How often should hairdressing scissors be sharpened?

Full-time hairdressers typically sharpen every 6–12 months; part-time hairdressers every 12–18 months. Cutting volume, steel, tension and edge condition matter more than a fixed calendar date.

How much does scissor sharpening cost in Australia?

ShearGenius charges $70 per pair for its own scissors and $80 per pair for all other brands. The on-road service hand-finishes the edge and resets the tension at the salon.

What is the difference between sharpening and re-edging?

Sharpening restores an existing edge that has dulled. Re-edging creates a new edge, often after the previous one has rolled or chipped beyond simple sharpening. Re-edging takes longer and costs more, but extends the scissor lifespan.

Is a mobile scissor sharpening service better than sending scissors away?

A mobile scissorsmith who visits your salon is generally better: you get the scissors back the same day, you can watch the work, and you can ask what the edge condition actually tells you about your cutting. The trade-off is that mobile services run fixed territories, so availability depends on where you are. If you send scissors away instead, ask who physically does the work, whether the convex edge is restored by hand on stones, and what the turnaround is before you post anything.

Can I sharpen my own scissors?

Everyday household scissors are different from professional convex-edge hairdressing scissors. Restoring a convex edge requires specialised stones, accurate geometry and bench experience; an incorrect grind can turn the convex edge into a flat bevel.

Editorial guide · 2026

Scissor Sharpening for Australian Hairdressers

How working hairdressers and barbers should think about scissor sharpening — when, where, how much, and what to look for. From a directory that lists thousands of working stylists across Australia.

Why scissor sharpening matters

A dull scissor pushes or folds hair instead of slicing it cleanly. That changes the cutting feel, slows detailed work and makes the blades harder to control consistently.

A correctly restored edge should slice cleanly along the blade, with the tension reset so the blade pair meets as intended.

How often to sharpen

Full-time hairdresser or barber — typically every 6–12 months.
Part-time stylist — typically every 12–18 months.
Cut-led timing — book sooner when the scissor starts pushing, folding or losing its clean cutting feel.

If you can feel the scissor pushing rather than slicing, it’s overdue. If the ends are splitting on cut, it’s overdue. Don’t wait for a visible problem.

What to look for in a sharpening service

Convex edge capability. Professional Japanese-steel scissors have a convex edge, not a bevelled one. Many cheap sharpening services run a generic V-edge that ruins a convex finish. Confirm convex before sending.
By-hand finishing. Machine-finished edges look right under inspection but feel different under hair. The best sharpeners hand-finish the final edge.
Tension adjustment. Sharpening a scissor without re-tensioning the pivot screw is half a job. The screw should be checked, cleaned, and adjusted to your hand.
Pre and post inspection. The scissorsmith should inspect the blade, ride line, set and tension before deciding what work the pair needs.
Australian-based service. Sending scissors overseas adds 4-6 weeks of postage and customs risk. Stick with Australian-based sharpeners.

Mobile service vs sending scissors away

A mobile scissorsmith who comes to the salon is the better option where you can get one: same-day turnaround, no postage risk, and you can ask questions while the work is in front of you. The limit is geography — mobile sharpeners run fixed territories on a repeating schedule.

If you’re in Victoria or Tasmania, or near Mount Gambier or Millicent, an on-road service reaches most towns on a regular run. Outside those states, you’ll be looking at a local sharpener or posting scissors away — in which case ask who actually does the work, whether the convex edge is restored by hand on stones rather than a machine wheel, and what the turnaround is before you send anything.

Where serviced-area hairdressers book sharpening

findme.hair’s sister brand ShearGenius runs a mobile scissor-sharpening service across Victoria and Tasmania, plus Mount Gambier and Millicent, visiting salons on a repeating territory run. Founded in 2007 by scissorsmith Matt Grumley, it has sharpened over 100,000 scissors — every convex edge restored by hand on Japanese water stones rather than a machine wheel.

The current price is $70 per pair for ShearGenius scissors and $80 per pair for all other brands.

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