Why Ergonomic Scissors Are A Must Have For Hairstylists

Firstly to know why Ergonomic Hair Shears are a must, we need to dive deep into what Ergonomic Shears are.

Ergonomic Scissors are more carefully designed hairdressing scissors than your traditional style hair shears. Ergonomic hair shears are designed to create less strain on your wrist pain, hand pain, elbow aches, shoulder pain and any other injury that may occur for you while cutting all day long.

The way Ergonomic Shears work is they are designed in a way to let you hand rest in a more natural position while cutting and to provide extra support while cutting too.

Workplace safety is always looking for new ways to look after their employees like, stand up desks in the office, where hairstylists were looking for ways to reduce their aches and pains.

Somewhere along the line there was somebody who came up with better concepts or designs for professional hair cutting shears, that would then be able to change the day to day life of a hairstylist's aches and pains around the world.

Today we want to take this opportunity to go through our favourite and must have Ergo design's that would benefit all hairdressers or barbers. There is a different type of Ergo tool for everybody. So if you're looking to change out your shears for more comfortable Ergonomic shears, then you have stumbled across the right place.

First let's understand the meaning of the word Ergonomic..

The meaning of the word "Ergonomic"

If you look up the meaning of Ergonomic you will find the definition explains "Relating to or designed efficiency and comfort in the work environment".

So let's get started..

Type of Ergonomic hair shears

Swivel Shears

Swivel Shears are designed for those suffering from the worst repetitive motion injuries like RSI or Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. A Swivel thumb ring is the hero design in these hair shears as they have the ability to let your elbow rest in a lower neutral position while cutting and to take strain off those problem areas like your wrist pain and neck and shoulder pain areas.

When being diagnosed with RSI or Carpal Tunnel syndrome by a doctor, this meant that your hairdressing career was over. Now that Hairdressers have access to the Rotating Swivel Thumb Shears design, they are able to continue cutting without any pain.

Classic Ergo Support

A Ergo design is essentially hairdressing scissors that have a dipped finger support with an offset design giving you ultimate comfort while cutting.

With a resting spot for each finger this will give you ultimate control while cutting and the most important aspect is the ultimate comfort these ergonomic shears provide.

These design's are a great design to use as a preventative to hair cutting injuries. So if you are starting to recognize slight discomfort while cutting then this design and the following designs after will be perfect for you.

Master Barber Ergo

The Master Barber is a fantastic addition to the Barber world as Barbers need that extra comfort too. Rotating Swivel thumb shears cannot be used in barbering unfortunately so that is why the Master Barber Ergo is a great alternative.

To have that ultimate control and comfort while implementing barbering hair cutting techniques was some sort of miss in the barber industry, until ergonomic shears came to play.

The master barber length is 7 inches or a 6 inch classic Ergo while doing fine for those Barber's with small hands that prefer a 6 inch length.

Super Ergo Devil

Super Ergo Devil is a nickname for this design by Matsui. This has been nicknamed the devil because by looking at the shears finger and thumb holes, they look like they are growing horns (fun name if you asked us).

We love these Ergonomic shears because not only do you have extra supporting finger rest for all four of your fingers but you also have thumb position rest's. The thumb ring finger rest is there for obvious reasons for cutting but the extra thumb rest is there for a more relaxed cutting position.

The end thumb rest will allow you to point cut vertically (with practice) which results in you lowering your elbow while cutting and taking any strain of any shoulder or back pains. Or you have the option to simply change your thumbs position while cutting too.

Reversible shears

Reversible hair cutting shears are not technically ergonomic hair shears due to the classic handle design (which is normally uncomfortable) But what is ergonomic about these is being able to cut with your left or right hand.

Naturally by taking strain of one hand to cut with the other will have great benefits to you if you suffer from any aches or pains while cutting. All your body needs sometimes is a good rest and these hair shears will give you that option by referring to them and changing hands.

Ergonomic Handles

Offset handles

Offset handles and generally the most comfortable design in handles. When a handle is symmetrical (classic design) to the end of the blade tip, this creates an uncomfortable strain in your wrist and hand.

Where an Offset design is designed so that your finger handle is longer and off center to the thumb ring which is short, providing you with a more natural position while cutting.

Crane Handle shears

A crane handle is a more exaggerated version than the offset design. The crane handle will angle downward more and the blades will sit more horizontal. This takes any strain off the thumb tendon and can lift your hands away from the clients skin when freehand cutting.

Ergonomic Tips

Well the first step to reducing those aches and pains is investing in a pair of Ergonomic hair shears, but what if those hair shears start to fail you over time? and you can't quite figure out why.

Well this is simple, if you don't maintain your ergonomic hair shears properly or any type of professional hair cutting shears properly over time then they are not working at their full potential for you.

Making sure your tension is set correctly is a huge factor to not experiencing hand fatigue. If your tension is too tight, this is what causes hand fatigue. Oiling and cleaning your shears can loosen the shears where if you don't regularly oil or clean this can stiffen the shears and cause hand fatigue. The very last tip is booking your scissors in for a professional sharpen at least twice a year is what is required. Blunt shears can cause hand fatigue, so don't let your shears get to that point.

Ergonomic hair shears are a must have for all hair stylists because no man or woman alive is immune from hand fatigue, strains, haircutting injuries or just simply aches and pains after a hard day of work.

We think good posture is important as well as ergonomic hair shears is the winning recipe for a pain free cutting experience.

If you are still unsure on what the best shear is for you and need a little more guidance, please feel free to contact one of our friendly customer service representatives who are always eager to help.