Hairdressing tools. Hair thinning: a fashion trend or an obsolete procedure

For a hairdresser, one of the main tools is scissors. Currently, manufacturers produce a variety of models, but choosing a quality tool for hairdressers is not as easy as it seems at first glance.

Tool selection:

1. Material

The classic version of scissors is made from (the higher the carbon content, the better the tool can be hardened). The HRC mark can be seen on the packaging, which indicates the hardness level, which varies from 58 to 62 on the Rockwell scale. If the level is above 62, then you should not purchase such scissors, as they will be fragile. The tool may also have an additional chrome or titanium coating, which is hypoallergenic and wear-resistant.

2. Sharpening the blade

The sharpness of the scissors depends on the sharpening angle (the smaller it is, the sharper the device). The standard sharpening angle for scissors is 40 - 50 degrees.

3. Smooth operation when using

A good tool should close easily without the use of force. They should be comfortable (when a specialist works with scissors for a long time without feeling tired in his hands) and comfortable when used by a specialist. To achieve this goal, manufacturers have created models with handles of various shapes (symmetrical, semi-symmetrical - and offset). There are also scissors that have a little finger rest, which can be removable or fixed (it allows the hairdresser to spend less effort during the work). Each hairdresser chooses a form for himself in accordance with his preferences.

Professional hairdressing scissors come in different lengths (measured in inches). The standard length of scissors is 5 - 5.5 inches. An important condition is to select scissors according to the length of your fingers. For a specialist with extensive work experience, having one tool is not enough; it is important to have different types. For example, these could be thinning scissors - with a classic blade length.

5. Thinning scissors

Thinning scissors can be different: single-sided or double-sided; they can differ in shape (prismatic, with sparse teeth) and the width of the teeth, as well as their number. For example, different widths will help the hairdresser create or add volume to the hair. Thinning scissors also have a second name - flag scissors.

6. Manufacturing company

Currently, there are a huge number of manufacturers of hairdressing tools. But Japanese scissors are especially popular, especially in England, Scandinavia, and Russia, since this country has strict quality requirements due to the structure of the hair of the local residents (they have it hard and thick). Scissors made in Japan are interesting in their design, have a serial number and manufacturer's information. If the tool packaging says “Japanese steel”, it means they were made in another country, but using the specified steel.

7. Cost

Professional scissors, including scissors, are expensive, as they are made using manual labor. The approximate cost ranges from $150 and up. The variety of blades has led to the division of the tool into straight (the scissors have a micro-notch that prevents sliding along the hair) and thinning scissors. Most often, models with micro-notches are used for men's haircuts.

Instrument care

We must not forget about proper care of the hairdresser’s main tool.

Scissors must be clean and dry.

After each haircut, you need to clean them of any remaining hair.

Buy special oil to lubricate scissors.

Never adjust scissors with open blades.

Once every 6 months, consult a specialist who will help you monitor the condition of the scissors.

Toothed helpers

Now let's talk about a type of professional hairdressing tool - thinning scissors. At the same time, we will no longer touch on the composition of steel, hardening processes, and so on. All these technical issues are equally directly related to both ordinary scissors and our “toothed assistants”.

In general, it should be noted that the attitude towards thinning scissors in our country has developed quite ambiguous. In my practice, I have met craftsmen who almost never use this tool, declaring that they can easily do all the work with ordinary scissors. On the other hand, many hairdressers cannot imagine their work at all without “thinning” and can complete the entire haircut without even touching ordinary scissors. It seems that this situation is the result of the influence of numerous haircutting techniques presented by a variety of hairdressing schools, individual preferences and accumulated experience. But be that as it may, thinning scissors remain a convenient and therefore important tool that allows you to solve a variety of tasks when performing a haircut.

“Thinnings” as we know them today appeared relatively recently. And if the history of ordinary hairdressing scissors goes back almost a millennium (after all, back in Ancient Egypt, Queen Cleopatra’s hair was cut with a quite decent tool for those times), then the task of thinning hair for centuries was solved only with the help of a razor or something similar.

