How to Properly Sanitize Your Haircutting Shears
Cleaning and sanitation are both key aspects of the hairdressing and grooming industries. Whether you’re working on human clients or pampering their pets, bacteria transference between jobs can affect all who have contact with your tools. Because of this, you must take the necessary steps to remove these potentially harmful particles before your next appointment.
Additionally, well-cared-for professional haircutting shears will last significantly longer and give better results than those that are poorly cared for, even if both are the same model. This is how to properly sanitize your haircutting shears and ensure they’re performing at their best.
Wipe Away Remaining Hair on the Shears
It’s common for small strands of hair to stick to the blades and lodge themselves near the shear joint during a standard cut-and-style appointment. In order for the cleaning agents to be effective, these pieces of debris will need to be removed prior to the rest of the cleaning and sanitization process. To accomplish this, use a square of disposable towel and carefully wipe off the blade, applying a small amount of pressure with your thumb and index finger. Make sure that your shears are facing away from you when you do this and that you’re starting this motion from the base of the blade and wiping away from you. Follow up by dislodging any hairs from the joint, and you’re good to move on.
Remove Styling Aid Residue From the Blade
It’s also important that you remove whatever styling products could still be stuck to your tools. While most of these substances will be wiped away along with the hairs, stickier materials can still adhere to the steel and make the shears more difficult to clean. For this reason, you may need to use a cotton ball and rubbing alcohol for thorough removal. However, you shouldn’t need to perform this step too often.
Spray or Submerge Your Shears in Barbicide
The next step to properly sanitizing your haircutting shears is to either spray or submerge them in a disinfection solution (like Barbicide), depending on your state’s legal requirements. While this process may differ for some individuals, the purpose of it is to kill all lingering bacteria on the surface of the shears and reduce the possibility of transference between clients. If your state prefers you spray your shears, apply a thin coat of the substance on either side and allow it to dry. For those who need to submerge their shears, do so for no longer than ten minutes.
Rinse, Oil, and Store Your Shears
Once your shears are sterilized, you should rinse the solution off with tap water, place a few drops of oil along the hinges, and place them in your tool bag for safe storage. These additional steps are to ensure that your shears don’t rust, and that they remain perfectly loose and ready to use. When oiling your shears, use only a marginal amount of specialized product and wipe off any excess before storing them. This will cut back on the amount of oil that gets transferred to a person’s hair during their appointment.
