What to look for in a decent pair of scissors?

[Becky9679]

Second new thread of the day - this is what happens on bank holidays :D

I plan to start trimming my own hair once I'm done with my current no trims challenge and I know that a good quality pair of scissors is essential for this. Aside from sharpness what other factors should I be thinking about, and what kind of price range? This (http://www.coolblades.co.uk/scissor-guide.html) site has some interesting information but is geared more towards hairdressers - are there other factors to consider if you're cutting your own hair? Any good brands that people know of?

I know that you certainly get what you pay for in terms of quality (i.e. that a £2.99 pair of kitchen scissors should not be used to cut hair) but what kind of ballpark figure should you be paying for a good set of scissors? From internet searches I've seen prices ranging from £12 to just under £1000 (those were hand crafted titanium ones that never go blunt and are ergonomically designed for hairdressers to reduce strain on hand and arm muscles), but obviously I wouldn't have the same needs as a professional hairdresser - basically all I need are a good all-round pair that will allow me to cut my own hair comfortably without causing any damage.

It may seem like I'm overthinking this, but I want to make a wise investment!

[archel]

I am listening in on this thread, although I am in the US - I am on the prowl for a pair too and not at all sure what to get.

[Becky9679]

Bumping the thread since we don't have any replies yet ;)

[free_hug]

Maybe it's not so easy to give a more complex opinion - since if you have a pair of hair cutting scissors and use it only on yourself, chances are you will be using it very rarely ;)
Or more foten, but just for S&D - so it never has to go through any remarkably large challenge.

I have one pair - so far only used twice - to trim me, and to trim my friend. I plan to use it sometime next spring. The only factor I took into consideration is that this was the only kind of specifically hair scissors in the beauty shops we got around here :D

And from as much as I know, two factors are perfectly enough to be taken into consideration:
1. buy sharp ones that were specifically made for hair
2. never use them for anything else.

That's it :) on these boards, I never really saw much of a reference to other scissor concerns - they probably will lead to no significant difference.

[hypersensitive]

I read or heard somewhere (or maybe it was the sales lady at Sally's) that said as long as the scissors are Japanese steel, cost at least $20 or so and are made specifically for hair, you should be good. You could spend upwards to hundreds of dollars but I just use some Jibere de Paris ones from Sally's Beauty Supply (It was on sale!) I use them all the time for S&D and they do the job.

[McFearless]

I bought 15$ scissors from Sally's and they work great, though I wonder how many times I can use them before I need them sharpened. I only trim damage and I'm sick of layers so I don't use them for any kind of shaping up. Maybe those who want to keep up a style should invest in more expensive scissors, I'm not sure. Hopefully somebody can answer.

[Lissandria]

I got a pair of titanium coated steel hair scissors ones from ebay (titanium is adonised rainbow :) ). They have a convex razor edge. They were $AU23.99 which is about the same in $US. My hairdresser has a very similar pair. They do the job for SD and when the time comes im sure they'll be great for self-trims. I don't know all that much though, hopefully someone on here can give you more information.

[hypersensitive]

I found an article written by a member here on some tips for choosing a pair of hair scissors.
http://www.angelfire.com/mi/bbubba/LHC/Scissors.html

[ssjhotau2]

Awesome- I was thinking of making a thread asking this question myself since the "cheapy" hair scissors I bought 3 years ago I think are getting dull.
I notice that I seem to have more splits since I started S&Ding.

[mora]

I also use a Jilbere de Paris pair from Sally's for S&D and think it feels much smoother in action and cut than the even cheaper pairs I got from Sally's and the drugstore.

I haven't tried any more expensive pairs although there are some recommended in this older discussion of scissors: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=1699

[trolleypup]

I also use a Jilbere de Paris pair from Sally's for S&D and think it feels much smoother in action and cut than the even cheaper pairs I got from Sally's and the drugstore.

I haven't tried any more expensive pairs although there are some recommended in this older discussion of scissors: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=1699
Mmmm. Really nice scissors, you can barely feel the hair strand being cut!

[ooo]

You should look for a pair of scissors that has something like micro teeth on one side. The hair is less likely to slip away. Super sharp scissors are said to have the same effect. My experience is very different.

If you use your scissors only for S&D than you won't need the micro teeth. I use a beard scissor for S&D. It's just a tiny bit easier with the short scissors.