Only in the 30s of the twentieth century (just eighty years ago!) in the USA the first prototypes of thinning scissors appeared, that is, scissors where one blade is cutting, and the second has teeth. But by and large, these were not thinning scissors, but a so-called “blader”. The fact is that American engineers came to the need to sharpen not only the edge of the cutting blade, but also the tops of the teeth. As a result, hairdressers received a tool for thinning hair, but the final effect of the work was quite difficult to predict. The fact is that when cutting, the hairs could easily slide off the sharpened teeth, and it was impossible to guess how many of them would be cut at a given moment. Each new cut gave a new, unexpected result. By the way, as far as I know, some modern manufacturers are thinking about having such thinnings in their assortment. And really, why not?

Only in the 50s, but already in Europe, one of the engineers proposed applying a micro-notch to the top of the teeth. Now, the master could already clearly know how much volume would be removed during the cut. And this depended on the width of the teeth and the width of the interdental space. Later appeared "V"- the shape of the cutout at the top of the tooth. This means that all the hair that needed to be cut clearly went into such a “pocket” and was definitely cut off.

Today, manufacturers of professional hairdressing tools offer us many models, of various shapes and sizes, designed to solve the most incredible haircutting problems. Consider, for example, the concept of “sliding cut with thinning scissors” that appeared quite recently! By the way, I myself do not agree with this term. In my numerous discussions with adherents of this technique, I have so far been able to prove that combining two phenomena - “sliding cut” and “thinning scissors” into one concept - is only a beautiful marketing ploy, since in fact it is fundamentally impossible to perform the sliding cut with thinning, which is so familiar to us . At the same time, my opponents usually talk about the nature of the hand movement. Indeed, the cut is made at an acute angle to the line of the strand, which somewhat reminds us of traditional “slicing”, although in my opinion it is still not such.

Let's take a look together at the classification of such instruments, their differences, design features, and the results obtained. This will allow us to choose the right tool correctly, spend money wisely, and get the effect that our clients expect from us - that is, the people who give us our income.

There are no particular difficulties in the classification of thinning scissors. They can be one-sided or two-sided. The important thing is that when compared with each other, double-sided scissors remove almost half as much hair as single-sided scissors. The validity of this can be verified very simply. Turn both palms towards you. Spread your fingers slightly and bring your palms together, finger over finger. All that remains in the space between the fingers is uncut hair. Now place your right palm vertically and again slide it onto your left one with your fingers spread out, stopping somewhere at the third phalanx. In this case, your right palm plays the role of a cutting blade that cuts off any hair that gets in the way, and the remaining free space will be at least two times smaller than in the first case. Here is a rather simplified, but visual confirmation of our thesis.

Based on some figures known to specialists, we can give a more technically competent example. Classic one-sided thinning with 30 teeth removes about 20% of the volume of the strand being cut, and the same number of teeth, but double-sided - only 10%. For this reason, double-sided thinning is most often chosen by novice hairdressers, fearing to “overdo it” when cutting. In addition, double-sided thinning scissors are gentler on the hair. After all, when cutting with a regular thinning, the hair left behind will be scratched on the sharp edge of the cutting blade. Consequently, the structure of the surface tissues of the hair will be disrupted with all the ensuing consequences. This is not very good for the client. When working with double-sided thinning, only those hairs that are in the path of the teeth are cut. The rest rub against smooth, but not sharp, surfaces of the canvas without being damaged.

But there is another important point: working with double-sided thinning scissors can be much more difficult. The fact is that in this case, each clove of one blade meets another clove. And such an overlay, purely technically, will always be tougher and more sensitive. When working with one-sided thinning, the teeth “run” onto a flat canvas, which makes the process of closing the scissors relatively softer.

In general, you should come to terms with the fact that when closing the thinning scissors, you often feel a certain “clicking” sound. There is practically no escape from this, since due to the curvature of the blades along the length, we will always feel how each tooth, one after the other, seems to “run into” a smooth cutting blade.

But some manufacturers have tried, if not to completely eliminate this phenomenon, then to reduce the severity of work as much as possible. It turned out that this can be done to a large extent by changing the shape of the teeth. Hold the thinning scissors vertically in front of you and open them. Imagine that the screw is the center of the circle, and the blades are two radii. So, according to all the laws of geometry and physics, the teeth must have the shape of a circle, each at its own distance from the center. Only in this case will the “running” of the teeth onto a flat cutting blade be optimal from an engineering point of view.

