Shear Care
Your shears are the most essential tool for your career as a stylist. It is important that they are treated with care and maintained on a regular basis. Below are some tips on how to do that :
Keep your shears clean and dry. Wipe them down after each haircut and again at the end of the day. Also, place a drop of oil at the pivot at least once a week to keep them well lubricated.
Always ensure your shears have the proper tension. Too loose and your shears may tend to fold the hair, too tight and it will require more effort to cut causing undue hand fatigue. Test tension by holding shears straight up by the finger hold. Lift thumb side all the way up and drop. Blades should just barely close, 20% at max.
Have your shears sharpened and serviced by a reputable, knowledgeable, and trustworthy company. Very few sharpeners have the tooling, training, technique, and ability to sharpen your shears. I happen to have all of those!
Even very small nicks in the blade can negatively affect your haircuts. Should you drop your shears or incur any damage whatsoever, DO NOT force them closed. Forcing them closed will exacerbate the damage. Place outward pressure on the blades with your other hand to close them and have them serviced ASAP.
Your shears are essential to your career. Your sharpener should be essential to your shears. I can give you and your shears unmatched service, and the most precise cutting edge possible!
Knife Care
Whether you are a professional chef or just a cook in your home kitchen, keeping your knives protected and sharp is essential.
Knives should be washed by hand and put in a wooden knife block or drawer with knife slots. A dishwasher will knock the knives into other cutlery or dishes, damaging the cutting edge. You should “steel” the knife on a sharpening steel after a few light uses or one heavy use. You may also use the bottom of a porcelain plate.
The cutting board you use can make a big difference to the longevity of the knife edge. The best for your knife edge is wooden butcher block style with the end grain facing up. Some of the best are made of teak and bamboo. The next best material for cutting boards and your knife edge are the ones made of a hard plastic or polypropylene. They really are not the best for the life of the sharpened edge, but they do have one redeeming feature; they are the easiest to clean and remove any contaminants. The worst choice for a cutting surface is a marble cutting board or directly on a counter top. This will dull even the best knives in no time.
Never soak your knives. Wash by hand only and dry with a towel. Never use any substandard sharpeners like the kind on a can opener. Yearly sharpening is recommended, more frequent under heavy duty use. If your knives need sharpened, call a qualified sharpener like us!