What Are Thinning And Texturizing Shears Used For

Welcome to the wonderful world of scissors! We have so many options to choose from, but what about thinning shears, or texturizing shears? We know you have so many questions ! Well we are here to help you learn more about these different shears!

Thinning shears

Thinning shears can be a hairdresser's best friend, if you understand them and use them correctly. They are usually a 5.5-6 inch scissor. One blade is straight while the other blade has teeth. For thinning shears they can be listed by how many teeth they have ( for example:The Jaguar Smart 39 Tooth thinner) or by the percent of hair they cut. Most standard thinning shears remove between 30-40% of the hair that is cut. You can find thinning shears ranging in amount of teeth from 25- 40 teeth. More teeth will give a more subtle finish.

How to Use hair thinning scissors

Thinning shears have a large range of usage in our everyday lives behind the chair. They can be used to remove excess weight, texturize, blend and even soften lines of a haircut. 

• Removing Weight- For basic weight removal you can use your hair thinning scissors by picking up a section of hair and cutting into it with your scissors. Lifting a section use your scissors to cut from about 1/4- 1/2 way up the hair shaft. Making sure not to cut too close to the root of the hair as this will cause hair to stick up. If you want to remove more hair and weight you can close your shears completely to remove up to 40% of the hair. If you want to remove less hair or weight, you can use only half the teeth to cut into a section. 
• Texturizing with thinning shears- You can use your thinning shears as you would regular cutting scissors to create texture. Thinning shears can be used for point cutting. Using the corner of your thinning shears to create a more piece-y texture. You can slice cut using thinning shears to achieve more texture and create volume.
• Blending - Thinning shears are often known as blending shears. By gently dusting the ends of the hair you can fade heavy cutting lines and soften and demarcation lines left from blunt cutting. They can be used to blend and soften layers. Thinning scissors can be your best friend when barbering or cutting shorter hair. They are used for blending from clipper to scissor cuts, or even to help soften and blend fades.

When not to use thinning scissors

Thinning shears are a great tool to have but we have all heard a client complain about that one hairdresser who used them and destroyed his or her hair. This is often an issue when a stylist is not educated in using thinning shears. Every experienced hairdresser should know how to use all of their cutting scissors properly!

Like most things in life, thinning shears are best used in moderation. It is far too easy to over thin hair. This is why its important to use hair thinning scissors with the correct hair texture. Thinning scissors are great to use in thick hair. Using thinning shears on very thin hair should be avoided. Frizzy hair and very curly hair should also be avoided when using your hair thinning scissors. 

It is also important to remember to use your thinning shears on dry hair. When hair is wet it will stick together more and you may remove too much hair. Always remember to not cut hair strands too close to the root. You want to remove weight from the interior of the cut. When thinning longer hair you shouldn't remove weight past the mid shaft. This ensures that the hair will still lay nice and smooth. If you use thinning scissors on finer hair it is best to use them just for blending or to remove weight from the ends of the hair. Fine hair is more likely to be thinned out too much, or stick up easier if it is thinned out further up the hair shaft. 

Texturizing shears

Texturizing shears can be a bit intimidating to look at. Similar to a thinning scissor they have a straight blade and one with teeth. These teeth are much wider and are more spread out. Texturizing shears have between 5- 14 teeth, like our14 Tooth Matsui Chompa. Texturizing shears usually come in sizes 5.5 or 6 inches.

How to use texturizing shears

Texturizing shears are used to create texture. I know we said you could do that with thinning shears but texturizing shears will give you a different type of texture. Texturizing scissors will create more visible texture. The fewer teeth they have the chunkier texture they will create, as they remove hair in larger "chunks". The main uses for texture shears is to create texture ( and lots of it !) and to remove weight.

• Create texture- Using texture shears is similar to thinning shears. You can simply pick a section of hair and cut it. This will remove chunks of hair and create visible texture. This works great in all lengths of hair. Using these cutting shears in short hair gives a lot of messy texture especially through the top of short haircut styles.
• Remove weight- Texturising shears can be used to remove excess weight as well. They are used similarly to your hair thinning scissors however they will remove more weight, and it won't be as soft as your thinning shears. This is important to remember when using them.

When not to use texturizing shears

Texturizing shears leave little room for error. They remove a lot more hair and in bigger pieces. So it is important to remember not to use them on fine hair or thin hair types. Thicker hair will work best with a texturizing shear. 

Texturising scissors are also meant to be used on dry hair. Wet hair will stick and remove more hair. They are best to be used at the end of a haircut to add texture and remove weight.

So which do you need...

a thinner or texturizing shear. Well we think both scissors are a great addition to any hairdressers collection. They each have a special place in a haircut. And now that you know the right way to use them, you can guarantee your clients will love their end results ! Check out are large variety of thinning and texturizing shearsHERE. Of course if you have any questions - we are always here!