How to choose your first shears?

How to choose your first shears you ask? Well that’s easy! To choose your first shears is by choosing what's most comfortable for you. Sure, you can get the most basic or the most complex or you and get the cheapest or the most expensive - but will they be the BEST for you? Probably not. So What we recommend is that you start off simple but also do your research in shears that will help prevent any injuries in your exciting new hairdressing career.

What else goes into the best shear for beginners? We talk about it so much - but as above it's pretty obvious, it’s comfort. A comfortable handle and finger holes as well as being light weight with super sharp blades to get cutting into your journey as a hairdresser. Just be sure when you’re looking you carry your checklist before falling in love with the wrong pair of scissors.

What to look for in a hairdressing shear?

So here we have what to look for in a hairdressing shear broken down so you know what to look for and what not to look for. First we have the handle design, there is Classic, Offset, Crane and Swivel the names speak for themselves. Just joking - Classic is of course classic, not great if you’re wanting to prevent any injury related to discomfort - although some people really like this type of handle. Offset is more popular but not the most! This design can be used for a more natural feel but still needing to cross check the position of your body when cutting. Crane design has definitely been designed to help with already existing injury like RSI (repetitive Strain Injury)

Secondly we have the blade. The blade is obviously the other most important part of the shear, because without that you simply won't be able to cut! However, it’s not as simple as that, there are 3 different types of blades to consider before making your purchase and they include the following -

Convex: Convex blades tend to be the sharper blade than the others and require someone who's been in the hairdressing game a while and has complete control. The scissors are usually best for slide cutting, point cutting and feathering - These methods of cutting are usually learnt a little later in your apprenticeship/career so a convex blade might not be a good idea for your first shear - but still handy to have in your scissor case!


Semi Convex: Semi Convex blades are a mix of both convex and beveled edge blades. As the name says itself it's ‘semi’ convex so in saying that the semi convex blade is still a sharp blade, however not as sharp as a true convex blade but still sharper than a beveled edge blade. For a beginner it's great for your first time cutting - it's sharp enough but not too sharp allowing you to have control of the scissor and not feeling like you're going to cut your finger off. Keeping in mind if you choose, you can use this blade like a true convex blade, you just have to make sure the sections you take aren't too thick.

Beveled Edge: The beveled edge is not like the other blades, it's a more old and least expensive design and not as sharp or as appealing as the convex or semi convex blades but the beveled edge will still do the job, just a more basic version of the job like blunt cutting or the scissor over comb method. With this being said this blade could be used for beginners but not as favored as the semi convex for beginners.

Thirdly we have the length, the length is measured from the tip of the blade to the edge of the finger hole (not including the finger rest). Scissors come in a range of sizes including 5, 5.5, 6, 6.5, 7 and 7.5 inch. The most common size is generally a 6 inch scissor to start your career. However most hairdressers end up finding what's most comfortable for them throughout their career and can end up going down to a 5.5 or 5 inch scissor. Thinning scissors however generally come as a 6inch as a 6 inch scissor is what most hairdressers have as their normal shear.

And lastly we have the color - the best part yet! When you have finally figured out which shear is best for you you can then match it up to the color you want. Whether it's the classic silver, rose gold, matte black, neon pink, rainbow or even with a Swarovski gem to jazz it up - the choice is yours!

Different types of handles

As said above, there are different types of handles, Classic, Offset, Crane and Swivel. It can be so overwhelming knowing which is the right one for you, so let’s dig deeper into what these actually are.

Classic: The Classic is the one nearly everyone is familiar with. The Classic design is best used by people that hold their scissors with their middle finger which if you’ve been taught right isn't the correct way to hold a shear but some find comfort in it. The only downfall is that it leads to early injury in your hairdressing career like RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury) or carpal tunnel.

Offset: Offset is a more common handle design amongst hairdressers. It allows you to have a more natural free flowing position whilst cutting however you are still required to keep your elbow raised while cutting. The offset handle design is great for beginners as it teaches you to not only hold the handle correctly but also how to cut in the correct position

Crane: The crane handle was designed to help hairdressers that have created bad habits in their career by bad positioning when cutting hair. The crane design allows you to drop your elbow due to the arch of the handle which will alleviate your neck and shoulder from any discomfort you may have.

Swivel: The swivel is for the bold and daring. While you might feel a little out of control with this design it's actually the best to help prevent or help with injury from hairdressing. Why? Well because of the swivel action it allows your thumb to open and close in its most natural position possible. It's not restrictive and will always give you comfort - that's IF you can master it.

Shears to prevent Injury

So you’ve started your hairdressing career and want it to last forever so you need to be sure you have the right tools that will help you take care of your body for example the right pair of shears! Which ones you ask!? Well that's easy! If you read above the choice is pretty obvious, however if you didn't, well the answer is a shear with either an offset handle or a swivel. Why? Because the offset teaches you correct movement and positioning when holding the shears. An example of offset is the Matsui Rose Gold VG10
Whereas the swivel allows you to have complete freedom in movement and positioning as it opens the hand more and prevents any future injuries like RSI or Carpal tunnel. An example of Swivel is the Matsui Matte Black Swivel

Should you buy hair shears online?

Yes! A thousand times yes! Because why the heck not!? We do our grocery shopping, clothes shopping nearly everything online these days, so why not hairdressing shears? Here at scissor tech we have so many options that while yes, it can be hard to choose, however it can also be a fun experience by browsing through and seeing the huge selection of shears we have available. Does that sound overwhelming? Well lucky for you we have selected a few of our best hairdressing shears for beginners that are price friendly and super easy on the eye.

Firstly we have the obvious set that is super handy for all aspiring hairdressers - The Matsui Apprentice Kit. While being an apprentice is hard, it can also be hard on your bank account having to buy ALL of your tools on apprentice wages which is why this kit is undoubtedly the most cost effective move you’ll make. The kit includes the scissors and thinners to kick start your career, 5.5 inch Matsui cutting scissor, 6 inch cutting scissor with serration on the blades (best for the blunt cuts) and lastly the 6 inch thinning scissor to help thin your way through tough hair. You’re new apprentice kit is a click away

Next up, we have the Sozu Essentials Pink Rainbow Cutting Scissor. It’s not only affordable for our beginner hairdressers of the world but also stylish with its unique designs on the offset handles. Coming in a standard 5.5 inch this length covers most if not all aspiring hairdressers! Don’t like the pink rainbow!? Lucky for you they also come in silver!
Or are you needing a scissor, thinner set? Well the Sozu shears have you covered with a scissor, thinner duo set, also coming in silver as well as the pink rainbow.

Seeing as we are on kits and duo’s it would be rude of me to not mention our triple and quadruple sets. Why buy them individually and it costs you more in the long run when we have done the hard work for you in pairing them all up!? Our triple and quadruple sets come in a range of colors and styles. The only thing you need to figure out is which one you want! My personal favorite triple set is the Rose Gold Matsui Precision triple set including a 5.5 inch, 6 inch cutting scissor, along with a 6 inch thinning scissor. Now as my favorite quadruple set is the Matsui refresh Matte Black Set including a 5.5, 6 and 7 inch cutting scissors so I have all three on hand ready for any haircut thrown at me along with a 6 inch thinning scissor to help finish the perfect cut.

As said above we have a huge range of triple sets on offer including sets with a swivel scissor or a precision offset or even the stunning Swarovski scissors all coming in either single, duo, triple or quadruple sets. The choice is yours! Hopefully now making the right choice isn't so daunting or confusing when it comes to choosing the best hairdressing shears for a beginner, even if you aren't a beginner this article can be used by not only beginners but seniors too! Happy Shear Shopping!