Now look at the most ordinary, inexpensive thinning scissors: the teeth will be positioned strictly perpendicular to the line of their blade. During production, this shape is made very simply, literally with one movement of a special milling machine. Making the teeth rounded turns out to be very difficult. This requires special technologies, expensive equipment, and strict quality control of materials. This means that the cost of such scissors may be noticeably higher, but working with them will be comfortable and pleasant.

As an example, I can cite the products of a Japanese companyKAI, which produces scissors under two brands:KashoAndWasabi. The assortment of both includes thinning. But if ordinary scissors with classic, straight teethWasabicost about 150 USD, then under the brandKashoyou will only find scissors with rounded teeth with a price of at least $500. And it’s not only about the quality of steel, hardening and processing technologies, but, above all, about the shape of the teeth. The cost of manufacturing such scissors is very high due to the use of extremely expensive technological processes. But the impression of working with expensive scissors is simply unforgettable.

There is another little trick in the design of thinning scissors. Let's return to our experiment with the palms, where the right one plays the role of a cutting blade. Make an imaginary cut and imagine the remaining hair that entered the interdental space and remained there tightly clamped by the cutting blade. To free them, you need to at least loosen or even completely open the canvases. Clever engineers have figured out how to solve the problem of hair pinching. It is enough to make the top of the tooth wider and its base narrower. In this case, peculiar “pockets” are formed at the bottom of the interdental space, where the hair receives absolute freedom and is not pinched. But again, as in the case of the shape of the teeth, the question of production cost arises. Making such pockets turns out to be quite expensive. But the effect of the work exceeds any expectations.

In my practice, I often have to deal with different attitudes of hairdressers to the location of the cutting blade. Some people believe that it should be at the bottom, while others, on the contrary, insist that only the “toothy” blade should be at the bottom, and the cutting blade should be located at the top. In fact, in the case of any thinning scissors, there is no strict division according to the arrangement of the blades. But this is from a production point of view. But from the point of view of a hairdresser, the difference can be very big. You can argue until you are hoarse, insisting on your opinion and accusing your opponent of unprofessionalism. In fact, everything will depend on the school where you studied, the equipment you are used to using, and purely personal preferences accumulated over years of practice.

To solve this problem of choice, so to speak, by “peaceful means,” most serious brands offer us choices. For example, a Japanese companyKAIin the seriesWasabiThe thinning scissors are identical in all respects, the only difference being the upper or lower location of the cutting blade. This means that a hairdresser can easily choose a model for himself in full accordance with his preferences, his chosen haircut school, and his favorite technique.

In addition, the different arrangement of the canvases allows us to solve such a problem as “left-handed-right-handed”. After all, it is known that left-handed people need scissors with reverse blades. But this only applies to regular hair cutting scissors. In the case of thinning, this complexity does not exist due to the presence of scissors with different placement of the cutting blade.

The next important characteristic is the width of the teeth. The volume of hair removed and, consequently, the resulting effect will depend on this. Look at the photo, which shows various options for Japanese scissorsWasabiwith 7, 15 and 30 teeth, as well as the cutting results in each case. The picture turns out to be very interesting. But the most important conclusion that can be drawn is that an “advanced” master simply needs to have in his arsenal a set of different models of scissors, which gives him the opportunity to be at the forefront of creative search, and therefore to best meet the needs of a wide variety of, sometimes very demanding, clients .

And finally, a few words about the sizes and shapes of thinning scissors. If in the case of regular scissors for cutting we talked about the popularity of models with sizes from 4.5 to 6.5 inches, then for thinning scissors the most popular sizes are 5.5 and 6.0. In my practice, I have seen only a few “Pyaterok” units, and many manufacturers make 6.5, but the needs of the market, especially the Russian one, can be assessed as insignificant. Although, to be honest, large sizes are still sometimes asked for.

As for the shape of thinning scissors, in 90% of cases it is classic, straight. Indeed, when cutting with thinning, the refinements of ergonomics most often fade into the background. But from experience I can say that there are many craftsmen who are trying to choose for themselves a model of scissors that would be as comfortable as possible in their work. In this case, the scissors fit very nicely in the hand, it is pleasant to work with them, and thanks to the ergonomic shape, the stroke of the blades is relatively small, which reduces the fatigue of the hairdresser when cutting.

