How to properly hold + use cutting shears

Some of you may not be aware that I once attended cosmetology school.  My college experiences are pretty vast, if I say so myself. I enjoyed my time there and I definitely learned some great things that stood by my side.

If you’re familiar with the various things taught in cosmetology, you’ll know that learning to properly cut hair is one of them. This was my favorite portion of school, next to coloring hair the correct way.

There are various types of cutting shears used by many professionals for many things. I’ll keep it simple though and only share the basics. If you want to know what types of shears I use, the ones pictured are stainless steel blades by Ninja Swordsman. Here are 3 types of cutting shears.

Regular shears

Majority of professional haircuts are performed with these. They resemble more so with ordinary cutting scissors many of us have at home – only sharper. Great for various styles of cuts.

Thinning shears

Also can be referred to as chunking or texturizing shears. You have your regular end for cutting and the other end, which varies has spaced teeth. This helps thin sections of hair that tend to get thick in proportion to the rest of the head.

These don’t show visible cuts within a style as its only used to remove pieces of hair to thin out desired sections.

Razor shears

My favorite! This is another texturizing tool. You see there’s only one hole, which according to desired comfort, can be used for your thumb or index finger. I tend to use my thumb. There’s no actual “cut” motion but you only have to hold your piece/section of hair and use the blade to make small cuts. This gives hair a natural texture with varying lengths.

Now, do note that cutting shears do come in various sizes and shapes for accurate comfort. There are also a few ways you can actually hold your shears while cutting and combing through hair. I would assume the first image below is pretty self-explanatory. (Your pinky should rest on the little golden piece and thumb blade should be the only end moving as you cut.)

This is where it can get a bit of variation. In school, we were taught to hold both the comb and shears in our dominant hand. For me, that’s my right. While combing, our shears should be easily moved out of the way as we comb the hair. You can remove your thumb, allow the shears to fall, and push it back with your thumb. Shears should rest between pinky.

As you can tell below, it’s most comfortable for me to hold my shears back between my middle finger while combing but I still have a habit of doing it the correct way. You do what works for you as long as it’s done safely and effectively.

Your fingers should be lying flat against the shears while you comb with your thumb and index fingers. This helps keep the shears from moving and injuring your client or even yourself. When you;re done combing and have to cut again, simply flip the shears back onto your thumb and begin cutting. Easy, peasey!

Have you ever styled or even tried to use cutting shears how was it?