Do thinning scissors cause damage?

[sophistiCat *]

Hi :)

I am getting a trim tommorrow and usually have the thinning scissors put through my hair to take out some of the weight and volume. But I wondered, is this actually damaging to hair?

Any thoughts?

[GoddesJourney]

If they're sharp and not pulling I guess. Razors are damaging because they slice at an angle and leave a little tail. But wait, you're trying to get rid of the volume...? And thousands of products are sold to make ones hair thicker. Ahh! People are never happy!:D

[jera]

I think they can, but razors are worse. I don't know from experience because my hair isn't that volumous, but my mom used to get her hemline thinned and it did damage it.:rolleyes:

[Sabayon]

A long as they are sharp they are no more damaging than normal scissors. I use them every time I trim to get rid of the slightly dorky "just cut" look.

[*Aoife*]

If thinning scissors are the onesI think they are, then they will cause you major annoyance when you try to braid your hair or do updo's. I don't know if they cause any actual damage though.

[funnyface]

I used to have them used on my hair, but would never do it again.

If you listen when they snip it makes like a ripping sound because of the angle at which it is cut. What kind of look are you going for? Is your hair really heavy and need thinning? Could it be feathered instead?

xxx

[Twil]

Ruined my hair, and actually made it poofier, and I always thought they were damaging because of it. But hey, my hair hates oil and loves humidity, so it could be just me.

[ll]

The big problem with thinning shears is that it's very hard to get rid of the split ends later after one has used thinning shears.

The way that thinning shears work is that they randomly cut some of the hairs a bit shorter than the others. This can be helpful if one's hemline tends to poof out. Also, using thinning shears can give a bit of volume if the hair at the roots looks thin because it is weighed down from so much hair. However, when your hair grows out, some of the hairs will be an inch or so shorter than the rest, so if you just get a 1/4" trim, you'll still have split ends on the hairs that were cut shorter by the thinning shears.

If you are not obsessed about length and don't mind getting bigger trims, or your main priority is increasing volume at the roots or having less poof at the hemline, thinning shears may be a good option. However, I thought I'd add this as I know many people here are completely focused on length...

[Capybara]

A long as they are sharp they are no more damaging than normal scissors. I use them every time I trim to get rid of the slightly dorky "just cut" look.
I agree. I used to get my hair thinned, about 6-7 years ago, but stopped when I realized that I actually preferred my thicker hair. I didn't have any damage from it though, at least from what I can tell. It's all grown back in now. (:

[girloctopus]

I had my hair thinned for years, and yes, I believe they cause quite a bit of damage. I have a lot of flying out bits from them, and a lot of them have split ends and look yucky. No more thinning for me! I liked it at the time, but it was also when I had time to flat iron and kept my hair at about lowish BSL/midback and it made my ponytail a lot less heavy and less prone to thumpage.

[countryhopper]

Welcome!

I agee that thinning shears are no more damaging than regular scissors IF they are sharp and not pulling through the hair.

Thinning shears are also used, to just for thinning, put to add volume to the hair. Since some hairs are cut shorter, those short hairs stick up and push the longer hairs up. SO it may be something to consider...

I agree with the fact that lots of layers are harder to maintain and do updos without haiving little pieces stick up everywhere.

How long is your hair? What is its texture? How long do you plan on growing it? These all have to considered, too.

[AgnesONutter]

My sister used to have her hair thinned, because it is really, really, really thick and unmanagable if kept at an even length. However, she went to another hairdresser a few years back who proposed cutting it into layers instead. This brings out the wave beautifully in her hair, and keeps it reasonably manageable too so it might be something to consider if you have really thick hair and don't like how it looks in all its thick glory. :)

[sophistiCat *]

Thanks for all of your helpful replies! I kinda lost my thread and now its been moved somewhere but I don't know where!

My hair is halfway to BSL, and I have layers which help the thickness. I find my hair gets frizzy (though it's not curly) when it's been for four months without the thinning scissors, but they are making me feel uneasy because I wonder if they are causing damage. The shorter front layers around my face are looking less healthy than the back because its cut at an angle (and it doesnt half hurt when the razor's used) which must be causing damage. I do a micro trim every couple of months alternated with a trip to the hairdressers, I am worried if I don't then I'll get really bad damage and it'll stop growing, I am aiming for waist length :)

Thanks again for your help x