How to Realign Hair Scissors at Home

Hair scissors that have become misaligned can be the difference between a good haircut and a bad haircut. Proper alignment, among other factors, also ensures that you get long-lasting use out of your hair scissors. Anything from norm wear and tear to accidental damage can cause a misalignment in your scissors, so in this blog, we discuss how to test your scissors for misalignment and how to realign them when needed.

How to Know if Your Hair Scissors are Misaligned

Understanding when it’s time to realign your scissors is just as important as knowing how to realign them. The two blades that make up hair scissors are joined at a central point, known as the pivot, with a screw. When the blades are joined, a system known as the spring force help to maintain the contact between the cutting edges as you use the scissors. If the screw becomes loose, the spring force is removed causing the hair to bend as you try to cut it.

If you’re worried the screw in your scissors has become loose, there is a way you can test the tension:

1. Open your scissors as far they can go with one blade pointing up
2. Allow the blade to fall naturally
3. You’ll know the blade tension is loose if the blades fully come together as properly aligned scissors won’t close all the way on their own
4. Your scissors may also need realigning if you think the blades have become dull when they have actually just need tightening

How to Realign Hair Scissors  

1. Thoroughly clean your scissors of hair, dust or any other build-up that can get stuck in between the blades where the screw connects them.
2. Before realigning the scissors, it helps to apply lubrication to help loosen the screw as you adjust and reduce the risk of damaging them.
3. Every scissor screw already comes with some type of adjuster on them. You will use the adjuster to realign your scissors. Some adjusters might need tools while others may not.
4. The screw tension should be adjusted with one click or in 1/16^th inch increments, depending on the type of screw adjuster.
   • Simple Screw – scissors with a simple screw system have an exposed screw that you will typically need a screwdriver to adjust. If the screw becomes loose, take a screwdriver and turn it clockwise until it reaches the proper tension.
   • Dial-Spring System – The dial-spring tension system is more popular amongst newer scissors. This is because you simply turn the dial to adjust the tension – no tools are needed. Be careful to not twist the dial too much.
   • Special Tension Adjusting Screw – Many hair scissor manufacturers create scissor models that require a specific tool to adjust the screw. A common screwdriver won’t work with this tension adjusting system, so be extra careful so as not to misplace the tool that comes with the scissors.

Check out the Saki Shears blog for more helpful articles!