When styling their hair at home, many women strive to make it more voluminous at the roots, but the ends should remain manageable and not stick out in different directions. According to most people, this is what the ideal hairstyle looks like. And this effect can really be achieved, but only after treating the ends with special scissors. This is milling. In our article we will tell you everything about this method of hair processing, we will dwell on the tools with which it is performed, we will look at its basic techniques and give some useful recommendations from professional stylists.

Milling - what is it?

This method of hair treatment is very popular and is often used in modern hairdressing practice. Thinning is thinning out curls with special scissors. Depending on the design of the hairstyle, the procedure is performed along the entire length or in individual areas, most often at the ends.

Milling can give the following result:

• increase in volume;
• easier styling;
• reduction in hair volume.

Depending on the type of haircut being performed, different thinning techniques are used. The correct choice of each of them allows you to get the desired result. In any case, the haircut takes on the correct shape and natural appearance. Thinning can be combined with simultaneous hair shortening.

Required Tools

Thinning hair is not done with ordinary scissors. Otherwise, you will not be able to thin out the strand, but only cut it off. The haircut will be ruined.

At the hairdressing school, special tools are allocated for this procedure:

1. Thinning scissors. At first glance, they look like a completely ordinary instrument. In fact, one of the two blades of the scissors is made in the form of a comb with thin teeth with notches, due to which the hairs are cut. This procedure is performed only on dried hair after styling. At home, thinning hair is quite difficult. It is important to be as careful as possible so as not to cut off the entire strand.
2. Thinning razor (blade). The operating principle of this tool is quite simple. First, the curl is raised vertically, then the razor blade is moved along the entire length of the strand from roots to ends. The procedure is performed on damp hair. It is important to stretch the curl well.

Types of milling

There are thinning of curls at the roots, at the ends and along all lengths. The latter method is often used when cutting hair with thinning. Depending on the desired result, a different number of cuts of one strand with scissors is used. What is each type of milling?

Root thinning The strands are performed at a distance of 2-4 cm from the surface of the head. In this case, thinning allows you to increase the volume of hair at the roots, create a hairstyle shape, and make styling easier. The procedure is performed using oblique or straight cuts.

Milling the ends makes the hairstyle more neat, allows you to smooth out the unevenness of the haircut, and ensures a smooth transition.

Thinning along the entire length Suitable for very thick hair. The procedure is performed with both straight and thinning scissors, as well as a special razor. The same type of thinning is used to create a torn haircut.

When is it better to stop thinning?

The hair thinning procedure does not always have a beneficial effect on its condition and the overall appearance of the haircut. In the following cases, professionals do not recommend thinning. This will only ruin the haircut and will not give you the opportunity to style it correctly.

So, no milling is performed:

• on thin and naturally sparse hair with a rough structure;
• on curls weakened after perm and bleaching;
• on curly hair with curls of different lengths;
• if the haircut does not involve thinning, for example, we are talking about a classic bob.

But this does not mean that in all other cases, thinning must be performed 100%. The procedure is carried out at the discretion of the master and at the request of the client.

Milling techniques

Thinning of the strand is applied both externally and internally, as well as on both sides. The first method is performed with short haircuts, the second with long curls, and the third if the hair is thick and coarse. The strands are selected using a comb, and then, using scissors, an insert is made from a certain side.

The School of Hairdressing distinguishes the following thinning techniques:

1. File teeth: the scissors are inserted into the strand at a certain angle at regular intervals, resulting in a uniform cut structure in the form of teeth. Used for finishing haircuts and thinning bangs.
2. Pointing: traditional cutting and thinning with scissors using a serrated cut from the middle of the strands to the ends.
3. Slicing: thinning with a sliding movement along the selected curls.
4. Plucking method: cutting strands at different heights.
5. The tourniquet method: twisting the strands and cutting the tourniquet in several places with the tips of scissors or a special razor.
6. The targeted cut-in method: the ends of individual small strands are cut to different lengths. The technique is used to create a ragged effect and ensure natural hair movement.

Milling the ends

This procedure is carried out in order to make the hair cut line softer and smoother. The advantage of thinning hair, or rather its ends, makes it possible to:

• simulate the shape of the haircut;
• provide an attractive and natural appearance;
• focus on the texture of the curls.

