Appreciation post: How I changed my approach to thinning shears

For my first five years cutting, I used thinning shears on almost every cut, thinking it added texture. About eight months ago, I watched a video from a barber in Miami who said he only uses them for about 10% of his clients, mostly just to soften weight lines. I tried that for a week and saw a huge difference. My fades and tapers looked cleaner because I was using my clipper over comb technique more precisely. Now I reach for my thinning shears maybe twice a day, and only on specific hair types. Has anyone else cut back on thinning shear use and seen better results?

4 comments

4 Comments

thomasb411mo ago

Totally ditched mine, same thing happened.

the_julia1mo ago

My phone lasted a whole three days before it did that.

white.keith1mo ago

Wait, only three days? What were you even doing with it, using it as a hammer? That's crazy fast for something to go wrong... I'd be taking that straight back to the store. Makes Thomas ditching his sound like the right move.

stella1117d ago

Honestly that Miami barber's advice is spot on. Thinning shears can make a cut look fuzzy if you lean on them too hard. It forces you to get your regular shear work and clipper technique actually clean instead of using them as a crutch. Tbh my finishes got way sharper when I stopped trying to texture everything. Now it's only for very specific bulk or to blend a hard line on someone with a ton of hair.