Akito Scissors are precision engineered to the highest standard providing you with superior cutting performance, however, in order to maintain these standards they must be cared for and cleaned correctly.
Why is it important?
Most hair products on the market contain non-water soluble ingredients which causes build up of invisible residue in the form of silicone on the blades of your hair cutting scissors. This leads to diminished hair cutting performance and can also blunt the blades quicker due to the residue pushing the blade edges together causing to grind and therefore blunt. Using alcohol based cleaning liquid is the best way of how to sterilize scissors.
What are the benefits?
Alcohol based cleaning liquids remove this previously mentioned residue with ease whilst it thoroughly cleans and sanitises hairdresser scissors.
How to apply?
Simply spray your scissors a couple of times using the spray and carefully wipe the blades using a cloth or paper towel.
IMPORTANT:Do Not Use Barbicide to clean and sanitise your scissors as the acid can react with the steel causing corrosion.
IMPORTANT: Isopropyl alcohol is a flammable liquid and should be stored away from heat sources. Avoid prolonged contact with skin and do not swallow or inhale.
Please watch the video below and follow the process of how to use of the chamois as it is clearly and easily demonstrated.
How to sharpen scissors (using a chamois).
Having removed any residue in the previous step with the alcohol based cleaning fluid we now use a leather chamois to remove any further impurities and polish / sharpen the cutting edge
How to use a chamois.
Step 1: Place the chamois flat in the palm of the hand with a firm grip and open the scissor to 9 o'clock for right handed scissors and 3 o'clock for left handed scissors.
Step 2: Carefully and steadily strop/brush the inside and outside of the cutting edge against the chamois surface repeating the action five to six times.
As previously mentioned, this procedure polishes and sharpens the cutting edge.
IMPORTANT: Take extra care not to cut yourself or the chamois.
How to oil your shears.
It is very important to oil your scissors either daily or every couple of days. This keeps your scissors tension system clean as it helps remove any build up of impurities such as hair or "gunk" from its interior whilst keeping the it lubricated for smooth hair cutting. See below on how to apply oil.
Step 1: open the scissor completely and apply a small amount of oil between the blades on both sides of the screw area.
Correctly tensioning your barbering scissors is the most important of all the four steps of all the information we have covered in this article as it has a huge impact on the scissors cutting performance and the your hands when cutting. See below to find out why setting the correct tension is so important.
How to set the tension correctly - step by step.
Watch the video above to see this process.
Step 1. Check the tension: hold scissor by the thumb ring, with the scissor tips pointing straight up in the air in a 12 O’clock position.
Step 2. Test the tension. With your other hand take the finger ring and open the scissor blades so that the blades are open 35-45 degrees. Now let go of the finger ring so the scissor closes by itself.
*There should be a gap between the two tips of approximately 1cm-2cm.
Step 3. Adjust the tension. If the tips come together the scissor is too loosely and need a little tightening until adjusted correctly. Alternatively, the blades tension is set too tight meaning the blades either don't move or barely do so meaning they need to be slightly adjusted.
Step 4. Repeat process until perfectly set and your scissors should now perform perfectly.
What if your scissors are too tight?
There are many negative effects of having your scissors are set too tight, which include:
1. Setting your scissors too tight pushed the blades closer together making them grind against one and other leading to them becoming blunt quicker.
2. Causes your hand to be overworked due to having to apply more pressure to open and close the scissors leading to career threatening injuries such as RSI, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Tendonitis.
What if your scissors are too loose?
1. By setting your scissors too loosely this causes the blades to fold the hair meaning they lose all their cutting qualities.
2. When they are sent too loosely it can also lead to the overworking of the hand as it makes us subconsciously apply more pressure to make the scissors cut.
Shop the Akito Care Kit and get the best from your Akito Scissors. Included in the kit we have Isopropyl Alcohol, Oil Pen, Leather Chamois and Universal Tension Adjuster Key.
