Old timer at my shop swore by thinning shears for every haircut. Took me 2 years to realize he was dead wrong.

An old barber named Sal at my first shop in Queens kept telling me to use thinning shears on like 80 percent of my cuts. He said it would blend everything smooth and hide mistakes. I followed his advice for almost 2 years but my clients kept complaining their hair looked choppy after a week. Once I stopped using them so much and actually focused on my scissor work, my fades got way cleaner and people started coming back. Anyone else get bad advice from someone with way more experience?

3 comments

3 Comments

avery_jackson1mo ago

Took me forever to figure out the same thing with my shear game.

kimr741mo ago

Oh man, I hit the same wall with my own setup a few months back. It's funny how something that looks so simple on paper can turn into a whole afternoon project. @avery_jackson you're definitely not alone on that one.

murray.jana1mo ago

Man that brings back memories. I used to think thinning shears were like a magic wand too until I realized I was just creating more work for myself later. What finally clicked for me was doing a whole month of cuts with zero thinning shears, just really focusing on my scissor over comb technique and being patient with my sections. @kimr74 you hit it right - the simple stuff on paper turns into a whole mess if you're not careful. I still use thinning shears once in a blue moon for texture on thick hair, but Sal's old "cover your mistakes" advice almost ruined my reputation.