How to Clean Hair Scissors: Daily Routine and Oiling

Clean your scissors after every client. It takes a cloth, a small brush and your salon’s cleaning product, and it’s the same routine for cutters, thinners and barber scissors.

How to clean scissors between clients

1. Brush off the hair

   Brush loose hair off the blades and out of the pivot. On thinning scissors, brush between the teeth too, where cut hair and product collect.

2. Wipe the blades

   Wipe both blades with a soft, dry cloth, keeping your fingers clear of the edge. Kasho says to wipe the blades after every use.

3. Clean with your salon’s approved product

   Use the product your salon has approved for scissors and follow its label, including how long it needs to stay on. Check your maker allows it first.

4. Dry the blades and pivot

   Dry the blades, rings and pivot properly before the pair goes back in your hand or your case. Joewell warns that moisture left after cleaning can cause rust.

5. Oil the pivot if your maker says to

   Put a little oil on the pivot, open and close the blades a few times, then wipe off the extra. How often depends on the maker, as the table below shows.

6. Store them closed and dry

   Put them away closed, in their own slot, sleeve or case, so the edges don’t knock against combs, clips or other scissors.

How often should you oil hair scissors?

As often as your maker says, and some pivots need no oil at all. Here’s what three makers we stock publish:

Maker	What its care page says
Kasho	Oil the pivot daily and check the tension daily. The Millennium and X-treme Perfection series need no oil and no tension adjusting.
Joewell	Oil the pivot after you disinfect. Before storing, oil the blade too, then wipe the oil off before you cut.
Yasaka	Wipe off moisture and dirt after use, and don’t loosen the pivot screw more than you need to.

Got a different brand? Follow the care sheet that came with your scissors, check the maker care pages we keep, or ask us with the model name.

What not to do

• Don’t soak them. NSW Health says equipment shouldn’t be soaked in disinfectant unless the maker’s instructions say so. Joewell advises against soaking its scissors in ethanol, because the moisture can’t be fully wiped off.
• Don’t use bleach. Joewell says chlorine damages and rusts scissors.
• Skip boiling water and steam. Joewell doesn’t recommend either for disinfecting.
• Keep chemicals off the blades. Kasho warns that sterilising liquid, perm and colour solution can corrode scissors.

When cleaning doesn’t fix it

Cleaning won’t repair an edge. Put the pair aside and use your backup if:

• They still fold, push or catch hair after a clean and oil. That’s an edge or tension problem, so work through our guide to dragging scissors.
• There’s a nick, or they’ve been dropped. Kasho advises not cutting with nicked blades until they’re fixed, and Yasaka warns that a drop or knock can damage the blade. Book a sharpening or service.
• They’ve touched blood or cut skin. Take them out of use and follow your salon’s procedure. In NSW they need a valid sterilisation process before they’re used again.

Common questions

How often should I oil my scissors?

As often as your maker says. Kasho says to oil the pivot daily, apart from its Millennium and X-treme Perfection series, which need none. Joewell says to oil the pivot after you disinfect.

Can I use disinfectant on my scissors?

Yes, if your maker allows the product. Joewell says ethanol is fine on its scissors but bleach isn’t, and Kasho suggests a disinfectant wipe, a cloth with 70% alcohol or a UV steriliser. Follow the label, then dry them.

Should I soak my scissors?

No, unless your maker says to. NSW Health says equipment shouldn’t be soaked in disinfectant unless the manufacturer’s instructions allow it, and Joewell advises against soaking its scissors in ethanol.

Do barber scissors need a different routine?

No. Brush, wipe, clean, dry and store them the same way. Only the oil and tension advice changes, and that follows the maker.

What if my scissors still feel rough after cleaning?

Stop cutting with them. Rough or catching blades after a clean and oil point to the edge or the tension, so read the guide to dragging scissors or book a service.

Next step

Keep the basics at your station, so cleaning after every client is quick:

For tension, storage and when to book a service, read our full care guide, or the shorter scissor care basics help page.