay for. Now don't stress we're not going to over-complicate the 'how to', because in all honesty the 'how to' isn't complicated at all and believe it or not, it's super quick to do!

Standard Maintenance of a Shear

Here are the 4 steps which are simply a must! Follow these steps every day at least once a week and you can expect your shears to last years!

1. After every use of your shears grab a clean cloth or clean dry towel and wipe off any excess hair
2. With scissor oil be sure to oil your scissors on both sides of the blades around the fulcrum (some will call it a screw) once applied open and close the scissors to ensure oil is spread evenly
3. Check tension of scissors with key provided
4. Always put scissors back into their protective case to keep them dry, clean and away from any damage that could potentially be caused - eg: being dropped

How to properly oil your shears?

Seeing as this is a super important step and a part of the proper cleaning process, we thought we would break it down further to ensure your scissors cutting performance will not be affected by improper oiling. So here we go...

Firstly you'll need to carefully wipe your scissors down to get rid of any excess hair with a soft cloth. Please be sure you are wiping the shears down with nothing else other than a cloth, so this means no rubbing alcohol or alcohol based cleaning liquid or even water no matter what anyone says. Reason behind this is because if any solution is left on the shears it can cause unwanted corrosion and cause your shears to stiffen up and not perform anymore.

Once the shears are rid of any excess hair, it's now time to apply the oil. Most if not all scissors will come with special oil that's designed specifically for hair cutting tools (scissors) and nothing else. The hair industry has come a long way to make sure there is a difference between scissor oil and clipper oil. Both are formulated for different reasons, so be sure you're using the right oil.

So when applying the scissor oil, you'll need to apply it directly onto the blades right near/on the adjuster screw area - repeat for both sides, then open and close the scissors to spread the oil evenly. Having trouble with these steps? No stress we have a simple how to video here on how to clean your scissors here and how to oil your scissors here

Once oil is applied and spread, you'll need to make sure the scissors have the correct tension. To do so, simply hold the scissors up right with the tip of the scissors pointing upwards. With one hand open, lift one of the handles to open up the blade of the scissors at around 90 degrees. Release the handle that was lifted and let it drop freely. If the handle drops and closes too quickly the tension is too loose and will need to be tightened.

Use the tension key provided to adjust the tension by roughly 2 - 3 clicks or however many clicks you see fit. Repeat the process of opening the blades and allowing the blade to fall close. However, this time the blade should fall closed to at least a 45 degree angle and not completely shut. If not then you will need to repeat all these steps again until the tension is perfect.

Having trouble understanding these quick steps? Problem solved - we have another easy video for you to follow here

Anything scissor related, we're always here to help to keep your scissors in tip top shape! So please reach out to our super friendly customer service team to have all your questions answered!