To evaluate the result of hair thinning, you should compare photos before and after performing the technique. In most cases, thinning is justified.

Thinning along the entire length

Hairdressers perform root thinning on people with both thick and thin hair. In the first case, one should expect a decrease in volume, and in the second, on the contrary, its increase occurs.

Thinning hair along the entire length is used quite often. In this case, the strands are stretched and cuts are made either horizontally, or from roots to ends using a blade, or in a semicircle. In this case, the curls slightly fall apart and bend upward.

Properly executed thinning looks natural and does not spoil the haircut or hairstyle at all. As a result, hair is easy to style. Without professional thinning, the haircut lines look quite rough, which does not allow you to achieve the desired effect when creating a hairstyle.

When thinning your hair, you should adhere to certain rules:

• the procedure is performed on dry hair after completing the main haircut;
• in order to give your hair a natural look, before thinning you need to take a free strand in your hand and remember how different its volume is at the roots and at the ends;
• To achieve a uniform haircut structure, it is necessary to maintain the same rhythm when working with scissors until the end of the procedure.

It is important that the master who performs thinning has a sense of proportion, especially if the hair is not naturally thick enough. Only in this case will thinning bring the desired result, and the haircut will look more neat and voluminous.

Modern hairdressers have many different tools in their arsenal to create stylish, modern hairstyles. One of them is thinning scissors. With their help, hairdressers achieve a variety of results: from reducing volume on too thick curls to creating fullness on thin hair. In what cases is it necessary to use this tool, and when can you do without it?

What are these scissors for?

Almost every professional craftsman regularly uses several types of scissors, including thinning scissors. They are needed not only for thinning ends and reducing volume, but also for creating soft transitions in a haircut and smoothing out rough elements. There is an opinion that thinning scissors damage hair. Many women claim that after using them, their curls become split and frizzy. This effect is indeed possible, but only if the tool is used incorrectly. There are many thinning techniques, each necessary to create a certain effect, it can be said that not a single good modern haircut can be completed without them. Of course, there are cases when the curls are very thin, then straight scissors are used to process the cut. But in order for hair to lie well, be easily styled, be manageable, and maintain its shape and volume, special techniques and tools are needed, and here thinning scissors are simply irreplaceable.

Cutting techniques

The choice of method by which the curls will be cut is very individual. Not only the texture is important, but also the density and silhouette of the hairstyle. The most popular method is when, at the end of the haircut, the hairdresser chooses the same partings that he used to create the shape, and processes the ends of the hair with scissors. But more often than not, different types of tools are needed to create a good hairstyle. For example, the entire haircut is performed with a jagged cut using straight scissors, then they create volume on the top of the head using the “plucking” technique, and thinning scissors are used to create a torn effect on the bangs.

Hair thinning is best done on dry curls, because in this case it is easier to control the process so as not to cut off too much. Many craftsmen perform thinning in the crown area not only at the ends, but also along the length, making several vertical cuts at the roots and in the middle of the strand.

Haircut with thinning scissors

These hairstyles fall into the creative category. You can cut both dry and wet hair. The main advantage of this form is that it turns out to be very plastic and easy to fit and transform into any idea. But not all curls can be cut like this. For example, very coarse hair can become completely unmanageable and begin to stick out in different directions. The same applies to curls and naturally thin hair.

As for men's hairstyles, these scissors are actively used not only to create creative, but also classic hairstyles. A method such as “shading” is necessary in order to create a smooth transition between short and long sections of the haircut. It is performed with thinning scissors, and with high skill - with straight scissors.

How to cut hair with thinning scissors

When cutting hair at home, many people do not know how to use this tool correctly. First of all, you need to pay attention to the frequency of the teeth on the scissors. If they are small and frequent, thinning will be minimal; if they are wide, large areas of hair will be cut off, so you should be careful. The main areas that need to be trimmed in the female form are the crown, temples and bangs. In a men's haircut - the parietal zone, bangs and the transition between short and long hair.

With the help of correctly performed thinning, the hairstyle lies softly, takes the desired shape well and has volume where necessary.

Plain and thinning scissors for a hairdresser - they are like the right and left hand. The question "what is more necessary?" decent masters don’t ask questions. You need both. Let's say you will use regular scissors more often. But without thinning tools, you'll grab your head when it's time to thin out a strand.

