What Do Thinning Shears Do? How Do Thinning Shears Work?

What Are Thinning Shears?

You may come across thinning shears at the grooming shop from time to time. At that period, you may ask yourself what thinning shears are, and what do thinning shears do? 

First off, thinning shears are special scissors with one blade without teeth and another blade with teeth. The unique characteristics of thinning shears help thinning out hair with too much weight.

Scissors, Thinning shear

What Do Thinning Shears Do?

Thinning shears typically improve the shapes of using regular scissors during hair cutting. The thinning shears achieve good results by thinning out hair that is bulk and excess and blends it with the layer that has already gone through proper trimming. 

For the above reason, you can say that thinning shears helps add some kind of flavor to the natural look of the hair. For this reason, thinning shears act as layering scissors.

How Do Thinning Shears Work?

Thinning shears work by leaving other hair strands in full while cutting the other hair strands completely. On the thinning scissors, one blade has teeth, and the other blade has none. This blade nature is a unique feature that prevents the loss of hair length during trimming. 

The thinning shears leave out more uniform hair volume. The shears cut across the hair strands at a vertical angle. This unique cutting technique will, in turn, take out only fewer hair volumes and leave a much more natural-looking result. 

How To Use Thinning Shears 

Thinning shears are only for enhancing hair cuts from the standard scissor cuttings. You should not cut hair too close to the skin using shears. 

If you use thinning shears before and after cleaning to cut further deeper than the usual way, you will end up overdoing the trim and thus ruining the whole natural look of the hair. 

When thinning using these special shears, remember to use some kind of special hair clips to help you control the trims at the end sections of the hair. During that time, remember to work with only one hair section at a time to enhance uniformity. You may use a comb to maintain the process at a more steady level. 

Also, keep in mind the horizontal scissor thinning technique. If you do not want to use the thinning shears horizontally, you can opt for another unique method that involves pointing the tip of the shears to the floor or towards the ceiling. 

You should remember to cut the same hair section several times, depending on the natural length of the hair. As you cut the hair, use a comb to remove any loose strands to get a look you intend to achieve. 

In case you do not want to remove a lot of hair as the teeth of the thinning shears usually remove. You should use a tail comb. The comb combines with the blunt section of the thinning shears to weave out sections of the hair while you hold it upwards. 

If you do this process correctly, you will cut less hair since you will be closing up the scissors during the cutting process. 

In some cases, you may need to thin out thick hair by using thinning scissors. When thinning such a type of hair, you should make sure that the hair is completely dry. Dry hair makes it simple for you to see the effect of each cut as you move. 

Each time you cut, comb that specific area to see how far you have been going and if you need to thin out the hair much further. Remember to thin out the hair until you reach your satisfaction. 

During the hair thinning process, there is one crucial point. Hair could be so thick, but you should never thin out hair near the crown. This section usually has less hair falling off. So in case you thin out hair from this section, you will end up ruining the hair look. 

Terrier Dog with Thinning Shears

How To Blend Dog Hair With Scissors

Moving to how to blend hair with scissors, the first step will be to use a very high-quality pair of scissors. Before you begin the blending process, you need to make several preparations. Below are the things you should do to ensure that you are ready for the process:

  1. Get grooming scissors in a complete set: Get more than the regular standard scissors to groom your dog more comfortably. Be sure that you know how to use blending shears together with the others.
  2. Ensure the scissors are sharp and with oil: Your dog will acquire pain if you use dull scissors.
  3. Set a grooming station: Place a mat under the dog to prevent hair from moving all around once you begin the cutting process. This move will, in return, ease the cleaning process for you. If your dog is of a smaller size, you can just place the mat on the table and go on with the hair trimming process. 

After successfully following the tips above, you can begin the dog hair blending process. Below is a guide on how to blend your dog’s hair:

  1. Comb the coat of the dog: Make sure that everything looks nice by combing the hair using a regular dog brush
  2. Choose how short you wish to cut the fur: If the dog has long hair and you desire to maintain its length, you should cut it in the areas prone to matting. These areas are mainly around the tail and belly. 
  3. Cut the hair in a front and back motion: Cut from the top of the neck slowly to the tail area using scissors. After completing that side, trim down to the sides of the belly and further to the legs.
  4. Go carefully and slowly: Always remember to cut your dog’s hair with less speed and much care. Such a move prevents you from causing injuries to your dog. 

Can Thinning Shears Be Used On Dogs?

Yes, you can use thinning shears on dogs. This kind of layering scissors only removes little hair in every cut. Do not use thinning shears for cutting deeper sections of dogs’ hair. Only use it to create an even fur after complete primary dog hair trimming.

What Do Dog Thinning Shears Look Like?

Dog thinning shears resemble a comb on one side. The comb-like side contains the shearing teeth, while the other is flat with a regular scissor-like blade.

Groomer Cutting Dog Fur with Shears

The Final Cut

Thinning shears have the unique characteristic of having a regular blade on one side and a teeth-like structure on the other side. This physical nature enables it to snip on only a specific hair length during thinning of hair. In turn, the thinning shears leave behind a much cleaner texture, with a lot of the hair still intact. 

For this reason, you do not need to take your dog to a professional groomer since this article provides you with the steps you need to follow on how to use thinning shears to shape your dog’s hair successfully. The same way the shears work on human hair is how it works on dogs. 

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