A Guide To Help You Learn to Buy Hair Shears or Hair Scissors and What the Heck is the Difference? What They Don't Teach You in School . . .

by www.MADShears.com The Place To Find MADShears for Every Kind of Scissor or Shear for Every Kind of Hair

Shears are a hairstylist's tool of the trade; just as an artist wields a brush on a canvas, the hairstylist uses shears to create beautiful hair. Shears are a stylist livelihood. It is of the utmost importance that a hair stylist have the best and latest tools of the trade. With good quality shears a stylist can change the way a person looks; making them appear younger, healthier, more attractive and boosting their clients self esteem. I bet you never thought about the psychological impact that a new "do" can have on a client. Just think how your client feels when their hair looks shoddy or "cheap". That client's experience is not a good one and they don't feel all the warm fuzzies like the first client. Will that Client come back? Doubt It!

In Cosmetology School, you more than likely received a Student Kit that came with everything you needed to use in school. Usually you receive a pair of shears, or as some call them hair scissors. This set usually includes a pair of thinning shears as well. These shears are usually lower end shears, that are great while learning and practicing with! The shears included in your set are great shears for Cosmetology School but, they are ill suited for use after graduation. After you take your board exams and you find that first Gig (Job) as a Professional Stylist, it is time to invest in a new pair of shears!

Many Stylist beg the question, "Why buy a more expensive shear?" Investing in a good quality shear pays for itself. So, why buy an inferior shear? The satisfaction of buying a cheap shear last only for a few moments. . . the disappointment in wasted money last much, much longer. . . and why replace a shear rather than adding a new one to your collection?

Even in the best and most talented hands, the wrong pair of shears will end in less than desirable results. A simple haircut can end badly for your client, and tarnish your reputation. Word of mouth advertising is often over-looked. When asked why new clients show up out of the blue; the answer is often "So and So's hair looked great, so I asked them who did it!" Cheaply produced shears can end in a hair cut that appears "cheap" and result in a client that isn't happy. Hair will grow back but, will that client come back?

Lower End hair scissors or shears often have two things that affect their cutting ability. Blades that are dull or inferior can damage the hair, causing split ends and poor quality shears can not ensure the clean line cutting that every basic hair cut begins with. Poor metal quality in shears, need to be sharpened more often. If you do not pay a Professional Sharpener with a good reputation, to sharpen your shears, the hair shears are literally chewing your clients hair. Dull and nicked blades also make your work more difficult. With a Fine Pair of hair scissors, made from a higher Rockwell hardness metal, your cutting edge will be sharper, and stay sharper in the long run. A sharper cutting blade also works for you. It is more efficient, cuts faster, cuts more hair in less time, and reduces stress on your hands. Just think of how many times you open and close your shears during one haircut! Cheaply produced shears are not what you want to use as a Professional Hairstylist!

There are literally thousands of hair shears or hair scissors out on the market today! How do you know if you are buying quality shears? Stay Tuned for our next edition in how to buy quality, professional beauty shears or hair
stylist scissors.

Shear Metalogy, Part Two of Our Ongoing Series, How to Buy Shears for MAD Hair Cutting! The Metal Aspect of Shears & Scissors!

There are thousands of hair shears out there to choose from, different metals, different handles, lengths, ergonomic, thinning shears, convex, this and that. . . the list seems almost endless but hey, it's OK, it isn't endless! Chill! When you have graduated from your cosmetology student shears and it is time to buy those first shears, we recommend that you choose your "workhorse" shear. This shear will be the main shear you use when cutting hair. We also recommend a thinning shear  (sometimes called a blender or texturizer scissor) as well.

Your talents are limited by your shears and your shears are limited by your talents. We have talked to numerous shear manufactures and they are all in agreement. They all suggest buying a shear one step ahead of your skills and talents. We agree hands down. It is wise to invest in shears that will ultimately last you for a while. You sure don't want to be held back by your student shears. So, how do you choose that shear?

The first thing you need is a little course on metal. OK, this is easy, you didn't have to minor in "metal-ogy" to get this. Lets go to the kitchen, pick up a fork, look at that fork. Is it rusted? Is it pitted? Probably not. "Silverware" as many call it, is made out of stainless steel. Stainless steel is strong, and anti-corrosive resistant. Now go look at that black iron skillet that grandma used to cook in. Is it strong? Do you think you could break it? WE HOPE NOT! LOL! That Stainless Steel Silverware is made of iron and carbon, like grandma's skillet, mixed with other alloys (metals) to make it "stainless".

Stainless steel does not rust unless subjected to real abuse! Stainless steel is iron, carbon, and other alloys like chronium all mixed together. This potion isn't a secret but it is the key to a quality shear. Every hair shear is made with a stainless steel mixture of alloys. Some shears contain cobalt, otherwise known as molybdenm (moly steel), sulpher, manganese, and even silicon. And, no, it isn't the same silicon your friend Heather is thinking about adding to her body to enhance certain aspects!

Ultimately, hairstylist, barbers, and groomers want to launch your new career with the best shears you can afford and only you know that price but, MADShears recommends that you choose your first shears wisely. Down the road, instead of buying a new pair of shears to replace the ones you have; you can add NEW ones to your shear collection. As your skills and talents grow, so should your collection of shears.

All this metal talk is going some where. We promise. The Big Rockwell scale. Simply put, the Rockwell Hardness scale measures how hard a metal is. Hardness is determined by using a load to push a diamonded cone into the metal.The depth the cone travels into the metal is the degree of hardness. The higher the degree of Rockwell, the harder the metal. But, hardest isn't always the best. Shears ideally should be hard enough to prevent corrosion and to hold that MAD sharp edge, but light enough to be easily used. We don't want your arm falling off, but we don't want you cutting with a shear that won't stay sharp either.

The industry standard for hair shears is hotly debated right now but, 440 Stainless Steel is universally agreed on as being the best base for a hair shear. You may see it referred to as simply 440 Stainless Steel or you may see Japanese Steel. These terms are pretty much interchangable. So, don't be afraid of the "metal-ogy", you just passed with flying colors!

Next up, Forging and Casting and we aren't talking about Hollywood! And Handling the Handle!  If  You Need Help NOW, e-mail us by clicking here Sharp@MADShears.com or give us a buzz at 336-510-9278.  We will be more than happy to assist you in buying the right shear for you or answering any questions you have about shears! Buying a Shear as a Gift for Someone?  We can give you specific information you will need to buy what that person would want and what that person needs.