Section 7: Choosing a Texture Shear

There is a dazzling array of texture shears available today. There is also
a lot of confusion among hairstylists as to which texture shears they
need.

Thinning or Blending Shears

A shear which has narrow teeth and narrow spaces between the teeth will
remove weight in a way that does not create visible texture or volume.
The cut and uncut hair will tend to blend together. They usually have
between 30–45 teeth depending on the length of the blade. The thinning
shear is ideal for blending away scissor marks in the hair and removing
weight without creating more volume. It can also be used to soften and
remove bluntness from a cut.

NOTE: For most stylists it makes sense to start by getting a good quality
thinning/blending shear so you can easily soften and remove marks from
your hair cuts. You can apply visible texture to your hair cuts manually
by point cutting and slide cutting.

Then as you become busy and need to save more time, investing in
texture shears can really make sense. You can save wear and tear on
the tips of your shears by using an agressive texture shear to replace
much of your point cutting. You can create subtle texture in your styles
by using less agressive texture shears. Both of those types of tools are
designed to speed up work that can otherwise be done manually.

Subtle Texture Shears

These are shears with slightly wider teeth and slightly wider spaces
between the teeth. They will typically have anywhere from 14-22
teeth. The slightly wider teeth cut a more substantial piece of hair than
a blending shear. This wider piece of short hair will be more visible
compared to the uncut piece of longer hair. The short hair will lay
under and support the uncut hair creating visible texture and potentially
volume. This type of shear can be used on most clients since the results
are subtle but noticeable in terms of an increase in volume and decrease
in bluntness.

Aggressive Texture Shears

These shears have wider teeth and wider spaces. They typically have
from 5 to 9 teeth. and cut a significant notch into the hair section. The
uncut hair is also in wider pieces so the texture is obvious between the
cut and uncut hair. These can be used on many clients but you must
expect aggressive texture from these shears.

Other Texture Terms:

Razor Texturing Shears are texture shears that are capable of slide-
cutting the hair between the teeth as you draw them out. They require a
convex edge on the straight bladed side.

“Cut and Comb Out” is a phrase that refers to a texture shear’s ability
to avoid catching or pulling hair as you draw it out of the hair section
with the blades closed. This requires a very refined edge.


Curved or Radial-Cut Teeth refers to the more sophisticated texture
shears being made today with teeth that curve instead running straight
and vertical. The curved teeth tend to create a softer less blunt looking
texture.


Wee-Teeth or Serrated Teeth refers to fine grooves that are cut into the
blade surface on the tip of the teeth of a texture shear. These small teeth
hold the hair in place when making a cut.


Soft Shear refers to a shear that is actually two shears, a texture shear
and cutting shear, connected together. The concept is to texture the ends
at the same time the length is cut. However if they are permanently
connected they can only be used for cutting with this technique. Some
manufacturers make matching shears with connecting systems to allow
them to be used together or separately.


Double Thinning Shears are shears with teeth on both sides instead
of having one straight blade. If they are well made they can cut without
leaving a visible line where they were closed. You can comb out with
the blades closed in any direction. With a straight edge on one side, if
you comb out so the hair is in contact with the straight edge, the hair
can pull or be torn against the straight edge. With teeth on both sides
you can turn the shear in any direction on the way out of the section
without concern.