With most brands either refusing to stock left handed hair cutting scissors or having only very few designs it's not surprising that so many as a left handed hairdresser and barbers feel so frustrated.
With that in mind we have made it a priority to provide high quality lefty scissors options to our customers, something we have plans to grow even further in the coming years.
In this information we are going to explain why it is so important as a lefty hairdresser or barber to use the correct left hand scissors for you and the negative effects that not using them can have on your body and career.
In 2017 we ran a survey that showed that 12% ( 12 in every 100 ) hairdressers and barbers are in fact left-handed but only 4 of those 12 (or 1 in 3) actually use left handed hair scissors.
Unfortunatley this is no real surprise, as we live in such a right-handed dominated world where the majority of every-day appliences and tools are made for right-handed people forcing left handers to adjusts and adapt to use these items.
This makes it very difficult for left handed stylists to gain access to left handed shears forcing hairdressers and barbers from very early in their careers to use right handed hair cutting scissors. This is caused by miss information that suggests that all they need to do to make a right handed sciissor into a left hand scissor is to simply "flip the right handed scissors around", this however is false and will lead to severe injuries.
All left scissors are designed to work as the thumb (moving) blade crosses over the finger (still) blade and cuts the hair.
Often, as a subconscious action when using right handed hairdressing scissors, we exert slight lateral pressure on the blades (slightly squeezing the handle to bring the blades together) to perform the cutting action.
If a left-handed hairdresser turns a right-handed scissor around, the reverse is true. The lateral pressure put on the scissor forces the cutting edges of the blades apart and so it loses the ability to cut.
Many left handed hairdressers using right handed scissors adopt a claw type grip by pushing with the thumb and pulling with the finger. This in turn causes a great deal of strain on the hand and wrist which over time will lead to problems such as carpal tunnel syndrome and repetitive strain injuries.
This makes it extremelly important that you do use left handed scissors barber as the risk of developing unnecessary strain can eventually lead to career threatening problems.
The past decade has seen a huge increase in the use of technology in our every day lives, but this has also seen a drastic increase in the "smartphone thumb" which as the name denoted is caused by the constant use and extension of our fingers and thumbs.
This injury altought treatable makes it more important than ever that as left handed hairdressers and barbers that you use left handed hair shears.
At first sight, seeing the difference between left and right handed scissors can be quite dificult as not many stylists are used to working or have never seen left-handed shears.
To verify if you’re using true left-handed shears you just need to look at the position of your thumb blade. With a true left-handed shear, the thumb blade is positioned at the back while you open and close the shear. If, on the other hand, the thumb blade is at the front, it is a right-handed shear being flipped.
Many experienced left-handed stylists who have been using right-handed scissors find it hard to adapt to using left-handed scissors because the subconscious mind automatically works the opposite way round and the hand has been ‘trained’ to apply the claw style grip.
It takes an estimated 30 days to un-train the brain, a 30 day period for re-training and then an additional 30 days for it to become ‘natural’.
Left handed people are said to be more adept at making these changes from living in a predominantly right-handed world, but it takes time, dedication and determination, which in a busy salon working environment can prove to be a challenge, but the long term health benefits outweigh this.
Premium quality left handed scissors hairdressing scissors generally feature a Japanese convex edge which is characterised by featuring a curvature on the edge shape that performs the cutting action from the tension between the blades as they are opened and closed.
Using the correct handed scissor allows the scissor to ‘do the work’ by simply opening and closing them with no additional strain on the hand.
Alghtough, the opposite is true when you are a lefty using right-handed scissors as a lot of additional force is required for the left handed hairdressing scissors to work thus causing strain.
The reduction of strain significantly reduces the risks of developing carpal tunnel syndrome and RSI career threatening injuries.
There are three main types of hair cutting scissors left handed that dominate hairdressing and barbering which we can break down by size. These three types are Precison that range between 4.5 - 5.0, All-round from 5.5 to 6.25 and Power that are 6.5 +.
Choosing the perfect size of hairdressing scissors left handed scissors is unique to each person and you should choose whatever feels both most comfortable and suits your cutting style the most.
These lengths are most often the hairdressers choice to use with precision work and on shorter hair.
The shorter blade length to handle length ratio increases ease of control and is ideal for intricate close-up work.
The length of the blade and handle are in an equal proportion and provide a balanced weight distribution which is easily controlled for use on precision work and has enough length and weight for use on baselines or slide and slice cutting techniques.
The longer blade to handle ratio establishes a great blade weight to provide maximum blade momentum and is ideal for ease of use with deep point, slide, slice and long hair baseline cutting.
Many barber cutting techniques are performed on dry hair and benefit from using a blade with a little extra weight (and length), as this aids blade momentum and is particularly beneficial for use with intensely repetitive cutting techniques such as scissor over comb by allowing the left handed barbering scissors do the work and therefore help reduce hand and wrist fatigue.
Whilst there is no rule of one size suits all, it is often the preferred choice for left handed barbers to use longer length scissors of 6 to 7 inch to enhance performance in power cutting techniques unique to the barbering craft.
The longer length in the blade and therefore additional weight supplies extra power to the blade's cutting edge and is of great benefit when used with dry cutting techniques, helping lessen fatigue by reducing the hand effort needed to perform the cutting action.
There are factors to be taken into consideration when choosing the length of a hairdressing scissor, which is not necessarily ruled by hand size.
In daily hairdressing salon life we encounter many different lengths, textures and use numerous cutting effects to suit our guests needs.
For this reason, the choice of scissor length preferred by hairdressers is most often 5.5 to 6 inches as a great all rounder.
These lengths provide an easy and well balanced weight to control and are suitable for use on short precision work and have a blade weight to help with blade momentum which is beneficial for use in cutting baselines or slicing and slide cutting
By using ergonomic offset hair scissors left handed handles, our working hand is in a more natural and relaxed position with the freedom of movement and control allowing our hand to remain in an unstrained state.
These handles ensure our hands are in the most natural position possble when cutting, supporting a more open hand and further freedom of movement. This has a huge impact on reducing tension build up in the wrist and thumb area protecting you from injuries such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
Not only do these designs protect your hands but also improve your posture when cutting therefore reducing the risk of developing back, elbow and shoulder injuries.
We ensure that each and every Akito hair scissors left handed are made with this level of ergonomics to not only protect you but provide exceptional comfort.
The Spirit barber scissors left handed are very popular among barbers due to their long-lenght heavier-weight blades as they are perfect for performing barbering and heavier duty hair cutting techniques.
They also perform perfectly on wet and dry hair types, they're also available in 5.5, 6.0 and 7.0.
The Zenith 7 inch left handed barber scissors ferature our longest and heaviest blade design making them perfect for dry hair cutting and barbering hair cutting techniques.
The F-2 Black Edition is the perfect choice and one of the best left handed barber scissors and left handed hairdressing scissors due to it's exceptional design, available in 5.0 inch, 5.5 inch and 6.0 inch they've become one of the msot popular of any our designs.
Their slim desgin make them masters of precision and intricate cutting whilst the weighted blade and barrel provide the power to make them a true all round lefty hair shear.
The F-2 Black Silver edition similarly to its counterpart is one of the best left handed scissors for barbers and hairdressers on the market today, available in a variety of sizes including 5.0 inch, 5.5 inch and 6.0 inch, they've become a must for hairdressers and barbers alike.
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