What size thinning shears should I get? (how many teeth)

When purchasing a new pair of Thinning Shears or blending shears we understand that the possibilities can become very overwhelming . If you're reading this blog before you purchase a pair, GO YOU! Because you're doing your research before purchasing, which is always a great start!

Thinning Shears are normally used to Soften blunt lines, to remove any excess hair or weight from a Haircut and if you are trying to Texture a Haircut they can be used for a more chunkier Weight removal. But the main differentiating trait between a thinning shear and a normal Hairdressing shear is that if your clients hair lacks body then most stylists will whip out a pair of these shears because they really can be an all around cutting tool.

In the World of Thinning Shears there are all different sizes and numbers of teeth. You can get Swivel Shears, Reversible or even the color can be fun too! Some can have Teeth on one side of the blade and some can have teeth on both blades. You will find Thinning shears with small space in between the teeth and some with larger space between the teeth. 

So, not only will we go through "What size thinning shear should you get" but we will also go through some background knowledge on thinning shears too because you can find the right size thinning shear for you but is it the right shear for what you need? 

 

How many teeth should my Thinning Shears have?

A Thinning Shear can have as many as 25-40. Sometimes the amount of Teeth a hair Thinning scissors have come down to the length of the shear. A short Thinning Shear ranges from 5 Inches to 5.5 Inches and a longer Thinning Shear is anything from 6 -6.5 inches. Thinning shears and their lengths are traditionally shorter than say you normal barber lengths and what's classified as long and short with normal shear's that are not blending shears.

In other examples sometimes the width of the teeth can be finer which means you could have more teeth than say another blending shear that could be the same size. All different Blending Shears do take out different percentages of hair. The average amount a traditionally thinning shear should remove is around 35-40% of the section of hair you are cutting. When Buying a pair of thinning shears you should always ask or research how much percentage of hair the Shear removes so you can determine whether you need to cut more or less with the Thinning Shear you have chosen.

 

What size/length Thinning shear should I get?

When choosing the best size for you it all comes down to the size of your hands because a shear too large or small will make using that hair thinning shear difficult. When it's the right size for your hand it will be more practical for you when cutting.

You should measure the length of the blade against your middle finger, and the overall length of the scissor against the extended palm of your hand. 

Those with small hands or those cutting women's hair are more comfortable working with any length from 5 Inch to 6 Inches. Those who are cutting men's hair or have larger hands prefer using 6 inches to anything up to 7 inches or larger. Traditionally Thinning Shears will only go up to 6.5 inches but sometimes can be larger. 

When cutting with a traditional pair of thinning Shears with the teeth on one side of the blade the Shears can cut up to 35% - 40% of the hair when working with 30-40 teeth.

 

What Type of Thinning Shears are there?

Apart from the different number of teeth or lengths a Thinning shear can be there are also different "Types" of Thinning Shears too. The Number of Teeth can still vary with the different types of Thinning Shears too. So Below you will discover what we mean by different types.

Traditional:

Traditional Thinning Scissors are really just your normal everyday Thinner. There are the most commonly used thinning shears for all Hairstylist/Barbers , without all the bells and whistles I will list below.

Swivel: 

Swivel Shears are great for those Hairstylist or Barber that suffer from RSI and Carpal Tunnel related Injuries. So If you're a hairstylist that will also use your Thinning Scissors on a daily basis then these are great options for you!

Reversible:

Reversible Thinning Shears are great for those Hairstylists that know or love to change hands when cutting. So Yes you heard us correctly.. because these shears can be used by your left or right hand.

 

 

Texturizing Shears:

Now Texture shears or Texture Scissors are like the "Big Daddy" of Thinning Shears because the teeth are larger and chunkier than Thinning Shears that have finer teeth. These are great for Textured Cuts or Taking a lot of bulk out of thick hair. But be careful with these because mistakes are much more noticeable with these.

Double Sided Thinning Shears

We strategically listed these last because to find a double sided pair of thinning scissors are a little harder to find then what we call a traditional pair of thinning shears. These are great to have in your tool to learn on or have in your tool kit because they do not leave harsh visible lines like other thinning scissors can do. They can help reduce orthopaedic strain on your hands and arms when cutting, so these revolutionary Thinning shears are super impressive.

We mentioned a traditional thinning shear with 30-40 teeth can cut upto 35% of the hair but when working with a double tooth sided shear the percentage of haircut is much less and seamless.

 

Are all thinning shears the same?

Now We are going to keep this answer short and sweet because if you have made it to this part of the Blog I think that we can really both agree here that the answer to this question is a NO. We can agree that with some you can get similar results but with most Thinning Scissors work in different ways for different results.

 

 

Now reading this you probably feel like you got a little more than what you were bargaining for. Trying to figure out how much teeth you thinning shear should have come with a lot more questions that you need to ask yourself that we feel like we have covered for you.

If we have sparked some thoughts and you have any further questions you need answering, please don't hesitate to contact our friendly customer service staff through our socials, website or email because we would be happy to help as always. Happy Cutting!