Hair Cutting Techniques: Which Scissors Help Each One

Start with the question you’ve got. Each guide below answers one of them, with a pick and a price where there’s a choice.

By haircut or by technique?

The blade length, edge and thinner for bobs, fringes, layers, curls, graduation and barber cuts, with one pick each.

What to look for in a pair for blunt lines, point cutting, slide cutting, scissor-over-comb and thinning.

Lengths, blades and six long cutters, plus thinners and a first kit for apprentice barbers.

Which tool does which part of a short back and sides, and the comb and necklines to practise.

Blender, texturiser or chunker: which one each job needs, and why the cut ratio beats the tooth count.

Six consultation questions, how to read the hair wet or dry, and three checks before the last pass.

Each of these walks one move or decision through in order, with the mistakes to avoid and what to ask of your scissors.

The basics: how to hold and open hair scissors, and sectioning and tension.
Lines and shape: blunt cutting, layers and elevation, elevation and over-direction and graduation and bobs.
Texture and softening: point cutting, slide cutting, fringes and short layers, and shag and wolf cuts.
Checking the result: cross-checking your cut and planning a disconnection.
Different hair and clients: hair typing 1A to 4C, wet or dry on a first cut, wet or dry cutting and your scissors, curly and coily hair, children’s hair and wigs and synthetic hair.

Apprentice? Our practice checklist keeps each session to one exercise, one tool and one change.

Know the cut but not the pair? The scissor finder narrows it down by hand, length and budget.