What is the difference between regular and thinning scissors?

The cutting edge of simple scissors is a continuous line. The cutting edge of the thinning blades is serrated. Therefore, where ordinary scissors simply cut off the entire strand, thinning scissors cut only part of the hair from it - those that fall between the cutting edges.

On the one hand, this allows you to thin out the strand when it suits your goals. On the other hand, when used skillfully, it allows you to give your hair excellent volume.

What are regular scissors?

Conventional scissors are divided mainly by types of sharpening, which form a different profile of the cutting edge and, accordingly, give the scissors different properties.

So, the first division:

• standard sharpening;
• convection sharpening.

The classic cutting edge in profile consists of straight lines. Near the edge, the canvas converges to a point at an angle of about fifty degrees. With convection sharpening, everything is more complicated - the blades are processed many times at different angles. As a result, there is no clear line between the main blade and the cutting edge - the blade smoothly transitions into the edge.

As a result, all this allows you to sharpen it at a sharper angle without making it too brittle and unreliable.

The extreme sharpness of these blades makes them an excellent choice for most hairdressing jobs - especially slicing.

The Japanese invented this kind of sharpening. Of course, in order to make it, you need to use excellent steel - for example, Japanese. Many European and American manufacturers are now also actively mastering this technology - however, the primacy continues to belong to the Japanese.

Convection sharpening is no longer divided into anything.

But the standard one is divided into:

• blades with micro-serrations;
• smooth blades.

Miniature teeth reliably guide the hair to the cutting edge, preventing it from slipping. So this is a great option for those who value precision cutting the most. However, for obvious reasons, slicing with such scissors is not a method of cutting, but a method of sophisticated torture. Don't even try, don't.

Smooth blades have neither this advantage nor this disadvantage; their owners are more free in their choice of techniques. However, this group is further divided into two:

• simply sharpened;
• sharpened and polished.

Of course, on simply sharpened scissors you will not notice any burrs or irregularities. If these aren't really bad scissors. However, this does not mean that they are not there, right? They are just small, almost microscopic. And on blades with an additionally polished cutting edge, these micro-irregularities are removed.

When slicing, these differences will become noticeable. Do not slice with unpolished blades.

We've dealt with ordinary scissors, let's move on to thinning scissors.

What types of thinning scissors are there?

Here there will be fewer divisions into types. The first one is this:

• scissors with one serrated blade and one straight blade;
• scissors with two toothed blades.

Naturally, two serrated blades cut less hair in one stroke. Hence the differences in the use of these scissors. Double-sided thinning scissors are an excellent option for young craftsmen. You'll work longer with them - really. However, you are unlikely to cut off the excess with a pair of wide movements.

And single-sided thinning scissors are the choice of self-confident craftsmen who accurately measure movements and are ready to work quickly and responsibly.

For most Mustang shears, we rely on craftsmen who are already familiar with the thinning technique. However, we also produce special scissors - purely thinning scissors, sold outside the kit. Six-inch, double-sided, with numbered tension screw.

Another feature of theirs is the special shape of the teeth in the form of sectors of imaginary circles diverging from the screw. This form is one of the most interesting trends of the current time. Many believe that it is this that allows you to remove hair in the most clean and beautiful way - and that it is the future. We'll see.

What does the number of cloves matter?

What plays here is not so much the quantity itself as the frequency of the teeth. That is, 37 teeth per 5.5 inches is good. But 37 teeth per 6 inches would be worse. At 6 inches, 41 teeth would look better.

So what does the frequency of the teeth give?

Improved uniformity of hair cutting in strands. Let's explain with an impossible example. Imagine a hypothetical thinning scissors with two (two!) large teeth. Such scissors would cut a lot of hair on one side of the strand, a lot on the other, and would not cut any hair in the middle. Uneven? Uneven.

But each of the 37 small teeth will cut off a little hair in one of the 37 small sections of the strand - and between them, accordingly, there will be 36 of the same small sections in which the hair will not be cut. This will be a beautiful thinning.

conclusions

Neither one nor the other scissors should be neglected. They really are like the right and left hand for a master. Therefore, we sell most of our scissors in sets of regular and thinning scissors, made to the same high level. With handles made in the same shape - so that you don’t have to readjust each time when changing tools.