Just realized I was holding my shears completely wrong for 8 years

I used to keep my thumb locked in the handle and it messed up my grip on every blunt cut until a senior stylist in Austin corrected me last month. Has anyone else had to relearn basic tool handling after years in the chair?

2 comments

2 Comments

joseph_hart1d ago

Wait, you took your thumb completely out? That's wild to me because I was taught the opposite - that keeping my thumb in gives you way more control for blunt cuts, especially when you're doing heavy sectioning with long hair. I've been doing it that way for six years now and it feels like second nature. Not saying you're wrong or anything, but different techniques work for different people I guess.

sagesingh11h ago

Had a whole panic moment on a client once where my thumb slipped out and I couldn't even find the hole again. Ended up basically doing the whole haircut with my thumb just kinda floating there and somehow it came out looking okay? Made me realize I was just holding my shears wrong for years. My teacher would cry if she saw me now because I've completely ditched the thumb grip for most cuts. Feels like I'm breaking some sacred barber law but honestly my hands hurt way less and my lines are straighter. Probably just proves I'm a mess at this whole thing but hey whatever works right.