Shear care for students and new stylists.

After each client

Hair, water and product left on the blades are what wear a shear down. Clean it while it's still in your hand:

• Open the shear and wipe both blades with a soft, dry cloth, from the pivot out to the tips.
• Brush or wipe away hair caught around the pivot screw.
• After color or chemical services, wipe a little more carefully. Residue left to dry is harder to remove.
• Follow your salon's or school's disinfection rules, then dry the shear completely.

Using a thinner? Open it fully and wipe along the teeth, where hair likes to hide.

At the end of the day

Put one drop of shear oil where the blades meet at the pivot. Open and close the shear several times so the oil works in, then wipe off the extra so it doesn't end up on a client's hair.

That one drop keeps the action smooth and pushes out the tiny bits of hair and moisture you can't see. It's the single most useful habit on this page.

Check the tension

Tension is how firmly the two blades are held together at the pivot. Too loose and the blades fold hair instead of cutting it. Too tight and they grind against each other and wear faster.

A quick check: hold the shear upright by the finger ring, tips pointing up, open the thumb blade and let it go. It should swing most of the way closed on its own and stop just short. If it slams shut, it's too loose; if it barely moves, it's too tight.

Adjust it the way the maker's instructions say, a small turn at a time. Some shears use a tension key; others have an adjuster you turn by hand.

Storage and travel

• Always store the shear closed, so the edges are protected.
• Keep it in its case or a pouch, never loose in a kit bag with clips, combs and clippers.
• Keep cutter and thinner apart, so the blades can't knock together.
• Keep the case dry. Don't zip a damp shear away overnight.

If you drop it

It happens to everyone. Pick it up, close it gently and look closely at the tips and edges. Then open and close it slowly and feel for any catch or grinding.

If the tips are bent or it catches, stop using it. Cutting on a damaged edge can make the damage worse. Have a sharpener look at it before you use it again, and check our returns page if it's new and something seems wrong.

Sharpening: when and who

How often a shear needs sharpening depends on how much you cut, the hair you cut and how well it's looked after. Watch for the signs instead of the calendar:

• Hair bends over the edge or slips out from between the blades.
• You hear or feel a rough, crunchy close.
• The shear pushes hair forward, especially near the tips.

Check the tension first. If the problem is still there, it's time to sharpen. Use a sharpener who works on professional hair shears and knows your edge type. A convex edge needs different handling from a beveled one. Never use a kitchen knife sharpener.

Habits to drop

• Cutting anything except hair: paper, tape, thread and packaging all dull an edge.
• Lending your shears. Everyone holds a shear differently, and a dropped borrowed shear is still your problem.
• Leaving a shear wet, or soaking it for a long time.
• Tightening the tension to fix a dull edge. It only wears the blades faster.

The two-minute routine

• After each client: wipe, clear the pivot, dry.
• End of the day: one drop of oil, open and close, wipe.
• Every so often: the tension check.
• Always: closed, in the case, kept dry.

Buying your first shear? Budget for a case and shear oil at the same time. The first pro shear guide covers the rest of the choice.