I finally stopped using thinning shears on every client after a bad haircut in Denver last month

I trained under a guy who swore by thinning shears for blending, so I used em on almost everyone for like 3 years. Then a regular came in last month with super fine hair and I went too heavy with em. He looked all choppy and uneven after I dried it, had to fix it with a zero fade to save the cut. Anyone else ever realize a tool you lean on too much is actually hurting your work?

3 comments

3 Comments

rowangonzalez17d ago

benbrown I get where you're coming from but I've seen it different. Thinning shears done right don't cause splits that show up weeks later. Splits happen from friction, heat styling, or bad brushing habits over time. If the blades are sharp and you keep the thinning away from the root zone, the hair grows out normally. I've had clients with fine hair getting light thinning every 8 weeks for years with zero choppy regrowth. Usually the delayed damage folks blame on thinning shears is just regular wear and tear catching up.

benbrown2mo ago

Reconsider what heavy thinning does to hair as it grows back. Those split ends from thinning shears often show up weeks later and make the cut look messy for months. Have you noticed any long term damage on clients that got thinned out repeatedly?

lee_ward542mo ago

Honestly, I gotta push back a little on the idea that thinning shears cause split ends weeks later. Shears cut the hair, they don't snap it. If a stylist uses cheap or dull blades, yeah you'll get frayed ends right away, but the real problem is usually from over-thinning too close to the scalp. That stuff grows out looking choppy and spiky, not split. I've seen plenty of people get thinned out every 6 weeks for years with sharp shears and it just frays at the ends from regular wear, not a delayed split end.