Why You Should Tighten Your Shears Daily

When you shop at Scissor Tech we do everything we can to make sure your new shears arrive to you looking and feeling their best.. And we also make sure you have everything you need to keep them working their best! From shear oil to finger inserts our scissor care kit has the tools to help you maintain your favorite shears!

In your care kit you will find a round "key". This is how you adjust tension on your shears. Let's talk about tension, how to do it and why it's so important.

Why is tension so important?

You may have begun to notice that your shears feel “off”. They may be pushing hair, pulling it or even bending it. Your scissors are not meant to do that! Every haircut you do should be easy and your scissors should feel as if they are cutting straight, clean lines.

If your scissors are exhibiting any of these signs it may mean a few things. It could mean that you have dropped your shears. Even a small drop or bump of your shears can throw them out of alignment and cause damage to the blades. If you've dropped your shears it may feel like the hair is pushing, or sometimes even like there is sand on the blade of your scissors. If this happens, call your scissor sharpener to come help. To prevent dropping your scissors we provide a nice protective case to help keep them safe!

If you're cutting hair and you feel the hair is pushing or pulling first we recommend cleaning and tensioning your hair cutting scissors. To properly clean your shears, use the soft cloth we provide to wipe the two blades and remove all hair. You should be doing this between every client. Regular cleaning will keep your shears sharper longer. After removing all the hair fragments with a cleaning cloth, use a tiny drop of shear oil at the point where the blades meet. This will remove any left behind hair fragments. If you've cleaned and tensioned your shears and they are still pushing or pulling hair it means they need to be sharpened.

Checking your tension and adjusting the tension regularly will keep your blades from becoming dull. Dull blades cause hair to push and bend. The correct tension will keep you from sharpening your shears too often.

How to properly check and adjust the tension

To check the tension of your hairdressing scissors, hold them from the finger holes and have the blades closed, with the tips pointing up. Lift the thumb ring all the way until your scissor blades open. Let go of the thumb ring and let it fall.

If your thumb ring stays above 45 degrees it means your tension is too tight. If the thumb ring closes to 20 degrees or below, or they close completely, your scissor tension is too loose.

Most scissors will either have a tension screw or a tension system that uses a key to adjust. If your shears have a screw you can turn the screw clockwise to tighten the tension. Or you can turn the screw counter clockwise to loosen. If your haircutting scissors use a key, simply find which part of the key fits your tension screw and turn clockwise to tighten or counter clockwise to loosen. It is important to always adjust by just one small adjustment. If you over tighten or over loosen you can damage your scissor blades. The right tension will be when your scissor blades stay between 20-45 degrees.

Check that tension everyday!

By checking your tension and adjusting everyday you are taking proper care of your shears. You are keeping them safe from damage. Proper tension adjustment ensures that your shears are working their best and not affecting your cutting ability. This is why correct tension is so important. You do not want to cut hair with dull blades ! You are also saving yourself time and money in the future. If your tension is not correct you may need to have your shears sharpened more often, which adds up!

Great looking haircuts start with great feeling scissors ! Here at Scissor Tech we are here to supply you with the best shears for the best prices. We pride ourselves in having shears for everyone and every price range. However we always encourage proper use and care of your scissors to keep them working and feeling the best! We want to help you protect your investment !

We are always here to help! If you have any more questions on proper care of your shears don't hesitate to contact our friendly customer service !