Thick hair can be incredibly hard to manage, and that regular visit to your favorite stylist can make all the difference. Some people have hair that grows too quickly to wait for the next clip of the salon’s hair shears, which is when it may make sense to invest in a pair of thinning shears of your own to touch up your hairstyle between salon appointments.

How Do Thinning Shears Work?

Thinning shears remove excess weight from your hairstyle, making it easier to manage without altering your style. Unlike other hair shears, thinning shears have gaps in the blade so that only sections of your hair are cut with each snip. This means the style stays consistent, but excess weight is lifted out of it, preventing unruliness or the surplus body that’s so hard to manage.

Thinning shears are also used to layer hair, which can be useful for short cuts that need a little more regular maintenance between hair salons.

What Sort of Thinning Shears Do I Need?

Thinning shears are different from other hair cutting shears, having a jagged blade that looks a lot like a comb. If you are only looking to thin your hair slightly, find a pair at your local beauty store that has two comb blades instead of one.

A good rule of thumb is that the more gaps in the blade, the less hair will be cut with each snip. If you have thicker hair that needs a lot of bulk removed, look for thinning shears with fewer teeth. Think of it this way: if you want more hair left behind, you need thinning shears with more teeth. If you want less hair left behind, look for thinning shears with less teeth.

How Do I Find Quality Thinning Shears?

If you want your thinning shears to last, you’re going to wind up spending some money on them. Shear sharpening is more difficult on lower-quality blades and at-home shear sharpeners can be difficult to use on thinning shears because of all the gaps, so look for stainless steel hair sheers that already have a good edge on them. One good way to tell overall quality is by looking at the handle; if it looks like it’s made of cheap materials, the blades probably aren’t very good either.

The best thinning shears are usually found at stores that specialize in beauty products, rather than your local drugstore. A beauty store will have a wider selection of hair cutting shears and will probably also have a staff that can help you find exactly what you’re looking for.

When you find a pair of thinning shears that works for you, take good care of them and keep them in a separate package to keep them from going dull. You can test your shears’ sharpness by dangling a piece of thread without holding it taut and trying to cut it with the shears. If you can’t, bring them to the shear sharpener’s.

If you’re looking for a pair of quality stainless steel hair shears for home use, visit us at The Shears Depot. We have a wide array of hair shears and other beauty products that are sure to satisfy your every need at home or in the salon.

Julie Sullivan - July 7, 2009