Swapped from clipper-over-comb to freehand shears a few months back

I used to rely on clipper-over-comb for every fade blend, but after a slow Wednesday I decided to just try freehand shears on a regular client. The difference in texture and natural flow was wild, and now I barely touch my clippers for the crown area. Has anyone else made that switch and felt like it saved time on cleanups?

2 comments

2 Comments

matthewkim17d ago

Wait, are you finding freehand shears actually takes less cleanup time? I've been doing this for years and freehand always left me with more little stray hairs to chase around compared to the clipper method, especially on thicker hair types. Maybe my shears just aren't sharp enough but I usually end up going back over the same spot a few times.

ben_nguyen17d ago

dude i was talking to my barber about this last week and he said the same thing about thicker hair. but honestly i think it depends on how you hold the shears too. like i used to death grip mine and it dragged so bad through the hair. once i loosened up my hold and angled the blades a little different it actually cut way smoother with less cleanup. my shears are nothing special like $40 from amazon but they work fine now.