What Is The Maintenance For Swivel Scissors?

So you have purchased your first pair of Swivel Hair Cutting Shears or you already own a pair and wondering, what is the right way to maintain your shears? Well you have arrived at the right place.

Whether you have invested in a cheaper pair of Swivel Hair Scissors or the most expensive pair and the highest quality pair of Swivel Hair Scissors, they all need to be maintained. No haircutting scissors in the world are designed to self-maintain themselves, because if they were.. they would be more like robots then hair cutting scissors.

Even though this blog is named the "Maintenance of Swivel Shears" It's basically the same as maintaining any other hair cutting scissors too, with one small difference being the swivel thumb. 

So let's get into the correct way to maintain those Swivel Shears for you..

Cleaning and Oiling

Cleaning and oiling your scissors is an important part of prolonging the life of your hairdressing scissors.

Below we have listed some important steps to take when cleaning and oiling your hairdressing scissors.

• After you're finished with a haircut we recommend you wipe down your hair shears with a cleaning cloth, to remove any excess hair or chemicals. This is to ensure that you protect the steel from any corrosion that any excess water, products or chemicals can cause to the steel.
• Oiling your scissors should be done at the end of every work day. When oiling a pair of Swivel Shears you need to not only oil the blade pivot point but also the swivel thumb swivel pivot point. By oiling the blades pivot point and swivel pivot point, the oil pushes out any caught up hair or dirt. Wiping your scissors after working in the oil by opening and closing your hair cutting scissors will wipe away that excess dirt and hair.
• Only a drop of scissor oil is needed on each blade as close as you can get to the pivot point as possible. Also one drop of oil is needed in the rotating thumb point, you also don't need to oil the rotating thumb point as often and the blades.
• Make sure you don't leave your hair cutting shears soaking in any Barbicide as that can cause corrosion to your shears.
• Use only the correct type of scissor oil and not just any type of oil, as scissor oil is designed to not cause any damage or corrosion to the steel. Clipper oil is not recommended to use on any hairdressing scissors, as the ingredients in your clipper oil can actually shorten the lifespan of your shears.

Sharpening

To maintain those sharp edges on your hairdressing scissors blade ends, it is recommended to Get your shears professionally sharpened at least twice a year.

By having your scissors professionally sharpened by a hairdressing scissor blade specialist you don't run the risk of an inexperienced sharpener damaging your shears or simply not sharpening them correctly.

Some scissors may stay sharper for longer depending on the different types of steel, but really all scissors no matter the quality or cost do need to be sharpened regularly.

A quick way to make sure your Scissors have been sharpened properly is to do the tissue test. The tissue test is when you deep cut into a tissue to see if the blades stick or slice through the tissue with ease. If the blades stick that means they are not sharp enough and sharpened wrong.

Checking the Tension

Checking the tension regularly and especially setting the tension properly when you first receive them is important. This is so important for two reasons... The first being if the tension of your hairdressing scissors are too loose then when you cut with them, they can bend or grab the hair. The second being if the tension is too tight then the scissor blade can wear, get damaged and cause pain in your hands.

When you're using a pair of Swivel Shears then you don't want any added pain you actually want to reduce your pain. That's why it's so important to have the correct tension.

How to check the tension:

1. Always start of by oiling your scissors before checking the tension
2. Hold the right side handle with your right hand, make sure your scissor blades are in the up right position and pointed to the sky in front of you.
3. Raise the left handle of the shear. The idea is to open the shears to an open position and then drop the left blade and handle to see where the shears are closest to.
4. If the shears are completely closed together then the tension is too loose. If the handle drops and moves a little then but still stays open, the tension is too tight.
5. The perfect tension to have is when the handle or blades meet just before the close, or around or just under 2cm or so together.

Having a safe home for your hairdressing scissors

So what does a safe home look like for your shears?

The most important tip to know is to always store your Swivel Scissors back in their case away from any wet areas. If you store your scissors in your trolley or a cupboard then always make sure it's away from any potentially leaking spray bottles.

Have a dedicated dry area for you Swivel Scissors or any other tools that may become corroded or broken from any leaking water, chemicals or hair products.

Maintaining your Swivel Scissors specifically is really similar to maintaining all types of hair shears. The added maintenance to a Swivel Shear as mentioned before is oiling and cleaning the Thumb Swivel point of your shears. If you have had your Swivel Shears for some time and find the grip in the finger holes is not as comfortable anymore, then maybe you need a replacement of the finger ring inserts.

Whether your scissors are designed to last you 3-7 years or have a lifetime warranty guaranteed, they will only last as long as you maintain them properly.

Now go and maintain those Swivel Shears and thank us later!