Whether you aspire to become a professional hair stylist or want to try out a DIY haircut, it’s important to have the right tools in your arsenal.

Since hairdressing and barber scissors make for one of the most basic yet most essential instruments in hairstyling, your search for the right equipment should always start with them. But with a plethora of choices in the market, selecting the right pair of scissors is easier said than done.

However, it’s not an impossible feat to achieve. With the right guidance, you can find the perfect pair of scissors to make the most out of your hairdressing skill.

To help you along the way, here’s a guide to choosing your ideal hairstyling scissors.

Your Personal Comfort Matters

When you start your search for the perfect pair of styling scissors, you are bound to find a ton of recommendations over the web. But even when those suggestions come from a place of knowledge, they can’t take priority over your personal preference.

It’s because when you are working as a hairdresser for someone else or for your own self, you need to be completely comfortable with the equipment you are using. If you don’t feel at home with the design, the size, or the structure of the scissors, it can negatively affect your craft.

In order to stay away from botched haircuts, make sure that you are comfortable with the overall size and structure of the scissors you are about to buy. If something feels off, make sure to look for another option until you find an instrument that is an ideal fit for you.

Pay Attention to the Handle of the Hairdressing Scissors

Choosing the right handle not only allows for the perfect grip, but also lets you steer clear of long-term muscular and mobility issues. This is why, the ideal hairdressing and barber scissors integrate an ergonomic handle into their design and also let you choose finger sizes.

But this doesn’t limit your options to sizes alone. In fact, this integration is adapted into all major types of handles, namely the classic, offset, and swivel designs.

Classic

This handle comes in a straight structure that has equal measurements on either side. It requires you to hold the scissors through your thumb and middle finger.

While simple in its design, the classic handle is tricky to manage on a regular basis. It’s because it requires you to move your hands at uncomfortable angles during typical haircut practices such as point cutting. Due to this reason, it is mostly used during training sessions by novice barbers before they are able to advance to other handle types.

Offset

The offset handle stands out with its distinct design and ergonomics. The handle requires you to hold your scissors with your ring finger and thumb. It also has a shorter thumb hole to fit snugly on your hand.

This handle gives you more flexibility in terms of moving your hand and arm during haircuts. As a result, it makes for a more comfortable instrument than scissors with a classic handle. This also earns it a spot on some of the most popular hairdressing and barber scissors.

Swivel

The swivel handle requires you to use your thumb and ring finger to hold the scissors. With that being said, it lets your ring finger maneuver the blade and allows you to rest your thumb on the handle only for grip.

Due to the way that it is designed, it is also one of the more advanced handles to manage. But once you are acclimated with its overall functionality, it can also be the most flexible and comfortable handles to use on a regular basis.

Select the Right Blade Edge of the Hairdressing Scissors

Whether you are learning the ropes as a hairdresser or operating as an established barber, picking the right blade edge can make a massive difference for your craft.

Typically, hairstyling scissors are available in two types of blade edges. These edges define the blade’s precision and long-term durability. But choosing one over the other completely depends upon your personal preference and level of comfort.

1. Beveled Edge

Also known as German-style scissors or knife-edge scissors, the beveled edge is the older and more basic of the two scissor blade types. As defined by its name, the beveled edge is slightly angled at its end, but still has flat-surfaced blades.

Beveled edge scissors require more pressure to cut through hair, but they are also easier to use for novice hair stylists. They are also ideal for straight cuts and lower the chance of slippage. With these features, they are often used in those hairdressing and barber scissors that are used for training.

Beveled edge scissors are also more affordable to maintain and easier to sharpen. But they fall short of expectations when it comes to slice cutting or executing more textured cuts with ease.

2. Convex Edge

Also referred to as Japanese-style scissors, convex blades have an inward sloping edge on the surface of each blade. Due to their overall design, convex blades make way for sharper cutting and let you to manage complex haircuts with ease.

Convex edge blades require less pressure for cuts. They are also ideal for precision cutting techniques. While handling these blades can be a bit tricky at first, it allows for easier cuts and helps you breeze through textured cutting.

Convex edge blades are used in high quality blades and mostly used by professionals. However, they are usually pricier to maintain and sharp than beveled edges.

Don’t Forget the Blade Length

Once you have chosen the right handle and blade edge, you have to make a decision about the blade length for your hairdressing and barber scissors. Here, it is important to remember that different blade lengths allow you to unlock various levels of textures and types of cuts. As a result, it’s critical that your hairdressing scissors collection has a few instruments with different lengths in place.

With that being said, general purpose scissors are typically as long as the length of your extended palm. If you are going with a primary pair of scissors, you can go with this measurement and select between typical sizes of 5.5 inches to 7 inches.

You also need to keep in mind that shorter blades are ideal for precise trimming and cutting, while longer blades are better for textured cuts, chipping, and over-comb refinement. These blade sizes are easily available in different handles and edges, which makes it easier for you to make your selection.

Being aware of these points helps you choose the ideal scissors for yourself and lets you hone your skill at your own terms. However, whatever you do, you should make sure to buy high quality scissors from a credible manufacturer. This ensures that your scissors can provide you with the most value for money, and also allow for easier maintenance with overtime use.